This week, Ambassador Suha El-Gendy assumed the portfolio of the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, succeeding former Minister Nabila Makram, as part of a new cabinet reshuffle that took place in Egypt.
On Sunday, Ambassador El-Gendy took the constitutional oath before President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to take over the portfolio of the Ministry of State for Immigration and Egyptians Expatriates Affairs.
The new minister expressed her happiness at the nomination to take over the responsibility of the Ministry of Immigration and this important issue in the light of the new republic.
She said, “My nomination from the President and the Prime Minister is a Medal of Honor on my chest at this current stage that requires a lot of effort and cooperation among state institutions for the benefit of the citizens, both Egyptians at home and abroad.”
She also extended her sincere thanks to Ambassador Makram, former Minister of Immigration, for her tireless effort and the achievements made by the Ministry of Immigration during her tenure.
She stressed that she would build on these efforts with more work and perseverance, to create many advanced programs directed for the benefit of Egyptians abroad within a modern work strategy that takes into account the political, cultural and economic dimension of Egyptian expatriates, with the aim of strengthening their relationship with their mother country.
Ambassador El-Gendy indicated that foreign tours and visits will be conducted to identify the needs of the Egyptian communities in light of the current conditions that the whole world is going through, including pandemics, wars and climate change, and to give them more incentives and facilities that give them reassurance about their future.
El-Gendy added that Egyptian expatriates are the first line of defense for Egypt and the first protector of its interests abroad.
“There is a need to strengthen their connection to the homeland, not only the communities of the first generation, but the first, second and third generations, i.e., parents, children and grandchildren, all of whom need important programs with different goals and ambitions.”
El-Gendy was born in Cairo in 1966. She holds a BA in English from the Faculty of Al-Alsun (Languages), Ain Shams University, since 1988, and in the following year she worked as a diplomatic attaché at the Institute of Diplomats.
Over the course of her diplomatic work, she served in a number of countries, such as Germany from 1992 until 1996, then moved to Romania and worked there between 1999 and 2003.
By 2006, El-Gendy held the position of Head of the Egyptian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York until 2010, and the last position she held before taking the portfolio of the Ministry of Immigration was Egypt’s ambassador to Ireland, which she held from 2015 to 2019.
El-Gendy also worked as a consultant responsible for the mission of the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee in New York, which deals with human rights, humanitarian and social issues, including issues related to women, and was later promoted to the position of Minister Plenipotentiary.
During this period, El-Gendy assumed the position of Alternate Permanent Representative and Deputy Head of the Egyptian Mission to the United Nations in New York.
