Will amending NGO law appease civil society in Egypt?
After ratifying the controversial NGO law, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently ordered the formation of a committee to amend it, following the international criticism he is under for repressing freedoms.
Cairo — Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly issued a decision Nov. 17 to form a committee led by Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali to amend law No. 70 of 2017 for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations. This comes two years after a two-third parliamentary majority approved the law, despite fierce local and international criticism.
In accordance with Madbouly's decision, the committee is solely responsible for preparing a comprehensive vision to amend the law, while resorting to the ministries and bodies concerned with the work of civil society organizations for advice, and “taking advantage from similar international experiences in this regard.”
The decision states that the committee shall — within a period of one month — prepare a full report about the results of its work and the draft law, to be presented to the Cabinet and parliament for approval.
This committee formation comes in response to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's call Nov. 6, in his speech at the World Youth Forum, to form a ministerial committee to amend the law. “I would like to tell everyone inside and outside of Egypt that we are keen to keep the law balanced so it achieves what is required in terms of properly organizing the work of NGOs,” Sisi said.
