The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) presented a memorandum to Dr. Nabil Fahmy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, containing recommendations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the promotion of human rights in the current period. This came during a meeting held today, August 27, between Bahey El Din Hassan, Director of CIHRS, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry; Mr. Hassan described the meeting as being “characterized by full honesty and transparency”.
The memorandum offered a set of recommendations that lay out the necessary steps to protect human rights in the current period, including the ratification of a number of international conventions on human rights. Also among the recommendations was the need to approve the opening of a regional office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Egypt, following from the promise of the Egyptian government to do so nearly two and a half years ago. CIHRS also recommended that expedited visas be provided to the delegation of the OHCHR whose visit to Egypt has been deferred for nearly a month due to delays in the process of obtaining visas. It was further recommended that Egypt extend an open invitation for the United Nations Special Rapporteurs to visit Egypt, as was extended by Tunisia in 2011.
The memorandum also urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review its policy towards international non-governmental organizations working on human rights and to cooperate with these groups, including in the framework of United Nations bodies. The memorandum further called on the Ministry to approve the registration of international organizations wishing to work in Egypt and to facilitate their role. Finally, the memorandum urged the Ministry to reconsider the memorandum that the Ministry sent on August 14, 2013 to the committee responsible for drafting a new law to govern the work of civil society organizations, as it expressed the same restrictive point of view that contradicts international standards and that was adopted by the Ministry under the government of the Muslim Brotherhood prior to June 30.
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