Political Meetings

Cairo, 14 January 2025 – Against the backdrop of the world’s largest displacement crisis, the Khartoum Process convened a High-Level Symposium in Cairo to galvanise humanitarian and regional coordination efforts in response to the escalating situation in Sudan. The meeting, hosted under Egypt’s Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process brought together over 50 representatives from governments, humanitarian organisations, and development partners.

With more than 12 million Sudanese displaced since the onset of conflict, including 3.7 million who have fled to neighbouring countries, the symposium served as a platform for targeted dialogue on responsibility-sharing, humanitarian access, and durable solutions.

Ministers and high-level representatives from Khartoum Process partner countries gathered in Cairo for the 2nd Ministerial Conference, marking a significant milestone—the 10th anniversary of the Khartoum Process. Hosted by Egypt, the conference highlighted both the achievements and ongoing challenges in managing migration between the Horn of Africa and Europe, setting forth strategic priorities for the coming years.

In his opening remarks, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates, H.E. Dr. Badr Abdelatty, emphasised the importance of sustained international cooperation and collective action, particularly against the backdrop of complex migration dynamics. The session was enriched by the insights of Dr. Magnus Brunner from the European Commission, Ms. Angela Martins from the African Union Commission, and Dr. Michael Spindelegger from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), who collectively reinforced the necessity of ongoing partnership and solidarity.

The 13th Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the Khartoum Process, hosted and chaired by Egypt, gathered 100 participants from member states and key stakeholders, laying essential groundwork ahead of the 2nd Ministerial Conference scheduled for 9 April 2025.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Dr. Wael Badawi, Egypt's Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Migration, Refugee Affairs, and Anti-Human Trafficking, expressed gratitude to partner countries for their ongoing support and commitment to the Process. He underscored the significance of adopting the Cairo Ministerial Declaration and Action Plan, marking continued dedication to addressing migration challenges cooperatively. Ambassador Badawi notably welcomed Sudan’s reintegration into the Process and Steering Committee after a two-year hiatus, with Somalia warmly acknowledging Sudan’s return, having previously stepped in for Sudan in the Steering Committee.

On the 16 and 17 of October 2024, a Joint High-Level Meeting of the Khartoum Process and the Rabat Process was hosted in Lisbon, Portugal, under the Egyptian chairmanship of the Khartoum Process and the Portuguese chairmanship of the Rabat Process. The event gathered 156 participants, including 109 participants from 53 partner countries of both Dialogues, as well as international experts and representatives from international organisations. During this 2-day event, they shared lessons learned, best practices and key recommendations to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation across Europe and Africa to foster skills mobility and talent attraction.

In Cairo, Egypt, from 17 – 18 April 2024, the Khartoum Process partners convened for their 10th Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), following a Steering Committee (SC) meeting on 16 April. The event drew 76 participants representing 26 African and European countries, along with 12 partner organisations. Key figures such as Assistant Minister Ehab Badawy of Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, outgoing chair Mr. Manfred Schüler of Germany's Federal Foreign Office, and representatives from the African Union Commission, European Union and ICMPD were present.

An extraordinary Steering Committee (SC) Meeting took place on 7 September 2023 in Vienna, Austria to provide an update on the state of play of the Process but also, to discuss further the modalities of the Steering Committee composition and its enlargement. The Committee reiterated their decision to enlarge the Steering Committee from 10 to 12 members, with a sixth member joining from each continent on a permanent basis. To operationalise this decision, the Khartoum Process Secretariat will launch a call for interest. Furthermore, it was agreed that the Rules odd Procedure will be update to include an additional clause that will allow Steering Committee members to select a Chair from outside the SC. The draft text along with the applications for candidature will be proposed and discussed during the 16^th Steering Committee Meeting in Cairo. This Meeting was followed by a Roundtable on the Implications of the Crisis in Sudan on Migration Flows in the Region, which provided a platform for Khartoum Process member states and organisations to share their perspectives on the situation in Sudan with a particular focus on its impact on migration realities in the region. The discussion contributed to a better understanding of the complex mixed migration flows.

On 16 March 2023, Khartoum Process partners met for the 9^th Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), which was preceded by a Steering Committee (SC) Meeting on the afternoon of 15 March and a reception dinner organised by the host of the two events, the German Federal Foreign Office, at the Berlin Red City Hall. The reception featured welcoming remarks by Ms Sibylle Katharina Sorg, Director General for European Affairs, German Federal Foreign Office, Ms Ana-Maria Trǎsnea, State Secretary for International Relations of the Federal State of Berlin, and Honourable Mary Ayen Majok, Deputy Speaker of the Council of States, as representative of the outgoing Chair of the Process, South Sudan.

The Senior Officials’ Meeting featured the Chairmanship handover from South Sudan to Germany, who presented their priorities for the year ahead. Among other priority areas, the German chairmanship will focus on human mobility in the context of climate change and the protection of internally displaced people. As a cross-cutting theme and in line with Germany’s Feminist Foreign Policy Guidelines, gender-specific issues will receive special attention.

An extraordinary Steering Committee Meeting took place on 10 October 2022 in Vienna, Austria, to further discuss the Steering Committee composition and enlargement due to Sudan’s continued inability and current suspension from the African Union. To fill temporarily the vacant seat in the Steering Committee and restore the geographical balance, a temporary replacement for Sudan will be sought from among the African Khartoum Process members through a call for interest. 

On the further expansion of the Steering Committee membership, it was agreed that 1 member/continent should be added as an acceptable way forward. Further discussions on the modalities however need to be further elaborated by the voluntary working group (composed by Egypt and The Netherlands) until the next Steering Committee Meeting. Furthermore, there was a general consensus on the possibility of adding an emergency clause to the existing Rules of Procedure that would allow Steering Committee Members to also propose and select a Chair for the Process from outside the Steering Committee in case of an emergency situation.