-
MTM i-Map
Migration and Development Layer
EGYPT
Latest update of contents: January 2012
This profile is based exclusively on desk research.
The profile provides data from official national sources to the
extent possible, complemented by data of
international organisations and research projects in case
national data was not available.
Data may deviate according to source due to differences in data
collection methods and in definitions
applied.
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Table of Content
1 EGYPT AT A GLANCE
......................................................................................................................................
3
2 THE MIGRATION SITUATION
..........................................................................................................................
5
2.1 EMIGRATION MOVEMENTS
.........................................................................................................................
5
2.2 IMMIGRATION MOVEMENTS (INCLUDING RETURN MIGRATION)
........................................................... 12
3 TRANSNATIONAL LIFE OF MIGRANTS
..........................................................................................................
19
3.1 NATIONAL LEGISLATION AND POLICY FRAMEWORK ON THE
TRANSNATIONAL LIFE OF MIGRANTS ............. 19
3.2 INVOLVMENT OF MIGRANT ORGANISATIONS IN THEIR COUNTRY OF
ORIGIN ........................................... 20
4 FINANCIAL REMITTANCES TRANSFERS AND MIGRANTS INVESTMENTS
...................................................... 21
4.1 NATIONAL LEGISLATION ON ECONOMIC INCENTIVES FOR MIGRANTS
...................................................... 21
4.2 FINANCIAL REMITTANCES DATA: INFLOWS, CHARACTERISTICS AND
IMPACT ........................................... 21
4.3 MIGRANT FINANCIAL REMITTANCES MARKETPLACE: CHANNELS AND
COSTS ........................................... 28
4.4 COLLECTIVE FINANCIAL REMITTANCES AND DONATIONS
..........................................................................
31
4.5 MIGRANT CAPITAL INVESTMENTS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
....................................................................
31
5 RETURN MIGRATION AND REINTEGRATION
..............................................................................................
33
5.1 NATIONAL PROGRAMMES ON RETURN MIGRATION AND REINTEGRATION
............................................ 33
5.2 IMPACT OF RETURN MIGRATION
.............................................................................................................
33
6 MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT: ACTORS AND INITIATIVES
......................................................................
34
6.1 LINKAGES BETWEEN MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMETN IN NATIONAL
POLICIES ........................................ 34
6.2 RELEVANT BILATERAL AGREEMENTS AND OTHER FRAMEWORKS OF
COOPERATION ............................... 34
6.3 DESCRIPTION OF MOST RELEVANT NATIONAL MIGRATION AND
DEVELOPMENT ACTORS ........................ 36
6.4 INITIATIVES RELATED TO THE TRANSNATIONAL LIFE OF MIGRANTS
.......................................................... 37
6.5 INITIATIVES RELATED TO FINANCIAL REMITTANCES INFLOWS AND
MIGRANTS INVESTMENTS ............... 40
6.6 INITIATIVES RELATED TO RETURN MIGRATION AND REINTEGRATION
..................................................... 41
7 DATA COLLECTION SYSTEMS
.......................................................................................................................
42
7.1 DATA ON MIGRATION (INCLUDING RETURN MIGRATION)
.......................................................................
42
7.2 DATA ON FINANCIAL REMITTANCES INFLOWS
...........................................................................................
44
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1 EGYPT AT A GLANCE
Table 1.1 Egypt at a Glance
Topic Indicator Data Source
Population
Total population (estimates, January 2012)
81,449,013 Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics
(CAPMAS) (EN), for forecasts please refer to UNDESA (EN)
Growth rate (08/2009) 15.8 % CAPMAS (EN)
Males per 100 Females (1/1/2010)
104.6 % CAPMAS (EN)
Birth rate (per 1000) (2008) 27.3 CAPMAS (EN)
Fertility rate (births per woman) (2009)
2.8 The World Bank (EN)
Mortality rate (per 1000) (2008) 6.1 CAPMAS (EN)
Under 15 years (total) (1/7/2009)
43.46 % CAPMAS (EN)
15-60 years (of total) (1/7/2009) 52.8 % CAPMAS (EN)
60 years and over (of total) (1/7/2009)
3.74% CAPMAS (EN)
Economy
GDP (2009/2010) EGP 1,150,589.6 million* Ministry of Planning
(AR, EN)
GDP per capita (2008) USD 1,991** UNDP HDR 2010 (AR, EN, FR)
GDP growth rate (2008/2009) 15.8% CAPMAS (EN)
External Debt (of GDP) (2009) 17.0 % CAPMAS (EN)
Inflation rate (2009) 11.8 % CAPMAS (EN)
Unemployment rate (2009) 9.4% CAPMAS (EN)
Main import countries (2011) European Union (EU 27), United
States, China, Saudi Arabia, Republic of South Korea
World Trade Organization (WTO) (EN, FR) Trade Profile (EN,
FR)
Main export countries (2011) EU 27, Saudi Arabia, United States,
India, Libya
WTO (EN, FR) Trade Profile (EN, FR)
Migration
Net migration rate (per 1000) n/a n/a
Emigration rate of tertiary educated (2011)
4.6% World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook (EN)
Internal migration (2006) 6.6% CAPMAS (EN)
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Immigrants (of total population) (estimates, 2010)
0.3% UNDESA (EN)
Develop-ment
Human Development Index Rank (2011)
113 HDR Stat 2011 (EN, FR)
GDI Rank n/a n/a
Human Poverty Index Rank (2007)
82 UNDP HDR 2010 (AR, EN, FR)
GINI index (2007) 32.1 UNDP HDR 2010 (AR, EN, FR)
Life expectancy at birth (2007) 62 UNDP HDR 2010 (AR, EN,
FR)
Adult Literacy rate (2006) 66.4% UNDP HDR 2010 (AR, EN, FR)
Population living below USD1.25 per day (2009)
Less than 2% UNDP HDR 2010 (AR, EN, FR)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) Total (2008)
USD 1,706 million*** Organisation for Economic Co- Operation and
Development (OECD) (EN, FR)
ODA Committee (DAC) Countries (2008)
USD 1,434 million**** OECD (EN, FR)
ODA Multilateral Agencies (2008)
USD 272 million***** OECD (EN, FR)
ODA (Main donors) (2008) US, France, Japan, Germany, Spain
OECD (EN, FR)
* EUR 148, 333.024 million ** EUR 1,543 *** EUR 1,322 million
**** EUR 1,111 million ***** EUR 211 million N.B: Currencies were
converted according to EC exchange rates (EN, FR) of December of
the year in which the data was collected
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2 THE MIGRATION SITUATION
2.1 EMIGRATION MOVEMENTS
The so-called Arab Spring did not only have a significant social
and economic impact on the region, it
also had an impact on migration movements, including
immigration, emigration and return
migration. Several reports and surveys provide information on
migration and the Arab Spring
including, inter alia:
The IOM (EN, FR) survey Egypt after January 25: Survey of Youth
Migration Intentions (May
2011) (EN), which provides information on how the events of the
Arab Spring have influenced
their intention to migrate, based on interviews with 750
Egyptian youths; and
The New Eastern Outlook Open Research and Discussion Journal
(EN) report Effect of the
Arab Spring on Migration (December 2011) (EN), which provides a
brief general overview on
the effects of the Arab Spring on Migration.
Furthermore, IOM (EN, FR) provides statistics on IOM-assisted
movements across the Egyptian-Libyan
border throughout March 2011:
IOM Statistics on Operations Egypt - Libya (23 March 2011)
(EN);
IOM Statistics on Operations Egypt - Libya (22 March 2011) (AR,
EN);
IOM Statistics on Operations Egypt - Libya (9 March 2011) (AR,
EN);
IOM Statistics on Operations Egypt - Libya (8 March 2011) (AR,
EN); and
IOM Statistics on Operations Egypt - Libya (7 March 2011) (AR,
EN).
When reading the following sections on emigration and
immigration movements, please bear in mind
that most of the data available are not recent enough to reflect
migration movements that took place
in the course or in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, due to the
frequency of data collection.
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2.1.1 The Extent of Emigration Movements
Stock of Emigrants Abroad
Stock data on the number of Egyptian emigrants
abroad was provided by the latest Egyptian
population and housing census of 2006, which
contained a short module on Egyptians abroad. This
module was based on questions to non-migrant
respondents in Egypt on their family members
abroad (table 2.1).
Another source for stock data on the number of
Egyptian emigrants are estimates based on consular
records, provided by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) (AR, EN, FR) and the Egyptian Ministry
of Manpower and Emigration (MME) (EN, AR) (table 2.2). According
to the figures presented in tables
2.1 and 2.2, the number of Egyptians living abroad amounts to
between 5.5% and 6.5% of the Egyptian
population.
The Global Migrant Origin Database
(EN), launched by the Development
Research Centre on Migration,
Globalisation and Poverty (EN) of the
University of Sussex (EN), provides
statistical data on Egyptian emigrants
based on data collected through
National Population and Housing Censuses of destination
countries, which is downloadable in excel
format here (EN).
Further data on the stock of emigrants is provided by
international sources, inter alia:
The World Bank (AR, EN, FR) Migration and Remittances Factbook
(EN); and
The UNDP (EN, FR) Human Development Report (2009) (AR, EN,
FR).
Emigration Flows
The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics
(CAPMAS) (EN) publishes data on the yearly
outflows of Egyptian emigrants, which can be accessed under this
link (EN).
Table 2.1 Egypt: Number of Egyptian Emigrants Abroad, Census
Data, 2006
2006 3,900,000 Source: Central Agency for Public Mobilization
and Statistics (CAPMAS) (EN), quoted in European Commission,
Directorate for Economic and Financial Affairs, Occasional Papers
60 Labour Market Performance and Migration Flows in the Arab
Mediterranean Countries: Determinants and Effects. Volume 3:
National Background Papers Mashreq: Egypt, Palestine, Jordan,
Lebanon, Syria (2010) (EN), CARIM (EN, FR) The Migratory Patterns
of Egyptians in Italy and France (2009) (EN).
Table 2.2 Egypt: Stock of Egyptian Emigrants, Estimates of
the MFA and MME, Based on Consular Records, 2006
2006 4,727,396
Source: Estimates of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA)
(AR, EN, FR) and the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower and
Emigration
(MME) (EN, AR), quoted in the CARIM (EN, FR) report The
Migratory
Patterns of Egyptians in Italy and France (2009) (EN).
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2.1.2 Main Countries of Destination In Egyptian statistics, the
term temporary emigration is used to refer to emigration towards
Arab
countries and the term permanent emigration is used to refer to
emigration to the rest of the world
a division that does not mirror the actual duration of stay of
emigrants but that rather goes back to
integration policies in destination countries, with Europe and
North America being oriented towards
integration, which is not the case in Arab countries, as pointed
out in the CARIM (EN, FR) report
Migration Profile Egypt (2010) (EN). This distinction is
reflected in estimates of temporary and
permanent Egyptian emigration provided by CAPMAS (EN, AR) (2001)
and the MME (AR, EN) (2009)
(tables 2.3 and 2.4).
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) (AR, EN, FR) and
the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower and
Emigration (MME) (EN, AR), quoted in the CARIM (EN, FR) report
The Migratory Patterns of Egyptians in
Italy and France (2009) (EN) provide estimates of the
distribution of Egyptian emigrant communities in
major receiving areas in 2006 (graph 2.1), which differ
significantly from the 2001 CAPMAS (EN, AR)
estimates presented in table 2.3 and from the 2009 Ministry of
Manpower and Emigration (EN)
estimates presented in table 2.4.
Table 2.3 Egypt: Estimates of Temporary Egyptian Emigration by
Receiving Country, 2001
Receiving Country
Number of Migrants
%
Saudi Arabia 923,600 48.3
Libya 332,600 17.4
Jordan 226.850 11.9
Kuwait 190,550 10.0
UAE 95,000 5.0
Iraq 65,629 3.4
Qatar 25,000 1.3
Yemen 22,000 1.2
Oman 15,000 0.8
Lebanon 12,500 0.7
Bahrain 4,000 0.2
Total 1,912,729 100.0 Source: CAPMAS (EN, AR) (2001), quoted in
the Revue Europenne des Migrations Internationales (EN, FR) The
Place of Egypt in the regional migration system as a receiving
country (2003) (EN).
Table 2.4 Egypt: Estimates of Permanent Egyptian Emigration by
Receiving Country, 2009
Country of Destination
Number of Migrants
%
USA 318,000 38.6
Canada 110,000 13.3
Italy 90,000 10.9
Australia 70,000 8.5
Greece 60,000 7.3
The Netherlands 40,000 4.9
France 36,000 4.4
UK 35,000 4.2
Germany 25,000 3.0
Switzerland 14,000 1.7
Austria 14,000 1.7
Spain 12,000 1.5
Total 824,000 100 Source: Emigration Sector (AR, EN) of the
Ministry of Manpower and Emigration (EN), History and Statistics of
Egyptian Emigration (AR), 22.07.2009.
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2.1.3 Characteristics of Emigrant Population
Gender
CAPMAS (EN) provides annual data on the gender
distribution of Egyptian temporary labour
migrants, which shows that 97% of temporary
labour migrants were male, and 3% were female,
in 2009 (graph 2.2).
Also regarding permanent emigration and those
who acquired emigrant capacity, the majority of
emigrants was male, with 83.6% (graph 2.3). The
terminological distinction between permanent
emigrants and those who acquired emigrant
capacity is explained in the publication History
and Statistics of Egyptian Emigration (2009) (AR)
of the Emigration Sector (AR, EN) of the Ministry of Manpower
and Emigration (EN), which states that an
Egyptian is considered having emigrant
capacity if he:
Acquired the nationality of a foreign
country;
Obtained a permanent residence permit
in a foreign country;
Has lived in a foreign country for a
period of less than ten years; or
Obtained an emigration permit from
one of the countries of emigration which
are determined by the minister
concerned with emigration affairs.
Only once an emigrant who has acquired a
foreign nationality has filled in form No 249,
which is available at Egyptian embassies and
which confirms the acquisition of the foreign
nationality, he/she is considered a permanent emigrant.
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Age
Graph 2.4 provides data
on the permanent
emigrants and those
who acquired emigrant
capacity according to
age groups, provided by
CAPMAS (AR).
No data on age groups
of temporary migrants
could be collected at
this stage.
Level of Education
According to data
provided by CAPMAS
(AR), the highest
number of permanent emigrants and those who acquired emigrant
capacity were academics (graph 2.5).
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CAPMAS (AR) provides annual data on Egyptian temporary labour
migrants by level of education, which
shows that temporary labour migrants comprised both high and low
skills levels in 2009 (graph 2.6).
Business Area/Sector of Activity/Professional Position
According to data provided by CAPMAS (AR), the highest number of
permanent emigrants and those
who acquired emigrant capacity were specialists of scientific
professions or individuals who could not be
classified by profession (graph 2.7).
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No data on Business Area/Sector of Activity/Professional
Position of temporary migrants could be
collected.
2.2 IMMIGRATION MOVEMENTS (INCLUDING RETURN MIGRATION)
2.2.1 The Extent of Immigration Movements
Stock of Immigrants
No national data could be collected at this stage.
The Population Division of the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
(EN) provides estimates of the number of immigrants
in Egypt at mid-year, based on the national population
censuses (table 2.2).
Table 2.2 Egypt: Number of Immigrants
Number of immigrants 244,714 Source: United Nations, Department
of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2009). Trends
in International Migrant Stock: The 2008 Revision (United Nations
database, POP/DB/MIG/Stock/Rev.2008).
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Immigration Flows
No data could be collected at this stage.
2.2.2 Main Countries of Origin
No data on the main
countries of origin of
immigrants in Egypt
could be collected at
this stage.
However, data of the
Ministry of Manpower
and Emigration
(MOME) (EN, AR)
shows that of the
14,416 work permits
granted to foreign
nationals in 2007,
about 55% were
granted to Arab
nationals, and about
40% were granted to
European nationals,
followed by Asian,
African, and American and Australian nationals to a less
significant percentage (graph 2.8).
2.2.3 Characteristics of Immigrant Population
Gender
No national data could be collected at this stage.
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According to estimates of the
Population Division of the
United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs
(UNDESA) (EN), based on
national population censuses,
the gender ratio among the
immigrant population in Egypt is
rather balanced, with almost
half of them being female
(graph 2.9).
Age
No data could be collected at
this stage.
Level of Education
No data on the level of education of immigrants could be
collected at this stage.
However, CAPMAS (EN, AR) provided data on the distribution of
foreign graduates from Egyptian
universities for the year 2006, which shows that Egypt hosted
significant numbers of foreign students,
mainly from Arab and non-Arab Asian countries (graph 2.10).
Business Area/Sector of Activity/Professional Position
The 2006 census collected data on foreign nationals by
nationality and occupation, showing that the
occupations with the highest representation among foreign
nationals working in Egypt were sales and
service workers and specialists (graph 2.11).
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2.2.4 Main Countries of Origin of Return Migrants
In 2005, return
migrants from
Europe mainly
returned from
Italy and France,
according to
data collected in
the course of
the Field Survey
Attitudes of
Egyptian Youth
Towards
Migration to
Europe (2006)
(EN), which was
carried out in
the framework
of the
Information Dissemination on Migration (IDOM) project, hosted by
the Emigration Sector of the
Egyptian Ministry of Manpower and Emigration (MME) (EN, AR) and
supported by the Cooperazione
Italiana (EN) and the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) (EN) (graph 2.12). The Field survey
was based on 1,552 questionnaires, which were answered by young
males between 18 and 40 years of
age.
The IOM (EN, FR) case study Socio-economic profile of Egyptian
migrants returning from Libya due to the crisis; sample analysis
(August 2011) (EN) provides information on the Egyptians who
returned from Libya due to the crisis.
2.2.5 Characteristics of Return Migrants to Egypt
This section provides information on the characteristics of
return migrants to Egypt in general. In
addition, however, case studies exist that describe the
characteristics of return migrants from specific
countries, such as the IOM (EN, FR) case study Socio-economic
profile of Egyptian migrants returning
from Libya due to the crisis; sample analysis (August 2011)
(EN), which provides information on the
Egyptians who returned from Libya due to the crisis.
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Gender and Age
No data could be collected at this stage.
Level of Education
The Egypt Labour Market Panel Survey 2006 (ELMPS 06), published
in the Economic Research Forum
(EN) Working Paper An Overview of Internal and International
Migration in Egypt (2007) (EN), provides
data on the level of education of return migrants in 2006 (graph
2.13).
The ELMPS 06 re-
interviewed a total sample
of 8,371 households, out of
which 3,701 households
had already participated in
the 1988 Egyptian Labour
Market Survey (ELMS).
2,167 were splits from the
original households, and
2,498 households had not
participated in the
previous survey. The
ELMPS 06 was conducted
by the Economic Research
Forum (EN) in cooperation
with the Population
Council (EN) and the
Central Agency for Public
Mobilization and Statistics
(CAPMAS) (AR, EN), supported by USAID-Egypt (EN) and the Ford
Foundation (EN).
Business Area/Sector of Activity/Professional Position
No data could be collected at this stage.
Graph 2.13 Egypt: Education of Current and Return Migrants in %,
2006
Source: Economic Research Forum (EN) Working Paper An Overview
of Internal and
International Migration in Egypt (2007)
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3 TRANSNATIONAL LIFE OF MIGRANTS
3.1 NATIONAL LEGISLATION AND POLICY FRAMEWORK ON THE
TRANSNATIONAL LIFE OF
MIGRANTS
The IOM (EN, FR) study Dynamics of the Egyptian Diaspora:
Strengthening Development Linkages (2010)
(EN), which is based on a field survey of Egyptian emigrant
communities in Kuwait, the United Kingdom
and the United States of America, provides information on
Egyptian emigrant communities in these
countries and their links to their country of origin. According
to this study, Egyptian emigrants reported,
inter alia, that many young expatriates refrained from visiting
their country of origin because they
feared legal actions for not having completed their military
service, which is obligatory for Egyptian
nationals under the age of 30 years. Exemptions from military
service are possible, but the required
document is difficult to obtain, particularly due to the fact
that the government missions that are
entrusted to issue this document come infrequently abroad.
Furthermore, according to the same study,
many expatriates reported that they were not in contact with
their embassies abroad and expected little
help from them.
Although the right to vote of all Egyptian nationals was granted
by the constitution and by Law No. 73 of
1953, which was amended in 2005 and 2011, voting was hardly
possible for many Egyptian expatriates
as they had to vote in actual voting polling stations in the
exact district that is listed on national identity
cards, according to the Jadaliyya (AR, EN) article In Historic
Ruling, Egyptian court Confirms Voting Rights
for Millions of Expats (2011) (EN). However, many Egyptians
abroad were not registered at their
embassies nor did they have national identity cards. After the
Arab Spring, many Egyptian expatriates
started to register with their embassies, hoping that they would
eventually be able to vote. In
November 2011, an administrative court ruling granted Egyptians
abroad the right to vote at Egyptian
embassies and consulates. For further information, please refer
to:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (AR, EN, FR) news release
Starting voting abroad at four
supplementary constituencies (EN);
The Jadaliyya (AR, EN) article In Historic Ruling, Egyptian
court Confirms Voting Rights for
Millions of Expats (2011) (EN); and
The Al Arabiya News (AR, EN) article Egyptian expatriates vote,
but not all of their compatriots
are happy about their patriotism (EN).
Table 3.1 provides an overview on additional legal provisions
that are relevant to the transnational life
of migrants.
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Table 3.1 Egypt: Legislations and Policy Frameworks with Regard
to the Transnational Life of Citizens
Emigration
Legislation Description
The Emigration and Sponsoring Egyptians Abroad Law No. 111 of
1983 (EN)
The main goal of the Egyptian Emigration Law is to maintain
strong ties with Egyptians abroad, according to the CARIM (EN, FR)
report The Migratory Patterns of Egyptians in Italy and France
(2009) (EN). Overall, the law has two objectives:
To arrange both a permanent and temporary emigration system;
and
To outline the provisions dealing with providing the necessary
care and extending facilities to Egyptian emigrants before their
departure from Egypt, after their arrival in host countries and to
those who decide to return to Egypt.
Source: The information presented in this section derives from
the Final report (2010) (AR, EN, FR) of the Joint ICMPD-IOM
Project: Linking Emigrant Communities for More Development
Inventory of Institutional Capacities and Practices (EN)
Dual Citizenship
Legislation Description
Law No. 26 of 1975 (EN), as amended by Law No. 154 of 2004
(AR)
Art. 10: An Egyptian may not acquire a foreign nationality
except after obtaining a permission therefore, to be issued by
decree of the Minister of Interior. [...]
Source: Law No. 26 of 1975 (EN), as amended by Law No. 154 of
2004 (AR)
3.2 INVOLVMENT OF MIGRANT ORGANISATIONS IN THEIR COUNTRY OF
ORIGIN
The EC-funded project European-wide African Diaspora Platform
for Development (EADPD) will produce
a Comprehensive Database on African Migrant Organisations, which
will provide information on the
African migrant organisations in EU MS and Switzerland working
in the field of migration and
development, as well as on their activities and funding sources.
As soon as the findings are available,
they will be fed into this section.
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4 FINANCIAL REMITTANCES TRANSFERS AND MIGRANTS INVESTMENTS
4.1 NATIONAL LEGISLATION ON ECONOMIC INCENTIVES FOR MIGRANTS
The Emigration and Sponsoring Egyptians Abroad Law No. 111 of
1983 (AR) provides for financial
incentives to encourage Egyptian emigrants abroad to invest in
Egypt.
Table 4.1 Egypt: Legislations Incorporating Incentives Aimed to
Encourage the Return of Financial Resources
Legislation Description
The Emigration and Sponsoring Egyptians Abroad Law No. 111 of
1983 (EN)
Article 15 provides the following The returns of the investment
of Egyptian migrants deposits in one of the banks operating in
Egypt shall be exempted from all taxes and fees. Egyptian migrants
or expatriates capital utilized in projects or investments in the
country shall be granted all the advantages decided for foreign
capital operating in the same field, or national capital, which is
better. If capital is to be treated in various ways according to
the foreign capital nationality, then the capital of migrants
contributing in the said fields, shall be treated according to the
most advantageous way.
4.2 FINANCIAL REMITTANCES DATA: INFLOWS, CHARACTERISTICS AND
IMPACT
4.2.1 Financial Remittances Inflows
According to World Bank Data, Egypt is the most significant
recipient of remittances, as quoted in the
IOM Egypt (EN) Migration and Development Factsheet (EN).
Data on flows of workers remittances in Egypt are recorded by
the Central Bank of Egypt (EN), which
publishes the Balance of Payments and External Trade in its
Annual Reports (AR, EN). They have in-
creased continuously from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004/05 to
2007/08. From FY 2007/08 to FY 2008/09, a
slight decrease could be observed. From FY 2008/09 to FY
2009/10, workers remittances increased
again (graph 4.1).
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An additional
source providing
data on
remittances
flows to Egypt is
the World Bank
(AR, EN, FR)
Migration and
Remittances
Factbook (EN).
World Bank data
on official
remittances
flows slightly
varies from the
data provided
through the
Central Bank of Egypt, notably because it includes compensation
of employees, in addition to workers
remittances and due to different reporting periods (graph
4.2).
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The Relative Size of Remittances Inflows
Table 4.2 provides data on the extent of financial remittances
as percentage of the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and of the receipts of Official Development
Assistance (ODA), as well as the ratio of
workers remittances to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), both
from national and international sources.
Amount/Frequency of Remittances Inflows to Egypt
Official remittances sent per migrant to Egypt in 2005 amounted
to USD 2,091 (=EUR 1773), according to
World Bank Staff Estimates quoted in the ESCWA (AR, EN)
Technical Paper International Migration and Development in the
ESCWA Region: Challenges and Opportunities (AR, EN).
An additional source that provides
information on remittances and that
can be consulted for further
information is the
RemittancesGateway (EN) Country
Profile (EN) on Egypt. The
RemittancesGateway Flyer (EN)
provides an overview on the types of
information that can be found on the
website.
4.2.2 Main Countries of Origin of Financial Remittances
The Central Bank of Egypt (EN)
provides data on the origin of financial remittances inflows in
its Annual Reports (AR, EN). For the fiscal
Table 4.2 - Egypt: Relative Size of Financial Remittance
Inflows
According to the Central Bank
of Egypt (Fiscal Year 2008/2009)
According to the UNDP Human Development
Report (2009)
Inflows total (in millions) USD 7,806 (EUR 5,537) USD 7,656 (EUR
5,430)
% of GDP (2006/2007) 4.2 6.0
as % of net ODA receipts n/a 706.6
Ratio of workers remittances to FDI n/a 0.7 Source: Annual
Report 2008/09 (EN)
of the Central Bank of Egypt (EN) Source: UNDP (EN, FR) Human
Development Report (2009) (EN)
N.B: Currency converted according to the official EC exchange
rate (EN), 01.01.2009
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year (FY) 2008/09, this
data shows that the most
important remittances
sending countries to
Egypt were the USA,
Kuwait, the United Arab
Emirates (UAE), and Saudi
Arabia (graph 4.3).
The UNDP (EN, FR)
Human Development
Report (2009) (EN)
provides data on the
origin of financial
remittances inflows by
continent, which
illustrates that with 59% the largest amount of financial
remittances comes from Asia (graph 4.4).
4.2.3 Characteristics of Financial Remittances Recipients
Data gathered through the Egypt Labour Market Panel Survey 2006
(ELMPS 06), published in the
Economic Research Forum (EN) Working Paper An Overview of
Internal and International Migration in
Egypt (2007) (EN),
shows that in 2006,
the persons sending
remittances were
mainly spouses with
65%, followed by
sons or daughters
with 23.92%, parents
with 6.4%, siblings
with 2.72%, and
other relatives with
only 1.66% (graph
4.5).
The ELMPS 06 also
provided data on the
characteristics of heads of households receiving remittances as
compared to heads of households not
receiving remittances in 2006 (graphs 4.6 to graph 4.8). In
addition, please also refer to the IOM (EN, FR)
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Study on Remittances and Investment Opportunities for Egyptian
Migrants (2010) (EN) for data on the
characteristics of financial remittances recipients.
Gender
Age
According to data gathered through the Egypt Labour Market Panel
Survey 2006 (ELMPS 06), published
in the Economic Research Forum (EN) Working Paper An Overview of
Internal and International
Migration in Egypt (2007) (EN), the mean age of heads of
households not receiving remittances was 47.1 years and the mean
age of heads of households receiving remittances was 43.5
years.
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Level of Education
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Business Area/Sector of Activity/Professional Position
4.2.4 Use of Financial Remittances Inflows
The IOM (EN, FR) Study on
Remittances and Investment
Opportunities for Egyptian
Migrants (2010) (EN) provides
data on the use of remittances
(graph 4.9). The study is based
on a survey of 200 remittance-
receiving households that has
been conducted in the four
governorates of Cairo,
Menofeya, Sharkia, and
Fayoum.
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4.2.5 Impact of Financial Remittances
Remittances lead to a reduction of poverty rates, as pointed out
in the ESCWA (AR, EN) Technical Paper
International Migration and Development in the ESCWA Region:
Challenges and Opportunities (AR, EN).
At the social level, remittances, which are viewed as a sign of
success, can, inter alia, stimulate the
emigration of friends and relatives, and lead to different
consumer values. The emigration of a family
member may have an impact on the social status and the roles of
the household members in the
country of origin, according to the
same source.
4.3 MIGRANT FINANCIAL
REMITTANCES
MARKETPLACE:
CHANNELS AND COSTS
4.3.1 Mode of Financial Remittances Transfers to Egypt
Data gathered through the Egypt
Labour Market Panel Survey 2006
(ELMPS 06), published in the Economic Research Forum (EN)
Working Paper An Overview of Internal and
International Migration in Egypt (2007) (EN), shows that the
biggest share of remittances to Egypt has
been sent through informal channels, including 32%, which have
been sent through Hawala, 31%, which
have been carried by friends or relatives, 8%, which have been
carried by the migrant himself, 7%, which
have been sent by mail, and only 22%, which have been
transferred through the banking system (graph
4.11).
The Facility for Euro- Mediterranean Investment and Partnership
(FEMIP) (EN) (FR) Study on improving
the efficiency of workers remittances in Mediterranean countries
(2006) (EN) states that despite the
large Egyptian banking sector, including 56 banks, recipients of
remittances were oftentimes
discouraged by their experiences with banks as Egyptian banks
were usually reluctant to give credits to
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). This fact may have
contributed to remittances receivers
preferring informal transfer channels, according to the same
source.
According to the IOM (EN, FR) Study on Remittances and
Investment Opportunities for Egyptian
Migrants (2010) (EN), the higher the level of education of a
migrant and the higher the amount to be
transferred, the more likely it is that the migrant will
transfer remittances through formal channels, i.e.
banks and official money transfer institutions.
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4.3.2 Financial Remittances Marketplace
Inbound Remittances Payout Rate by Institution
According to the report Sending Money
Home (2009) (EN), published by the
International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) (EN), the
concentration of remittance payout
locations in rural areas is 2%.
The same source points out that
Egyptian Banks have the highest inbound
remittances payout rate (76%), followed
by other institutions with 24%. The post,
foreign exchange bureaus (Forex),
microfinance institutions (MFI), and
retail have a payout rate of 0% in Egypt
(graph 4.11).
MTO participation in the remittances
market
Graph 4.12 illustrates that MoneyGram and Western Union are the
most important Money Transfer
Operators (MTOs) in Egypt, according to the International Fund
for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (EN)
report Sending Money
Home (2009) (EN).
In Egypt, there were 3,000
bank branches and 89
money transfer centres in
2004, according to the
European Investment
Bank, quoted in the
ESCWA (AR, EN) Technical
Paper International
Migration and
Development in the
ESCWA Region:
Challenges and
Opportunities (AR, EN).
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4.3.3 Costs of Money Transfers to Egypt
The following Money Transfer Price Comparison Services allow for
queries on the money transfer costs
charged by Money Transfer Operators (MTOs) between Egypt and the
sending countries covered. In
order to query the costs, please click on the service and select
MTO and the amount.
Table 4.4 Egypt: Money Transfer Price Comparison Services
Service Established by Sending
Countries Covered
Amounts Covered
Money Transfer Operators (MTOs) Covered for Transfers
to Egypt
Geldtransfair (DE)
Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Technische Zu-sammenarbeit (GTZ) (now
Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Inter-nationale Zusammen-arbeit (GIZ)
(EN))
Germany Every amount up to a maximum of EUR 12,500 (in EUR)
Voxmoney, mobilcash, VoiceCash, HypoVereinsbank, Ria Envia, SEB,
1822direkt, Commerzbank, Sparkasse KlnBonn, Ziraat Bank
International, comdirect bank, Berliner Volksbank, Dresdner Bank,
ING DIBA, Easy Trans, MoneyGram, Deutsche Bank, Stadtsparkasse
Mnchen, Berliner Sparkasse, Sparkasse KlnBonn, HypoVereinsbank,
Isbank, Kreissparkasse Kln, ReiseBank, Western Union, Norisbank,
Sparkasse Duisburg, Sparkasse Essen, VakifBank International,
Volksbank Bochum Witten, Volksbank Ruhr Mitte, Mnchner Bank,
Postbank, Volksbank Kln Nord
Geldnaarhuis (AR, EN, FR)
IntEnt (EN) The Nether-lands
Every amount (in EUR)
ABN AMRO (internetbankieren), MoneyGram, SNS Bank, ABN AMRO
(papier), Western Union, Rabobank, ING Bank (internetbankieren),
ING Bank (bankcheque)
Remittances Prices World-wide (EN)
World Bank (AR, EN, FR)
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
USD 200 USD 500
MTOs covered vary depending on the country combination between
the sending countries and the receiving countries available for the
respective Country corridor (EN) and can
be queried here (EN)
Send Money UK Governments Combinations Every MTOs covered vary
depending
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4.4 COLLECTIVE FINANCIAL REMITTANCES AND DONATIONS
Collective remittances devoted to community development did not
play a significant role in Egypt,
according to the Facility for Euro- Mediterranean Investment and
Partnership (FEMIP) (EN) (FR) Study on
improving the efficiency of workers remittances in Mediterranean
countries (2006) (EN). However,
Egyptian emigrants supported Islamic organisations through the
Zaqqat (2-5% of the income that shall
be donated to charitable causes according to the Quran once a
year) and the Sadaqqa (voluntary
donations), according to the same source. These Islamic
organisations mainly used this money for the
improvement of schools and mosques in their home villages.
4.5 MIGRANT CAPITAL INVESTMENTS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
4.5.1 Entreprises Started/Jobs Created by Egyptian Nationals
Abroad in Egypt
No data could be collected at this stage.
4.5.2 Investment Volume of Egyptian Nationals Abroad in
Egypt
No national data on migrant capital investment and
entrepreneurship could be collected.
According to the IOM (EN, FR) Study on Remittances and
Investment Opportunities for Egyptian
Migrants (2010) (EN), the government of Egypt has taken several
steps towards the improvement of the
investment climate in Egypt by reforming the legal framework,
which was so far, however, hardly
influenced the investment behavior of emigrants. This might be
due to a lack of information on one
hand and due to the fact that migrants mainly invest in small
and middle enterprises on the other hand.
For further information on the investments of Egyptian emigrants
in Egypt, please refer to chapters 9
Home (EN) Department for International Development (EN)
between 91 sending and 125 receiving countries are covered
(access drop-down menu here (EN))
amount (in sending country currencies)
on the country combination chosen between 91 sending countries
and 125 receiving countries and can be queried here (EN)
NB: This list is not exhaustive * The information provided on
this website is based in a one-time survey that has been conducted
in 2007 and is not being updated.
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and 10 of to the IOM (EN, FR) Study on Remittances and
Investment Opportunities for Egyptian Migrants
(2010) (EN).
Furthermore, case studies provide information on the capital
investment and entrepreneurship of
Egyptian emigrants in certain countries, such as:
The Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale (CeSPI) (IT)
publication Egyptian Diaspora
Cooperation with the homeland: migration networks and
transnationalism between local
contexts (2005) (EN), according to which many Egyptian migrants
in Italy preferred to invest in
Italy rather than in Egypt in the short and middle term, as they
perceived Italy to offer more and
less risky investment opportunities, entailing less
administrative efforts. However, most
Egyptian emigrants in Italy wished to open a business in Egypt
at a later stage to complement
their entrepreneurial activities in Italy, according to the same
source. The main reasons for this
wish were a diversification of risks, and the possibility to
provide relatives back home with jobs.
Most business activities were small scale and linked to family
networks. In rural areas,
investments in the agricultural sector were considered the
safest option.
The IOM (EN, FR) case study Egyptian Entepreneurs in Italy
trough the Global crisis. Fears, Hopes
and Strategies (AR, EN) provides further information on Egyptian
Entrepreneurship in Italy,
including trading and investment operations between Italy and
Egypt.
4.5.3 Financial Capacities of Egyptian Nationals Abroad in
Egypt
No national data could be collected at this stage. Table 4.5
provides preliminary estimates on savings of
Egyptian emigrant communities.
Table 4.5 Egypt: Preliminary Estimates on Savings of Emigrant
Communities
Stock of Emigrant Communities (mil.)
Emigrant Communities Savings est., 2009 (USD bil.)
Emigrant Communities Savings of GDP
Emigrant Communities savings of domestic saving
3.7 6 3% 26% Source: World Bank (AR, EN, FR) publication
Migration and Development Brief 14: Preliminary Estimates of
Diaspora Savings (2011) (EN) N.B: Calculations of the authors of
the publication, using the World Banks Migration and Remittances
Factbook 2011 and World Development Indicators. For more detailed
information on the methodology please refer to the Migration and
Development Brief 14 (EN)
4.5.4 Diaspora Bonds
No information on Diaspora bonds could be collected at this
stage.
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5 RETURN MIGRATION AND REINTEGRATION
5.1 NATIONAL PROGRAMMES ON RETURN MIGRATION AND
REINTEGRATION
Table 5.1 Egypt: Legal Framework Facilitating the Return of
Egyptian Emigrants
Legislation Description
The Emigration and Sponsoring Egyptians Abroad Law No. 111 of
1983 (EN)
Article 16 provides the following: Taking into consideration the
provisions of the president of the Arab Republic of Egypts
resolution in law no. 73 of the year 1971 , in relation to the
treatment of Egyptian expatriates who return to their homeland , an
Egyptian worker who emigrated and had been working in the
government , one of the local governance units, general agencies or
public sector, and whose resignation had been accepted for the
purpose of permanent emigration, and who returned back home within
two years from the date his resignation has been accepted, shall be
re-appointed at the entity where he had been working before
emigration if he applied for this within three months from the date
of his final return . A worker shall be appointed to his last post,
if it is still vacant, or to another similar post. A person whose
emigration duration exceeds the period referred to in the previous
paragraph may be reappointed, if he meets the conditions required
for filling the post. In such case, the said person shall be
exempted from the examination procedures or the contest required
for filling the post.
In 2006, the level of outreach of governmental programmes
offering return incentives was assessed as
limited by the World Bank (AR, EN, FR) publication Migration and
Skills: The Experience of Migrant
Workers from Albania, Egypt, Moldova and Tunisia (2010)
(EN).
5.2 IMPACT OF RETURN MIGRATION
No up-to-date information on the impact of return migrants could
be collected at this stage. However, in 1988, the supplementary
survey module on return labour migrants of the special round of
the Labour Force Sample Survey (LFSS), which was carried out by
the Central Agency of Public
Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) (AR, EN) in 1988, provided
extensive information on questions
related to return migrants.
Findings of the 1988 LFSS are presented in the following
publications:
Return Migration and Entrepreneurship in Egypt (EN);
Return International Migration and Geographical Inequality: The
Case of Egypt (2004); and
Overseas Work Experience, Savings and Entrepreneurship Amongst
Return Migrants to LDCs
(2001) (EN).
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6 MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT: ACTORS AND INITIATIVES
6.1 LINKAGES BETWEEN MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NATIONAL
POLICIES
The Sixth Five-Year Plan 2007 - 2012 (AR, EN) is the current
development strategy paper issued by the
Egyptian Ministry of Economic Development (AR, EN). Although it
does not point out a specific strategy
that aims at harnessing the potentials of emigrants for
development, it addresses selected points
related to migration and development, which are pointed out in
table 6.1.
6.2 RELEVANT BILATERAL AGREEMENTS AND OTHER FRAMEWORKS OF
COOPERATION
Relevant Bilateral Agreements
Egypt has signed bilateral agreements on labour migration with,
inter alia, the following countries in order to provide a legal
framework for Egyptian citizens abroad (table 6.2).
Table 6.2 Egypt: Bilateral Agreements on Labour Migration
Bulgaria
China (technical cooperation)
Greece
Iraq
Italy
Jordan
Kuwait
Libya
Morocco
Qatar
Senegal (technical cooperation)
Sudan
Yemen N.B: This list is not exhaustive Sources: Final report
(2010) (AR, EN, FR) of the Joint ICMPD-IOM Project: Linking
Emigrant Communities for More
Table 6.1 - Egypt: Migration and Development Issues Covered by
the Sixth Five-Year Plan 2007 - 2012
Sector /Issue Objective/Strategy
Brain Drain The education strategy outlined in Chapter 6 Human
and Social Development (EN) aims at addressing the shortage in
technical professions resulting from emigration of skilled
technicians
Rural Exodus
Chapter 7 Local Development (EN) aims at mitigating rural exodus
by narrowing the income gap between urban and rural areas
Source: Ministry of Economic Development (AR, EN) Sixth
Five-Year Plan 2007 - 2012 (AR, EN)
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Development Inventory of Institutional Capacities and Practices
(EN), Sussex Centre for Migration Research (EN) report The
Development Impact of Temporary International Labour Migration on
Southern Mediterranean Sending Countries: Contrasting Exemples of
Morocco and Egypt (2004) (EN), CARIM (EN, FR) Migration Profile
Egypt (2010)
Free Movement Areas
Egypt is a Member State of the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa (COMESA) (EN, FR)
which has adopted three Protocols related to Free Movement of
Persons and Labour. These have so far
not been ratified by Egypt. For further information please refer
to the COMESA Website (EN).
Development Cooperation
As shown in the OECD Development Database on Official
Development Assistance (EN), the following
Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members and multilateral
organisations have provided
Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Egypt in 2008 (table
6.3).
Table 6.3 - Egypt: Official Development Assistance by
Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Members and Multilateral
Organisations
DAC Members Multilateral organisations
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Korea
Luxembourg
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
EU Institutions
Global Environment Facility (GEF) (EN)
Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
United Childrens Fund (UNICEF) (AR, EN, FR)
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) (EN, FR)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (EN, FR)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (EN, FR).
N.B: This list is not exhaustive Source: OECD Development
Database on Aid, accessed 22.10.2010
The website Aidflows (AR, EN, FR) allows for a visualisation of
aid flows to Egypt, as well as data on key
development indicators and millennium development goals.
With regard to the Egypt-EU relations, the framework of
cooperation is set out in the Country Strategy
Paper for Egypt (2008 2013) (FR).
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6.3 DESCRIPTION OF MOST RELEVANT NATIONAL MIGRATION AND
DEVELOPMENT
ACTORS
The following national actors are active in areas related to
Migration and Development in Egypt (table
6.4).
International and regional organisations active in areas related
to migration and development include, inter alia:
African Development Bank Group (EN, FR);
Delegation of the European Union to Egypt (AR, EN)
IFAD (EN)
ILO (EN);
IOM (EN);
UNDP (EN); and
World Bank (AR, EN).
Table 6.4 - Egypt: National Actors Active in the Area of
Migration and Development
Ministry Agency Involvement with Migration and Development
Ministry of Manpower and Emigration (AR, EN)
Emigration Sector
Sponsoring of Egyptians abroad, harnessing the Egyptian
potential abroad, and establishing an integrated database on
Egyptians abroad.*
The Higher Committee for Migration
Considering the organisation of specialised courses aiming at
qualifying potential migrants and provision of Egyptians abroad
with the necessary cultural and national materials to maintain
their ties with Egypt, etc. The HCM is set to convene once every
three months upon the request of its chairman. However, the HCM
faces challenges to convene regularly and many of its tasks have
not yet been implemented.*
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EN)
N/a Protection of legal migrants from racial discrimination and
guaranteeing of rights and dignity of the Egyptian community
residing abroad.*
Ministry of Interior (EN)
N/a Pursuit of a general policy to facilitate legal emigration,
introduction of facilities for Egyptians abroad to ensure that they
can enjoy a safe environment while abroad.*
Supreme Committee for Emigration
As pointed out in the Emigration and Sponsoring Egyptians Abroad
Law No. 111 of 1983 (EN), a Supreme Committee for Emigration headed
by the Minister concerned with Emigration Affairs is to be set up.
Further information can be found in art. 4 and 5 of the law.
N.B: This list is not exhaustive
*Source: Information derives from the Final Report (2010) (AR,
EN, FR), Joint ICMPD-IOM Project: Linking Emigrant Communities for
More Development Inventory of Institutional Capacities and
Practices (EN)
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Table 6.6 lists examples of joint chambers of commerce.
6.4 INITIATIVES RELATED TO THE TRANSNATIONAL LIFE OF
MIGRANTS
The following examples of initiatives related to transnational
life of migrants have been introduced by
national and international institutions (table 6.6).
Table 6.6 Egypt: Initiatives by National and International
Institutions Related to the Transnational Life of Migrants
Agency Initiative Cooperation Aim
Emigration Sector of the Ministry of Manpower and Emigration
(MME) (AR, EN)
Integrated Migration Information System (IMIS) 2001-2005 (AR,
EN)
Donor: Italian Cooperation (EN) Implementing Agency:
International Organization for Migration (IOM) (EN)
To provide a technical tool that supports the Emigration Sector
in the management of regular migration flows from Egypt, improving
migrants social status in destination countries and channeling
human and financial resources generated by migration. The main
outputs of the project were the setting up and launching of a
website for job opportunities abroad and the creation of a portal
for Egyptian migrants.
Emigration Sector of the MME (AR, EN)
IMIS Plus 2008-2010 (EN)
Donor: Italian Cooperation (EN) Implementing Agency: IOM
(EN)
Fine-tune the integrated information system set up in Phase I of
the IMIS project, enhance socio-economic links with Egyptians
abroad and promote a more effective management of Egyptian labour
migration.
Emigration Sector of the MME (AR,
Egyptians Abroad Conferences
Ministry of Investment (AR, EN, FR)
Ministry of
To: 1) Enhance the development process in Egypt and the
investment
Table 6.5 - Egypt: Examples of Joint Chambers of Commerce
Austria Egypt
Great Britain Egypt
Greece - Egypt
Palestine Egypt
Turkey Egypt N.B: This list is not exhaustive Source: Turkey,
Egypt sign deal to set up joint chamber of commerce (EN), Joint
Egyptian-Palestinian chamber of commerce established (EN)
http://www.arabgreekchamber.gr/en/index.asp,
http://aecc1.tripod.com/,
http://www.theebcc.com/membership/why_join
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EN) (AR, EN) organised by the MME. The latest one was held in
July 2009 in Cairo.
Communications and Information Technology (AR, EN)
Ministry of Higher Education (AR, EN, FR)
Ministry of Education (AR)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (AR, EN, FR)
Ministry of Interior (AR, EN)
Ministry of Defense
Social Fund for Development (AR)
National Council for Youth
Banque Misr (EN)
Stock Market
environment and conditions 2) Enhance interaction with 2nd and
3rd generation migrants and their link to Egypt 3) Provide
opportunity for discussion on the recent development of the
communication sector in Egypt 4) Provide opportunity for discussion
on political participation and the democracy process in Egypt
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) (EN),
Regional Office to the Middle East in Cairo (EN)
Research project: Dynamics of the Egyptian Diaspora -
Strengthening Development Linkages (EN) (concluded in July
2010)
Ministry of Manpower and Emigration (MME) (AR, EN)
To explore the potential role of Egyptian emigrants abroad in
the development of their communities of origin. The study is based
on a field survey of Egyptian emigrant communities in Kuwait, the
United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) (EN),
Regional Office to the Middle East in Cairo (EN)
Project: Enhancing Existing Bonds between the Egyptian Diaspora
and their Homeland (currently being implemented)
MME (AR, EN) To: 1) Assist the Egyptian Government in conducting
fact-finding assessments in various countries hosting a significant
Egyptian emigrant community 2) Assist the MME to link emigration
policy with economic and social development and enhance existing
bonds between Egyptian emigrants abroad and their country of
origin
Citizens for Develop-ment Foundation (CDF)
Middle East Develop-ment
Project: Sustainability in Development Projects (EN) (currently
being implemented)
Donors: EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI)
(EN), European Union (EN, FR).
To: 1) Raise the capacity of Local NGOs in Upper Egypt to
implement sustainable development projects 2) Provide local NGOs in
the least developed governorates in Upper Egypt, with needed
knowledge and skills to build sustainable
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Dialogue and Solidarity (MEDDS)
development projects 3) Help the Arab migrant community in
Cyprus and the Egyptian community in general understand the
development needs and prerequisites in the least developed
governorates in Upper Egypt, explore their potential futuristic
role in developing these areas and foster future cooperation
German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG) (AR, EN)
The Arab Expatriates Department (EN) at the League of Arab
States (AR)
Project: Entrepreneurial Knowledge: Towards Arab German-Egyptian
Women Development Experience (EN) (currently being implemented)
Donors: EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI)
(EN), European Union (EN, FR).
To increase the Arab womens participation in economy by: 1)
Enhancing the knowledge of Egyptian female entrepreneurs on
smallscale projects through trans-ferring entrepreneurial skills to
them from skilled Migrant Arab businesswomen in Germany 2)
Developing networks and partnerships between Arab migrant
businesswomen in Germany and their counterparts in the Arab
countries, especially in Egypt 3) Supporting Arab migrant
business-women in Germany to get better information about job and
investment opportunities, and the current situation in their home
countries
Coptic Orphans (EN) and partners
The Grassroot Partnership Initiatives (EN) 2006 - 2009
Donor: Coptic Migrant Donors
To address the root causes of poverty by involving migrants in
development initiatives
National Council for Human Rights (AR, EN, FR).
Support to the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) for the
Develop-ment of a Comprehensive Strategy to Safe-guard Migrants
Rights (EN)
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) (EN)
To promote and safeguard the rights of Egyptian citizens abroad
and foreign nationals transiting through Egypt by strengthening
national mechanisms for the protection of migrants rights through
the provision of technical assistance to the NCHR for the
establishment of a Migration Unit (MU).
NB: This list is not exhaustive Source: Information derives from
the Final Report (2010) (AR, EN, FR) of the Joint ICMPD-IOM
Project: Linking Emigrant Communities for More Development
Inventory of Institutional Capacities and Practices (EN), EC-UN
Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI) (EN)
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In December 2010, the League of Arab States (AR, EN) Arab
Expatriates Department held the First
Conference of Arab Expatriates A Bridge for Communication.
Conference documents can be
downloaded here (EN).
6.5 INITIATIVES RELATED TO FINANCIAL REMITTANCES INFLOWS AND
MIGRANTS
INVESTMENTS
The following examples of initiatives related to remittances and
migrants investments have been
introduced by national and international institutions (table
6.7).
Table 6.7 Egypt: Initiatives by National and International
Institutions Related to Remittances and Other Financial
Transfers
Agency Initiative Cooperation Aim
Emigration Sector of the MME (AR, EN)
Egyptians Abroad Conferences (AR, EN) (see table 6.6)
See table 5.2 See table 5.2
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) (EN) Regional
Office to the Middle East in Cairo (EN)
Research project (under IMIS (EN) project, see table 6.6):
Migrants Opportunities for Investment in Egypt (currently being
implemented)
MME (AR, EN) and the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies
(EN) at the American University of Cairo (AR, EN)
To explore the patterns of remittance transfers and use at the
level of households in high-migration areas and the potential of
such remittances to be pooled and used for community-based
development projects
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) (EN) Regional
Office to the Middle East in Cairo (EN)
IOM is Focal Point of the EC/UN Joint Migration &
Development Initiative in Egypt (EN) 2008-2011
UN Country Team in Egypt (EN), Delegation of the EU in Egypt
(AR, EN), and the Egyptian Government
To support small scale actors to contribute to link migration
and development in 16 selected countries of origin. Priority areas:
(i) migrant remittances, (ii) migrant communities, (iii) migrants
capacities, and (iv) migrants rights.
DFID (EN) Establishment of a website on remittance transfer
costs in selected countries: www.sendmoneyhome.org
N/A Key objective: To provide persons with up-to-date
comparative information on transfer costs between various
countries.
NB: This list is not exhaustive Source: Information derives from
the Final Report (2010) (AR, EN, FR) of the Joint ICMPD-IOM
Project: Linking Emigrant Communities for More Development
Inventory of Institutional Capacities and Practices (EN)
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6.6 INITIATIVES RELATED TO RETURN MIGRATION AND
REINTEGRATION
The following examples of initiatives related to return
migration and reintegration have been
introduced by national and international institutions (table
6.8).
Table 6.8 - Egypt: Initiatives by National and International
Institutions Related to Return Migration and Reintegration
Agency Initiative Cooperation Aim
Athens
Network of
Co-
llaborating
Experts
(ANCE) (EN)
Egyptian
Agribusiness
Association,
Egypt
(EAGA) (EN).
Migrant Skills Transfer in the Aquaculture Industry: The case of
Greece and Egypt (EN). (currently being im-plemented)
Donors: EC-UN Joint Migration and Develop-ment Initiative (JMDI)
(EN), European Union (EN, FR)
To facilitate the development of the Egyptian aquaculture
industry by, inter alia:
Informing Egyptian skilled workers in the Greek industry on jobs
in Egypt
Supporting Egyptian return migrants to find jobs with reception
office'
Creating a database of min. 500 Egyptian workers and all
Egyptian academics/scientists in the aquaculture and fisheries
industries (ACF) in Greece and Egypt
Skills development of Egyptian workers in Greece
Encouraging the migration of skilled people
Strengthening linkages between the Greek and Egyptian ACF
industries
Source: EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI)
(EN).
Furthermore, the EC- UN Joint Migration and Development
Initiative (JMDI) (EN, FR) offers an E-Learning
Course on Running your M&D Project Successfully (EN, FR)
free of charge, covering all phases of project
cycle management from Programming to Evaluation, while providing
tips based on the experiences of
the JMDI projects.
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7 DATA COLLECTION SYSTEMS
For detailed information on the statistical system of Egypt
please refer to:
Country Profiles of Statistical Systems (EN) of the United
Nations Department of Economic and
Social Affairs (UNDESA) (AR, EN, FR);
Country profiles (EN) of the World Bank (AR, EN, FR) Bulletin
Board on Statistical Capacity (BBSC)
(EN); and
The Guide on the Compilation of Statistics on International
Migration in the Euro-Mediterranean
Region International Migration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region
(September 2009) (EN) of the
Euro-Mediterranean statistical cooperation (MEDSTAT) (EN), which
is funded by the European
Union (EN, FR).
The report Migrants Count: Five Steps Toward Better Migration
Data (AR, EN, FR), published by the
Commission on International Migration Data for Development
Research and Policy, provides
recommendations to remedy the lack of good data on migration and
its effects on development.
7.1 DATA ON MIGRATION (INCLUDING RETURN MIGRATION)
Based on the Presidential Decree 2915 for 1964 (EN), the Central
Agency of Public Mobilization and
Statistics (CAPMAS) (EN, AR) is the official source for
provision of data, statistics, and reports to assist all
the state agencies and authorities, universities, research
centers, and international organisations in
planning, developing, assessing, and making policies and
decisions.
Article 11 of this Decree provides that:
Each ministry, governorate, public authority and public
institution shall create a department
adjunct to CAPMAS titled "Central Statistical Department" in the
ministry, governorate, public
authority or public institution.
The type of data collected is pointed out below (table 7.1).
Table 7.1 Egypt: Main National and International Sources
National Sources
Agency/ type of data collection
Frequency Data provided
Characteristics Accessibility
Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS)
(AR, EN) - Population
10-year-intervals
The 2006 census contained a short module on Egyptians
The coverage of data on resident aliens is not consistent from
one census to another. No data on place of arrival and departure
was collected
Census data accessible through the Central Agency for Public
Mobili-sation and Statistics (CAPMAS) (AR, EN)
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Censuses abroad
The Egypt Labor Market Survey and the Egypt Labor Market Panel
Survey, published by the Economic Research Forum (EN) in
co-operation with the Population Council (EN) and CAPMAS (AR,
EN),
Egypt Labour Market Panel Survey (ELMPS 2006); Egyptian Labour
Market Survey (ELMS 1988)
The ELMPS 2006 covered, inter alia, migration as well as
remittances and non-work related income
The survey re-interviewed a total sample of 8,371 households,
out of which 3,701 households had already participated in the 1988
ELMS. 2,167 were splits from the original households, and 2,498
households had not participated in the previous survey. The ERF
Working Paper Egypt Labour Market Panel Survey 2006: Report on
Metho-dology and Data Collection (2007) (EN) elaborates on the
methodology of the ELMPS 06.
Results of the survey were published in the Economic Research
Forum (EN) Working Paper An Overview of Internal and International
Migration in Egypt (2007) (EN). Data files of the ELMPS can be
requested from Ms. Nabeel ([email protected]).
Ministry of Manpower and Emigration (MOME) (EN, AR) and CAPMAS
(AR, EN) - Occasional field surveys
No regular intervals
Differs according to survey
Differs according to survey Survey reports are freely accessible
(e.g. Attitudes of Egyptian Youth Towards Migration to Europe
(2006) (EN)). Raw data is not accessible
CAPMAS (AR, EN) Estimates.
Annually Estimates of Egyptian emigrants
Estimates are based on:
Border Cards, data on departure & arrival from the
Passports, Emigration & Nationality Administration (AR, EN) in
the Ministry of Interior (MoI) (AR, EN)
Work permits of the MoI and the MOME (EN, AR).
Freely accessible
Source: European Commission, Directorate for Economic and
Financial Affairs, Occasional Papers 60, April 2010, Labour Market
Performance and Migration Flows in the Arab Mediterranean
Countries: Determinants and Effects. Volume 3: National Background
Papers Mashreq: Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria (EN).
International Sources
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), (EN)
Population Division (EN) (2009) Trends in Internat. Migrant Stock:
The 2008 Revision (EN)
Five-year intervals
Number of immigrants, number of immigrants as % of population,
percentage of female immigrants
Estimates based on census data. For further information on data
sources and the methodology for estimating the international
migrant stock please refer to
http://esa.un.org/migration/index.asp?panel=4.
Data accessible at:
http://esa.un.org/migration/index.asp?panel=2.
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7.2 DATA ON FINANCIAL REMITTANCES INFLOWS
Table 7.2 Egypt: Main National and International Sources
National Sources
Agency/ type of data collection
Frequency Data provided Accessibility
Central Bank of Egypt (EN).
Quarterly (Economic Review (AR, EN)), Annually (Annual Report
(AR, EN)).
Workers' remittances Free access
International Sources
World Bank (AR, EN, FR).
Annually Workers' remittances and compensation of employees
Free access
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (EN)
One-time survey In the framework of the IFAD project Sending
Money Home (2009) (EN) surveys were carried out in 19 countries in
collaboration with microfinance institutions (MFIs) belonging to
the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions
(INAFI) (EN). Staff in each institution surveyed 200 clients and
400 neighbours within the geographical coverage of the MFI
branches.
Results of the survey are accessible in the report Sending Money
Home (2009) (EN), published by the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) (EN)