UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday to discuss regional developments, promote peace through dialogue and strengthen cooperation between the two organizations.
The UN office in Cairo said on social media platform X that discussions focused on regional developments, advancing peace through dialogue and reinforcing cooperation between the UN and the Arab League for stability and sustainable development across the Arab region.
Guterres also met with the UN country team in Egypt and regional directors to discuss the UN work with the Egyptian government and support for people affected by humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan, the office said.
Egypt hosts many Palestinians who left the Gaza following Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023, including patients and wounded people requiring medical treatment. It also hosts Sudanese refugees who fled the war that erupted in their country in April 2023.
Hosting millions of refugees
Egyptian government estimates cited in a 2025 UNICEF report indicated that more than 1.2 million Sudanese had arrived in Egypt since the war began, in addition to about 5 million Sudanese who were already living in the country before the conflict. There are no official figures for the number of Palestinians who have entered Egypt.
Guterres arrived in Cairo on Saturday as part of diplomatic consultations aimed at de-escalating tensions between the US and Iran and supporting a diplomatic solution to the conflict in cooperation with Egypt and regional and international partners.
In a post on X, Guterres said he was carrying a message calling for an end to the expansion of the war, the protection of civilians and the creation of conditions for diplomacy and peace.
“We must tackle the inequalities that divide societies – & stop the conflicts that are multiplying human suffering & pushing an already unequal world further apart,” he said.
Last month, Guterres and Fahmy met on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the impact of regional escalation on the security and stability of the Arab region and its implications for international shipping, energy security and global trade.
