A total of 343 recommendations were submitted to the Egyptian government at the concluding session of the 48th session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva last week.
Egypt’s Permanent Representative in Geneva Alaa Hegazi reiterated Egypt’s “full commitment to consider each recommendation duly and meticulously taking into account the national context and available resources.”
Egypt is supposed to respond to the recommendations during the 59th session of the HCR in June this year.
The recommendations cover key issues from access to education and healthcare and other quality services to the arbitrary detention of human-rights defenders and amending abusive laws.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty emphasised during the 48th UPR interactive session that there had been “remarkable progress on all aspects.” Egypt is advancing human rights through the “strong political will” to build a new republic and a modern civil state based on democracy, citizenship, and the rule of law, he said.
“Egypt’s commitment to its international human-rights obligations is a key part of its comprehensive national vision, which has enabled us to achieve significant progress at all levels over past years,” Abdelatty said.
In his address to the session, he highlighted key presidential initiatives including the abolition of the state of emergency in 2021, the activation of the Presidential Pardon Committee, the launch of the National Dialogue in 2022, and legislative reforms, such as new draft laws on criminal procedure and civil work.
Egypt’s top diplomat discussed the country’s dedication to economic, social, and cultural rights, mentioning national programmes such as Haya Karima (Decent Life), and Takaful and Karama (Solidarity and Dignity), which aim to enhance social protection for the most vulnerable groups.
Emphasising Egypt’s commitment to human rights, Abdelatty noted that Cairo had implemented the recommendations from the 2019 review. Egypt had received 372 recommendations, had accepted 301, and had intensified efforts to implement them.
He explained that a five-pillar vision drives Egypt’s approach to advancing human rights: the adoption of the National Human Rights Strategy, fostering an environment to protect human rights, promoting human rights holistically, fulfilling international human-rights obligations, and actively engaging with international mechanisms.
Egypt was one of 14 states to be reviewed at the 48th session of the UPR, which took place from 20 to 31 January.
As chairman of the Supreme Standing Committee for Human Rights (SSCHR), Abdelatty led the Egyptian Delegation to the UPR.
It included high-ranking officials such as Maya Morsi, minister of social solidarity, Mahmoud Fawzi, minister of parliamentary affairs and political communication, and Diaa Rashwan, head of the State Information Service and coordinator of the National Dialogue, among other officials.
Egypt has participated in all previous rounds of the UPR since the mechanism was established, including in 2010, 2014, and 2019, a fact that proves Egypt’s commitment to advancing human rights, Abdelatty said.
The UPR, a mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council, allows member states to assess and offer constructive feedback on each other’s human-rights practices.
The UPR Working Group is comprised of the 47 Member States of the Human Rights Council. However, each of the 193 UN Member States can participate in a country review.
They base their review on a national report submitted by the country under review, reports by independent human-rights experts and groups, and information provided by other stakeholders including national human-rights institutions, regional organisations, and civil society groups.
The review session is run by a rapporteur and a troika of three states responsible to present the final recommendations to the HRC. The three country representatives serving as rapporteurs for the review of Egypt were Algeria, Bulgaria, and Kuwait.
In the meantime, the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) released its 17th annual report in October last year covering the period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.
The four-chapter report provides a review of the situation of human rights in Egypt and urges key reforms.
It pinpoints some positive developments, including the House of Representatives’ effort to amend the 75-year-old Criminal Procedures Law.
“The process of writing a new law compatible with Egypt’s 2014 constitution is a step in the right direction,” read the report, explaining that it will also pave the way to a review of other key laws, such as those in the Penal Code and the Personal Status law.
It praised the lifting of the state of emergency in Egypt as having a positive impact on improving human rights.
It also included a record of the NCHR’s activities and cooperation with international and regional institutions and civil-society organisations to address complaints and alleged human-rights violations and makes recommendations.
It called on the government to espouse the amendments introduced by the National Dialogue to a number of key laws aiming at widening the scope of political participation and pluralism in Egypt.
Nevertheless, the report added, there remains an urgent need to expedite legislative reforms promoting human rights and freedoms.
The 17th report is the second that the council has produced since the passing of Egypt’s 2014 constitution.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: