Deadline for submitting names of participants in Egypt’s National Dialogue is Saturday: Board of Trustees

CAIRO – 10 October 2022: The deadline set for submitting names of who want to participate in the national dialogue sessions is Saturday, October 15, announced the National dialogue's board of trustees in a statement after a two-day meeting 

 

 

It was also the deadline set for submitting the participants’ suggestions and proposals about solutions addressing the national issues to commence the national dialogue sessions.

 

 

It was agreed that the issues related to three axes of dialogue (Political, economic, and social) would be brought up for discussion weekly as each axe would be discussed once a week, the statement added.

 

 

The Board of Trustees welcomed Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli’s call for holding the Egyptian Economic Conference that is due to convene from October 23 to 25.

 

 

Egypt’s preparation for the national dialogue is progressing at a very good pace and it is expected to kick off in few weeks, said General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan on September 30.

 

 

The objective of holding the national dialogue is not a declaration of intention but, instead, finding solutions to the issues, he added in media comments to “Masr Gedida.”

 

 

He noted that there are voices outsides the country trying to criticize it and turning blind eyes to other positives in society.

 

 

Participation in the national political dialogue is not limited to the invitees only, but Egyptians from different sectors can send their ideas and suggestions via e-mails, said Rashwan previously.

 

 

“All Egyptians are invited to participate in the national dialogue even if they did not receive a special invitation. The dialogue is open through the website of the National Training Academy. Send us via e-mail, we are waiting for all your contributions,” he said in media comments to “Masr Al Jadida” talk show on the ETC channel.

 

 

Rashwan added that the dialogue aims to present ideas for discussion and to get out of it with the best ones for reform.

 

 

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that the objective of the national dialogue, which has been announced recently by him last month, aims at listening to people’s opinions for “the sake of the nation.”

 

 

President Sisi’s comments were stated during his meeting with a number of editors and media professionals from Egyptian newspapers, on the sidelines of his tour of Egypt's Future Project for Agricultural Production, which he inaugurated on May 21, 2022.

 

 

The national dialogue comes as part of Sisi's national human rights strategy, launched in September with vows to open the public space to be more and more inclusive. As such, hundreds of inmates, including dozens of human rights activists, have recently been released by the Presidential Pardon Committee.