The meeting was attended on behalf of the NCHR by Vice President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, along with council members Ahram Weekly and Ahram Online editor-in-chief Ezzat Ibrahim, Alaa Shalaby, Dr Wafaa Benjamin, Ambassador Dr Mahi Abdel Latif, Dr Shireen Farag, Yara Qassem, Mohamed Osman, in addition to Dr Islam Rehan from the NCHR’s technical secretariat.
The European Parliament delegation included Antonio López-Istúriz, Sandra Gómez López, and Maria Noichl, in addition to several political advisers from the European Parliament and representatives of the EU Delegation to Egypt.
During the meeting, the council reviewed its mandate and role in promoting and protecting human rights, particularly its responsibilities for monitoring the human rights situation, submitting recommendations and observations to strengthen human rights and public freedoms, and receiving complaints.
Additionally, the council highlighted its visits to rehabilitation and correctional centers, other detention facilities, and mental health institutions, as well as its role in providing legal assistance, promoting a human rights culture, monitoring relevant international human rights commitments, and offering opinions on related legislation.
The discussions also addressed the council's vision for continuing legislative and institutional reforms to strengthen human rights guarantees in Egypt, particularly in the areas of freedom of opinion, expression, and criminal justice.
The two sides also discussed national efforts to combat violence against women and children, where the council reviewed its monitoring of these efforts and its support for measures to enhance their protection, as well as the progress achieved in reducing the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The talks further addressed various issues of mutual interest. They also emphasized the importance of continuing dialogue and cooperation between the NCHR and the European Parliament to strengthen the strategic partnership between Egypt and the EU.
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