CAIRO – 28 January 2025: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Chairman of the Permanent Supreme Committee for Human Rights, Badr Abdelatty headed on Tuesday the delegation participating in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session of human rights in Egypt at the International Human Rights Council [HRC] in Geneva.
In his speech, minister Abdelatty explained the keenness to interact with the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council, as it is an important forum for exchanging experiences and establishing a constructive dialogue based on the foundations of mutual respect and understanding of the circumstances, customs, traditions and values prevailing in each society.
He reviewed Egypt’s achievements during the past five years under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in the field of protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms in law and practice, despite the successive challenges and crises witnessed by the region.
301 recommendations implemented since 2019 review
“The report submitted to you reflects the extent of the achievements made in implementing the recommendations received by Egypt, which contributed to strengthening national efforts aimed at improving rights and freedoms, despite the challenges that Egypt was and still is facing, due to the successive crises witnessed by the world,” Abdelatty said.
He added that, “during its last review session in 2019, Egypt received 372 recommendations, of which it accepted 301, and state institutions have intensified their efforts over the past five years to implement the recommendations they accepted.”
Abdelatty stressed that the promotion and protection of human rights in their comprehensive concept would not have been achieved without a strong political will, explaining that Egyptian institutions have intensified their efforts over the past five years, since the last review session, to implement the recommendations that were accepted within the framework of an Egyptian philosophy based on several main axes to create a general climate conducive to the promotion and protection of human rights.
Strong political will
The Egyptian minister also highlighted the decisions and initiatives taken by President Sisi within the framework of implementing the National Strategy for Human Rights, most notably the lifting of the state of emergency in 2021, activating the Presidential Pardon Committee, launching the National Dialogue Initiative, amending a number of national legislations and drafting a number of new legislations to modernize the legislative system; including the draft of the new Criminal Procedures Law and the Civil Labor Law, closing the foreign funding case, in addition to activating the Permanent Supreme Committee for Human Rights and drafting and adopting the first National Strategy for Human Rights.
“The advancement of the human rights situation in Egypt in its comprehensive concept, in law and practice, would not have been achieved without a strong political will, and under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, within the framework of establishing a new republic and building a modern civil state based on the foundations of citizenship, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, a state in which all its citizens enjoy the fruits of development without discrimination,” FM said.
He also highlighted the priority that Egypt gives to the religious freedoms file, as well as the call to renew religious discourse to reject discrimination based on religion.
The Egyptian official highlighted the Egyptian efforts in the field of economic, social and cultural rights, and the state's implementation of a number of national programs and projects such as ‘Haya Karima’ Initiative, the Takaful and Karama Program, and the ‘New Beginning for Human Development’ initiative with the aim of achieving comprehensive economic and social development.
He also referred to the progress made to enhance women's rights and protect the rights of children, youth, the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Minister Abdelatty stressed that Egypt's fulfillment of its international commitments in the field of human rights was achieved by following an Egyptian approach based on five main axes as follows:
First: Formulating and adopting the first national human rights strategy for the period 2021-2026 under the auspices of the President Sisi, and it was prepared in consultation with all stakeholders, and by benefiting from international expertise and based on the recommendations that Egypt received from the last review session and treaty mechanisms.
Second: Continuing efforts to provide a favorable general climate to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Egyptian Constitution, which was embodied in a number of important decisions, most notably the cancellation of the state of emergency in 2021, and the activation of the Presidential Pardon Committee, which resulted in the release of a number of those who meet the conditions for pardon.
In addition to the continuous review of the terrorist lists and the removal of the names of a number of those included on them, to give a second chance to those who have stopped practicing terrorist activity, especially young people, and to reintegrate them into society, and the complete closure of Case No. 173, known as the foreign funding case.
Third: Protecting and promoting human rights in their comprehensive sense and not giving priority to any group of rights at the expense of another group, by launching and implementing a number of initiatives and projects that have contributed to strengthening political and civil rights in parallel with economic, social and cultural rights to ensure the sustainability of development efforts.
Among these initiatives is the National Dialogue Initiative, whose sessions witnessed broad participation from all segments of Egyptian society, political parties and civil society to discuss a number of important issues, including thorny issues that have not been raised for decades, to enhance the right to participate in political and public life and the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
In addition to enhancing the right to freedom of religion and belief, which is a high priority for the political leadership in Egypt to consolidate the values of citizenship, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. In parallel, a number of national programs and projects were implemented to improve the standard of living of citizens and enhance social protection for the most needy groups, such as the Decent Life Project and the Takaful and Karama Program. These efforts were recently crowned with the launch of the "New Beginning for Human Development" initiative, which aims to build the Egyptian citizen and achieve economic, social and human development.
Fourth: Adopting an approach based on respecting our international obligations related to human rights and ensuring that national legislation, policies, programs and strategies are consistent with these obligations, by amending a number of laws and introducing new ones.
The most prominent of these legislations is the Civil Society Organization Law, which guarantees civil society the freedom to work and receive funding, in addition to the new draft Criminal Procedures Law currently being discussed in the House of Representatives, which, when adopted, will bring about a legislative revolution in the field of criminal justice, especially with regard to the controls and periods of pretrial detention.
Egypt has also strengthened its institutional structure by activating the Permanent Supreme Committee for Human Rights in early 2020 as a driver for all state efforts, and training and capacity building programs for workers in state institutions have been intensified, in addition to developing the punitive philosophy by closing a large number of prisons and creating new centers for reform and rehabilitation that are consistent with the latest international standards instead, in addition to efforts to spread the culture of human rights to create new generations aware of their rights and duties.
Fifth: Strengthening engagement with international and regional mechanisms concerned with human rights, by regularly submitting relevant national reports.
10.7 million migrants in Egypt
Abdel Atty said that Egypt’s institutions have spared no effort to ensure that foreigners residing on its territory enjoy their rights, and have borne great responsibility on behalf of the international community for many years by hosting huge numbers of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, which have so far reached 10.7 million foreigners from 62 nationalities.
“Egypt is keen to ensure that they enjoy all basic services and integrate them into Egyptian society, and not force them to remain in refugee camps or centers,” FM explained
He affirmed that Egypt’s ability to accommodate and continue to endure ‘is at stake’, especially in light of the weak international support that is not commensurate with the amount of pressures placed on us.
Egypt rejects attempts of displacement or uprooting peoples from their lands
“Egypt affirms its adherence to the constants of its position rejecting all attempts of displacement or encouraging the transfer or uprooting of peoples from their lands, whether temporarily or long-term, in a way that threatens stability and undermines the chances of peace and coexistence among peoples.”
The delegation included Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, Counselor Mahmoud Fawzy, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Legal Affairs and Political Communication, Diaa Rashwan, Head of the State Information Service, General Coordinator of the National Dialogue, and the heads of the National Councils for Women, Childhood and Motherhood, People with Disabilities, and the Head of the National Coordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Illegal Migration and Human Trafficking, and representatives of various national bodies, the Ministries of Justice and Labor, and the Public Prosecution.
Egypt's participation in the Universal Periodic Review mechanism comes within the framework of Egypt's keenness to interact with international mechanisms related to human rights and open up to them to benefit from the best experiences and present its efforts to advance the human rights system, as Egypt was keen to participate in all review rounds held since the establishment and activation of this mechanism in 2010, 2014 and 2019.
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