New study released supporting culture of volunteering in Egypt: ECSS

CAIRO – 14 March 2022: The Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies (ECSS) issued a study recently to support the culture of volunteering in the Egyptian society.

The study indicated that during December 2021, the Ministry of Social Solidarity announced the start of preparing the National Volunteering Strategy, which aims to draft volunteer work policies by providing a societal dialogue that includes all those interested in society, through holding workshops and seminars to reach a comprehensive study on the future of volunteering.

In Egypt, this came against the backdrop of a series of important events, foremost of which was the launch of the National Human Rights Strategy, which shed light on the weak culture of volunteer work and community participation as one of the challenges hindering the right to form and join NGOs and institutions, which are among the clauses of the civil and political rights stipulated in the strategy.

The study stated that the success of legislative efforts to organize volunteer work in Egypt depends on several factors, including the presence of an authority or unit specialized in managing and following up volunteer work affiliated with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, as well as activating the Voluntary Public Service Union affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

It further highlighting the importance of unifying volunteer agencies with their policies and objectives, especially political parties, led by the Coordination Committee of Party's Youth Leaders and Politicians (CPYP) to avoid overlapping the official institutional framework for organizing volunteer work, and to ensure the sustainability of initiatives and projects.

The union's objectives included supporting and implementing community development plans, and establishing the rules for volunteer work. The union included about 21,000 volunteers, 31% of whom were female and 69% were male.