United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy in Cairo on Sunday to discuss regional developments, diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and closer cooperation between the two organisations.
According to the UN office in Cairo, the discussions focused on promoting peace through dialogue and strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab League to support stability and sustainable development across the Arab world.
In a statement shared on X, the office said both leaders exchanged views on regional challenges and the importance of coordinated international efforts to address them.
During his visit, Guterres also held talks with the UN country team in Egypt and regional directors to review the organisation’s cooperation with the Egyptian government.
The meetings addressed humanitarian assistance for people affected by conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, including those who have sought refuge in Egypt.
Egypt has received Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza that began in October 2023, including wounded individuals and patients requiring medical treatment.
The country has also become a major destination for Sudanese fleeing the conflict that erupted in April 2023.
According to Egyptian government estimates cited in a 2025 UNICEF report, more than 1.2 million Sudanese nationals had entered Egypt since the outbreak of the war, joining approximately five million Sudanese already residing in the country before the conflict.
Official figures for the number of Palestinians who have entered Egypt were not available.
The UN chief arrived in Cairo on Saturday as part of diplomatic consultations aimed at reducing tensions between the United States and Iran.
His visit forms part of efforts to encourage a negotiated settlement to the conflict through cooperation with Egypt and other regional and international partners.
In a message posted on X, Guterres called for an end to the widening conflict, greater protection for civilians and renewed efforts to create conditions conducive to diplomacy.
“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.
The Cairo meeting follows discussions between Guterres and Fahmy on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York last month.
Those talks examined the consequences of regional military escalation for Arab security and stability, as well as its wider effects on international shipping, energy supplies and global trade.