Minister Faber (Asylum and Migration) has launched a project in Cairo that, with the help of the Netherlands, supports regional governments in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel in combating human smuggling.

The Netherlands finances the project and pays 1 million euros for the two-year program that will be rolled out under the auspices of the United Nations (UNDP) and the Egyptian CCCPA.

The project is partly implemented in Cairo and will map regional smuggling networks and routes, as well as support governments in North Africa in combating and preventing irregular migration, human trafficking, and the organized crime associated with it.

Minister Faber: ‘The influx into the Netherlands must decrease because there is a lack of support for the reception of large numbers of migrants in our country. Therefore, combating illegal migration is essential, and cooperation with Egypt is very important. This new project addresses the problem at its source. If we contain the migration flow, we ultimately prevent illegal migrants, who often have no right to asylum in our country, from eventually reporting to Ter Apel. I therefore find this financial contribution completely justified.’

The Netherlands and Egypt have been working together since 2021 to prevent and combat irregular migration. During her two-day visit to Egypt, Minister Faber met with the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration and discussed this topic.

She also visited a ministerial conference in the Egyptian capital where discussions were held on combating human smuggling in the Horn of Africa and had bilateral meetings with, among others, fellow ministers from Tunisia and Somalia. Minister Faber also spoke with European Commissioner Magnus Brunner (migration).

Since taking office, Minister Faber has been working within international cooperation frameworks to curb migration flows to the Netherlands and Europe. Within the European Union, she is working on a coalition of like-minded countries advocating for further tightening of European asylum legislation, an effective return policy, and further limiting migration flows.