"The last 10 years have witnessed the greatest empowerment of youth in Egypt in decades,” said Mahmoud Fawzy, Secretary-General of the National Dialogue, at the youth committee's meeting on Thursday.

For his side, Ahmed Fathi, the youth committee coordinator, noted a significant increase in the representation of youth in Parliament under the tenure of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

“The representation of youth aged 25 to 36 Youth representation in Parliament increased from 8% in 2010 to 11% in 2015 and to 21% in 2021,” noted Fathi.

The members of the Youth Committee visited 108 public and private schools and universities to listen to young people's concerns and demands, he added.

Fathi said new legislation was required to reform the student union elections in universities to further empower youth. 

Elections & separate ministry
 

Abdallah El-Remsh, the President of the Student Union at Cairo University, said reforming student unions at universities requires holding elections from the bottom-up in universities - starting from faculties all the way up to the university level.

El-Remsh demanded that university administrations allocate more resources to student unions.

He also called for more financial support for students with disabilities at colleges.

In conclusion, El-Remsh called on the government to establish a separate ministry to focus on youth issues in lieu of the current system of amalgamation of youth and sports under one portfolio.