Cairo, 7 August 2022- The International for Migration (IOM) in Egypt continues its cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports as part of their collaboration to refurbish Youth Centres in Cairo and Alexandria. IOM Chief of Mission for the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr Laurent de Boeck with H.E. Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr Ashraf Sobhy Sports and H.E. Governor of Cairo, Khaled Abdel Aal, in the presence of the Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, H.E. Oka Hiroshi, and the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Egypt, Mr Tobias Krause, participated in the inauguration event of the gymnasium hall of the Maadi 77 Youth Centre.

Youth centres represent a supportive environment for the youth. Young people are offered the opportunity to socialize in a safe and welcoming environment through structured and unstructured arts, cultural and sporting activities, and access to a variety of services and programs.

The Maadi Youth centre is inherently significant in promoting a brighter future and a safer space for youth. It is frequented by approximately 4,000 youth each week, both migrants and Egyptians.

“It is a pleasure to witness the refurbished gym hall at the Maadi youth centre strengthening relations between migrant and Egyptian communities by bringing them together and enjoying sports. This is a nice a new safe space where community cohesion and social integration can foster, said Laurent de Boeck, Chief of Mission of IOM Egypt.

The refurbishment was made possible through the generous financial support of the People of Japan through ‘Empowering Women, Migrants and Host Communities in Egypt to Cope with the impacts of Covid-19 through Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services’ and the European Union under the ‘Regional Development and Protection Programme’ (RDPP II).

This activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely, Goal 10: ‘Reduced Inequalities’, Goal 16: ‘Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions’, and Goal 17: ‘Partnerships for the Goals. It also aligns with the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), Objective 16: ‘Empower migrants and societies to realize full inclusion and social cohesion’, as well as the Second Objective of Egypt Vision 2030, ‘Equality and Inclusion’.