The International Organization for Migration (IOM) celebrated International Women's Day (IWD) 2025, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP), under the theme "For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment."
This year's celebration took place at The Olympic Center in Maadi, Cairo, and highlighted the resilience, achievements, and potential of all migrant and host community entrepreneurs. The event featured different activities and recognized the efforts of remarkable women with exceptional contributions to empowering women.
During his opening remarks, Major General Ismail El Far on behalf of H.E. Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports emphasized that under the leadership of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Egyptian government has placed great emphasis on women's empowerment at all levels, based on the deep belief that investing in women is an investment in a more stable and prosperous future.
“From this perspective, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is working to implement policies and programs aimed at enhancing women's participation in various fields and providing opportunities that enable them to achieve their ambitions and contribute to the advancement of society.”
El Far continued: “In this context, we are pleased today to be part of this event, which enhances social cohesion between migrants and host communities and contributes to supporting the most vulnerable groups through targeted projects such as the "North Africa Migration and Development" project and the "Raising Awareness on Irregular/Illegal Migration" project, which represent true models of international cooperation in confronting common challenges.”
From her side Ambassador Naela Gabr, Chairperson of the National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP) said: "We believe that supporting women is the foundation of all social and economic progress, due to their key role in preserving the value system of society. Women are the embodiment of national pride, respect for moral and religious values, as well as for human values. Moreover, they have become a fundamental pillar of economic activity through their work in the public and private sectors, as well as in informal one."
The event focused on raising awareness on topics like the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools for self-employment and employability, as well as irregular/illegal migration and its associated risks. Additionally, a cultural dialogue session was held to foster social cohesion, and collaboration between the participants from the migrants and the host community.
“IOM is committed to empowering migrant and host community women, strengthening community resilience through education and economic opportunities. Together, we can create a future where every woman and girl have equal rights.” Said Carlos Oliver Cruz, Chief of Mission of IOM Egypt.
This event, organized by IOM Egypt, Ministry of Youth and Sports and NCCPIM&TIP, was generously supported by the United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Netherlands.
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