The representatives of the human rights organisations presented their vision on issues raised in the sessions of the National Dialogue’s board of trustees’ meetings in the past weeks.

They also discussed the concerns of the Egyptian human rights community as well as ideas that allow the human rights community and its members more freedom of action and movement.

The attendees called for facilitating the registration of human rights organisations wishing to regularise their status. They also called for the extension of the official registration deadline for the NGOs wishing to operate under the umbrella of the NGOs law. 

The Ministry of social solidarity had already announced that 12 April was the final deadline for NGOs in Egypt to complete the procedures required to legalise their status according to the 2019-law regulating the activities of NGOs and civil society in Egypt. 

The representatives of the human rights movement stressed the importance of making legislative amendments to allow freer movement of human rights organisations and allow them to communicate effectively with citizens wishing to work with them or benefit from their services.

Representatives from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), the Freedom of Thought and Expression Foundation , the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights, the Right to Education Centre, the Right to Housing Centre, the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights, the Dialogue Meeting Foundation, the Support for Justice Foundation, the Women's Issues Foundation, the Egyptian Academy for Democracy, and a number of independent human rights activists attended the meeting.

The head of the Technical Secretariat Mahmoud Fawzi, Board of Trustees member Negad Al-Borai, and the Assistant Rapporteur of the Human Rights Committee Ahmed Rageb also attended the meeting. 

Diaa Rashwan is expected to hold similar meetings with other human rights organisation representatives that were not able to attend Sunday’s meeting. 

Last month, the dialogue’s board of trustees proposed to kick-start the national dialogue meetings on 3 May.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had called for the dialogue during the annual Egyptian Family Iftar banquet on 26 April 2022.

The dialogue is set to look into all political, economic, and social issues. In September 2022, the 19-member board of trustees completed its selection of rapporteurs and assistant rapporteurs for the dialogue's three main tracks (political, economic, and social) and their 19 subcommittees.

Recommendations that will be made by the subcommittees will be referred to the board to be sent to the president for a final say, according to previous remarks by the General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan.

The president asserted that all intellectuals, syndicates and political forces are welcome to participate in the dialogue. He highlighted that only one faction was to be excluded from the dialogue, a subtle reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.