Cairo, June 1, 2021- Integrating migration studies into academic institutions’ research centres and scholar programmes plays a vital role in enhancing the understanding on migration aspects and in increasing academic expert’s capacities in researching major migration developments. The adoption of the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) has heightened the need for reliable, timely and internationally comparable definitions and data on migration trends, flows, policies, and their contribution to development.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Egypt, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Faculty of Economics & Political Science (FEPS) at Cairo University to establish a Migration Research Unit (MRU) aimed to provide a platform for communication amongst migration experts and support migration governance in Egypt through enhancing migration knowledge, data, national policy and practice. The MoU reflects on Egypt engagement towards the implementation of the GCM as well as Egypt follow up with the International Forum for Migration Statistics (IFMS) held in Cairo in January 2020.

The Faculty of Economics & Political Science (FEPS) is considered a centre of excellence in the fields of education, scientific research and community services. The development of an MRU within its premises is a great opportunity to enhance the solution-oriented policy research on migration-related matters. The MRU is developed to become a leading dynamic hub for the academic community, researchers and public policy practitioners.

It aims at increasing different stakeholders’ knowledge on migration, mobility and human development, migration governance and national migration polices in a multidisciplinary manner. This will be achieved through organizing a group of seminars and educational workshops to exchange on migration matters and its impact on the economic and social level within the Egyptian society.

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Saeed, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science has affirmed that “the establishment of this Unit is considered an additional significant component to the Faculty centres and programmes”. According to Dr. Adela Rajab, Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre "the Unit will play an important role in building national capacities and this will contribute in the long term to developing more comprehensive migration policies based on evidence-based data and a deep understanding of all related matters of migration and how to manage it.”

The IOM Egypt Chief of Mission, Mr. Laurent De Boeck, congratulated the Faculty of Economics & Political Science for their academic and practical support to the engaged Government of Egypt for making migration governance a success, known in Egypt and beyond. He reiterated the pleasure to see the engagement of the academic world with the migration practitioners to better shape programmes and policies which benefit both migrants and the societies.

By engaging scholars and researchers in an interdisciplinary learning process, the MRU will be supported with a virtual library on migration data sources provided through IOM online library. The MRU establishment supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Goal 10 “Reduced Inequalities” specifically target10.7 “facilitate orderly, safe, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies’ as well as Goal: 17 “Partnerships for the Goals”.

For more information, please contact Mariam Salim at IOM Egypt, Tel: +20 1012 428 527, Email: msalim@iom.int