The Ministerial Conference on “Belonging and Legal Identity” concluded last week in Tunis in the presence of the member states of the جامعة الدول العربية - League of Arab States (LAS). By hosting this event - the first of its kind in the region - UNHCR and LAS contributed to supporting and strengthening protection measures for stateless persons, and developing concrete solutions to prevent and reduce the statelessness risks in the region. At the conclusion of this Ministerial Conference, Member States adopted the Arab Declaration on "Belonging and Legal Identity", which shows their shared commitment to enhancing the protection of individuals in the region through the strengthening of civil registration and citizenship systems, with particular attention to individuals at risk including refugees. “Longstanding traditions in the Arab Region recognize all rights of children to belong to enjoy their rights to family life, unity, and to have a name, a legal identity and a nationality. UNHCR and LAS brought together all relevant sectors to uphold these principles to safeguard the future of refugee children and strengthen the access of refugee women to nationality rights,” said Karim Atassi, UNHCR Egypt Representative. The event was organized by UNHCR, LAS and the Republic of Tunisia, under the patronage of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Tunisia, Mr. Béji Caid Essebsi.

The second edition of “Heya” Campaign will kick off at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina - مكتبة الاسكندرية to celebrate The International Women’s Day. The event will take place on 12-14 March at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center (BACC) with UNHCR Egypt's participation. Heya campaign aims at focusing on the irreplaceable role of women in the Egyptian society, and at tackling women empowerment in three main fields: leadership, health and arts this through various activities, workshops, and lectures. Three refugees will be speaking at the closing event to share their experiences in Egypt: their adversities, their resilience and their hopes. Refugees and asylum-seekers will also be performing a play and other musical acts which focuses on women issues particularly pertaining to refugees. The campaign is organized in partnership with UNHCR, The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Alexandria Volunteers for Awareness and Development Club (AVAD), Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA), Bibliotheca Alexandrina Friends Association, VI Markets, Injaz Egypt, Egyptian Banking Institute and others.

UNHCR, in collaboration with the League of Arab States and Arab Interior Ministers Council organized a three-day capacity building training on 13-15 December for officials at the directorates’ level, whose work entails the review, follow-up and application of laws and policies relating to statelessness and nationality issues. The training was part of the Regional Capacity Building sessions, undertaken jointly by UNHCR and the League of Arab States

Eighteen students, in their third and fourth grades, at the Alexandria International Academy - AIA had the opportunity to learn about refugees and their situation in Egypt through a school initiative. The nine and ten-year olds attended a two-hour presentation by UNHCR on 4 December, where they discussed different topics relating to refugees. This included looking at who is a refugee, reasons refugees flee their countries of origin, what UNHCR and its partners provide in terms of services and assistance, and means of assisting refugees in Egypt.

On the eve of World Refugee Day 2017, UNHCR Egypt hosted a major film event at the Zamalek Cinema, under the theme "Refugee Voices in Film. Guests showedtheir support to the refugee cause by signing the #WithRefugees and sharing messages about #RefugeeDay on social media. UNHCR Egypt was supported by Arab Cinema Center

On 18 June UNHCR Egypt in cooperation with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Egyptian Association of Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, launched the "BigRead" program The three months program aims at bringing together local cultural institutions and citizens and forging partnerships among several stakeholders (e.g. Alexandria University, young artists, social clubs, cultural centers, etc.) to enrich cultural dialogue. It includes a series of writing competitions and theatre workshops, during which famous novels will be turned into scripts, and participants get to act the plays at the final event in September. The program allows talented refugees and asylum seekers to participate in the various activities, perform and be part of the cultural life in Alexandria. A "Think and Express" workshop for people with hearing and speaking difficulties will also be part of the program.

On April 2, 2017 the launch of the Egypt 3RP took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the presence of ambassadors, UN & government officials.

UNHCR Egypt hosted the Refugee and Egyptian Women’s Business Fair at the Greek Campus on March 18, 2017. There was a huge selection of art, jewelry, clothes and accessories combined with various delicious types of cuisines from Ethiopia, Syria and Sudan offered by over 85 participants. The event was held to mark International and National Women’s Day, and furthermore to recognize and celebrate women’s socio-economic empowerment and their relentless and important contribution to the economic development of Egypt.

The “Heya” Campaign was launched on March 19, 2017 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina by UNHCR Alexandria Field Office in collaboration with the General Collections and Services Department at the Depository Library Section. The event opened with speeches by the organizers and partners of the Heya Campaign. Aseer Al Madaien, Head of UNHCR Alexandria Office spoke about this year's UN theme “Women in a Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030” and UNHCR’s theme for 2017 "UNHCR supports women's right to decent work." "Women’s rights are human rights," Al Madaien said. "UNHCR believes that empowerment of women and girls economically and socially is the only means by which to protect their rights and guarantees that they achieve their potential.

On 5 February, 2017, UNHCR Egypt in coordination with the Government of Egypt, inaugurated a new “Schoolyard for All-Houshygama’ana” project implemented in 25 Yanaier School, Borg Al Arab City, Alexandria. The school hosts 264 Syrian refugee children at nursery, primary, middle and high school education levels. The intervention in the school included building a basketball court and a play area for children in the nursery school, creating shady areas and benches that are safe and child-friendly for children to be able to socialize and integrate, in addition to improving plumbing and electricity maintenance.