GE.19-14202 (E) 130919 160919
Human Rights Council
Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Thirty-fourth session
4–15 November 2019
National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 5 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 16/21*
Egypt
* The present document has been reproduced as received. Its content does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations.
A/HRC/WG.6/34/EGY/1
General Assembly Distr.: General 21 August 2019 English
Original: Arabic
Introduction
1. The Arab Republic of Egypt is proud of its robust traditions related to the promotion and protection of universally recognized human rights, both at home and abroad. Human rights-related issues have always had a prominent place in Egypt and give rise to vigorous debate among the public and in the media. Egypt is happy to present its report for the third cycle of the universal periodic review and looks forward to discussions with the Human Rights Council, which is a way to promote mutual understanding and to bolster the country’s efforts to advance human rights in Egypt and around the world.
2. During the second cycle, the Government received 300 recommendations of which it fully accepted 224 and partially accepted 23, while it rejected 23 recommendations as they were incompatible with the Constitution or with universally recognized human rights. A further 29 recommendations were noted as they were already being implemented, while one recommendation was considered to be inaccurate.
3. The present report reviews the implementation of the recommendations the Government accepted following the second cycle as well as the developments the country has witnessed since November 2014 across five areas of human rights: civil, political, economic, social and cultural. It also details the Government’s efforts to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to disseminate a culture of human rights, on the basis of the belief that citizens have a right to live in dignity and security and to practice fundamental freedoms as long as they do not infringe the rights of others.
Methodology for preparing the report
4. As a complement to the previous report, this report too is the outcome of a participative and inclusive methodology that involved close consultations with various national stakeholders, particularly human rights institutions, civil society groups and a number of public figures. Since the second cycle, a number of measures have been put in place to follow up on the recommendations the Government accepted:
(a) The recommendations were circulated among government departments and national human rights institutions;
(b) A series of meetings with government bodies and relevant national stakeholders was held to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations, make proposals for policies to achieve that implementation, discuss ways to overcome obstacles with a particular focus on the views of civil society organizations and consider challenges and how to meet them;
(c) The midterm voluntary report was submitted in March 2018 then work proceeded until the present report was complete.
5. The report provides information about the efforts the State has made on 14 fronts:
(1) Obligations under international human rights treaties; (2) Civil and political rights; (3) Economic, social and cultural rights; (4) Empowerment of women; (5) Children’s rights;
(6) Rights of persons with disabilities; (7) Empowerment of young people; (8) Combating corruption; (9) Refugees and migrant affairs; (10) Combating irregular migration and migrant smuggling; (11) Combating human trafficking; (12) Respecting human rights while combating terrorism; (13) Disseminating a human rights culture; (14) Cooperation with international human rights mechanisms.
I. Obligations under international human rights treaties1
6. Article 151 of the Constitution obligates the legislature, the judiciary and the executive to abide by the provisions of ratified international treaties in the same way as they abide by domestic law and, thus, parties injured by the non-application of the provisions of such treaties may have recourse to the courts. In fact, the Constitution of 2014 goes further than earlier constitutions and, under article 93, confers special status on ratified
international human rights treaties, giving them force of law. It thereby gives constitutional protection to the rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined therein. As a consequence, any interested party may appeal to the Supreme Constitutional Court to invoke the non- constitutionality of a piece of legislation. This has been upheld in two cases in which the Court reasoned that the implementation of article 93 entailed an obligation to amend domestic law to bring it into line with international human rights treaties. The rulings of the Court are considered final and applicable by all authorities.2
7. The Constitution surrounds human rights and fundamental freedoms with specific safeguards. Under article 92, the rights and freedoms of citizens may not be violated or downgraded, and no law regulating such rights and freedoms may restrict them in such a way as to encroach upon their essence or substance. Article 99 of the Constitution considers any infringement against citizens’ personal freedom or the sanctity of their private lives, or against any other public rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, as an offence not subject to the statute of limitations. Under the same article, the National Council for Human Rights may inform the State Prosecution Office of any violations and may enter into a civil lawsuit on the side of the injured party, at the latter’s request. For its part, article 121 gives laws regulating human rights and freedoms the status of laws complementing the Constitution. This means that the issuance of any such law requires a majority of two thirds of the House of Representatives.
8. The Supreme Constitutional Court has had occasion to refer to international human rights treaties in the context of rights-related disputes upon which it has ruled; for example, it exercised its constitutional oversight on the extent to which legislation conforms to the principle of non-imprisonment on grounds of inability to fulfil a contractual obligation, as enshrined in article 11 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.3 The Court has also reconfirmed the principle that accused persons are innocent until proven guilty in a fair and legal trial in which their right to defend themselves is duly safeguarded, as per articles 2 to 14 of the Covenant.4 Furthermore, the Court has issued two sentences enshrining the right to form civil associations, which cannot be dissolved merely by an administrative ruling, as per article 22 of the Covenant.5
9. In line with recommendations received during the second cycle, Egypt acceded to the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption in 2017 and to the Arab Charter on Human Rights in April 2019. As concerns its periodic review of reservations, in 2015 Egypt withdrew its reservation to article 21 (2) of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which forbids the marriage of children under the age of 18. A number of laws have been enacted since 2015 to bring domestic legislation into line with international and regional treaties,6 while the following steps have been taken to fortify the institutional structures underpinning human rights:
(a) The law establishing the National Council for Human Rights has been amended to strengthen that body’s mandate and independence, in accordance with the Constitution and the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles);7
(b) A human rights department has been set up inside the State Prosecution Office to investigate complaints relating to human rights violations;8
(c) Two laws have been enacted regulating, respectively, the National Council for Women and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities;9
(d) A high-level standing committee on human rights has been created to monitor the implementation of obligations arising from international treaties, to propose the necessary legislation and to develop national human rights strategies in that connection.10
II. Civil and political rights11
10. Since the previous report was issued, and with a view to consolidating the democratic system, elections for the House of Representatives were held at the end of 2015, with a turnout of 28.27 per cent. As a result of the vote, 90 women, 39 persons under the age of 35, 8 persons with disabilities and 8 Egyptians residing abroad were returned as
members of the House. A total of 92 political parties took part, 20 of which are represented in the current House of Representatives. In fact, article 74 of the Constitution enshrines the right to form political parties, merely by notification, and forbids the dissolution of parties except by judicial order.
11. Pursuant to the Constitution, a law has been enacted creating the independent National Electoral Authority. The Authority, which runs referendums as well as presidential, parliamentary and local elections, is responsible for setting up and administering a voter database, establishing rules governing electoral propaganda and funding, and overseeing their application, and announcing election results.12 The law confers a juridical status that guarantees the independence and neutrality of Authority members and imposes the requirement for all official bodies to cooperate with the Authority in the performance of its duties. In March 2018, the Authority oversaw presidential elections in which 41.16 per cent of the electorate at home and overseas chose between two rival candidates, with the winner receiving 97 per cent of votes cast. In April 2019, the Authority administered a constitutional referendum with a 44.4 per cent turnout at home and overseas and 88.8 per cent of voters declaring themselves in favour of the proposed amendment.
12. Egypt accepted recommendations concerning media freedom that emerged from the second cycle of the universal periodic review on the basis of its conviction that the media represents a fundamental pillar of a healthy democratic system. The Association of Journalists Act enshrines the independence of the Association and protects the rights and freedom of journalists in the exercise of their profession, within the framework of a charter of media integrity drawn up by the Association’s general assembly, thus guaranteeing society’s right to be served by a professional and responsible media.13 In addition, three laws have been enacted, which together constitute the body of legislation regulating the press and the media.14 They guarantee freedom of the press, the media, printing and publication, whether on paper or through audiovisual or digital means. Under the Constitution, moreover, newspapers can be published merely by notification, while censorship, confiscation, suspension or closure of newspapers and media outlets is forbidden, save in time of war or general mobilization. The Constitution also states that opinions expressed by journalists may not be used as grounds for their prosecution and it guarantees their right to access and publish information and not to be compelled to reveal their sources. Moreover, penalties of deprivation of liberty may not be imposed for offences related to publication with the exception of incitement to violence, discrimination or impugnment of the honour of citizens. The Supreme Media Regulatory Council is an independent body and any interference in its affairs is forbidden.
13. In order to give effect to recommendations concerning the right of peaceful assembly and of association, the Act regulating public meetings, processions and peaceful demonstrations was amended in 2017.15 Under the amendment, the right to ban, postpone or alter the route of demonstrations passed from the Ministry of the Interior to the judiciary.
This helps to ensure that citizens and the administrative authorities remain equal before the courts. A new government bill regulating civil society activities was approved by the House of Representatives in July 2019 following a series of debates within society. Under the bill, civil society associations can now be established and acquire legal personality merely by notification, and they enjoy certain economic privileges and fiscal exemptions as well as the right to receive money from abroad, once they have notified the administrative authorities. If the authorities file no objection within 60 working days, approval is taken to have been granted. The new law abrogates all penalties of deprivation of liberty and states that no association or its governing board may be dissolved save by judicial ruling. The fees for authorizing foreign associations to operate have been reduced while the proportion of foreign members able to sit on the governing boards of civil society organizations has been raised to 25 per cent. Provision has been made for a fund to provide technical, financial and administrative support to civil society associations and institutions in order to raise their overall level, within the framework of a comprehensive regulation of voluntary work.
14. In view of the important developmental role played by civil society organizations, which now number more than 57,000, in 2017 governors began inviting a representative of the Regional Federation of Civil Society Organizations in each governorate to attend the
meetings of governorate executive councils. The purpose of the initiative was to promote communication with the different components of civil society and to coordinate efforts to provide services to citizens. For its part, the Government has tabled an additional provision to the bill on local administration currently being debated in the House of Representatives.
Under the new provision a representative of the Regional Federation of Civil Society Organizations would be included on the executive council of each governorate.
15. The Trade Union Organizations Act has rectified some of the shortcomings of the previous law and reflects international standards. Under the Act, trade union organizations – union committees, general unions or union federations – are granted legal personality,16 workers have the right to form unions and to join more than one union if they practise multiple professions, while the dissolution of governing boards is forbidden save by judicial ruling. The Act allows unions to organize strikes and gives their general assemblies supreme authority to designate policy and administer affairs, in line with the statutes.
Trade-union elections were held under the Act in 2018, following a suspension of 12 years.
They led to the change of 80 per cent of union members on around 2,500 committees, 145 of which are not part of the General Federation. In July 2019, the House of Representatives approved action on a recommendation to amend the Act made by the International Labour Organization (ILO). As a result, all penalties involving deprivation of liberty were abolished while the quorum for establishing a union committee was lowered from 150 workers to 50. At the same time, the number of union committees required to form a general union went from 15 to 10 and the number of workers from 20,000 to 15,000, while the number of general unions required to form a union federation went from 10 to 7 and the number of workers from 200,000 to 150,000.
16. In order to give effect to recommendations to protect freedom of belief, the practice of religious rites and non-discrimination, in line with the relevant articles of the Constitution, a law on the building and renovation of churches has been enacted. It regulates the rules and procedures governing authorization and the ways to resolve outstanding administrative infractions and to regularize the status of places of worship. Any building that was standing at the date the law came into effect, and in which religious rites are practised, is considered to be an authorized church on condition that the property belongs to the party applying for regularization and that the building is structurally sound.17 As of July 2019, the status of 1,021 churches and service buildings had been regularized.
17. In the same context, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that parts of article 71 of the Civil Servants Act18 were unconstitutional inasmuch as they envisaged only the right of Muslim civil servants to visit the Islamic holy lands in order to perform the hajj.19 The Court established the right of Christian civil servants to take an obligatory holiday of one month with full pay once in their working lives in order to visit Jerusalem.20 Furthermore, in an effort to disseminate the principles of acceptance, understanding and peaceful coexistence, certain practical steps have been taken to combat intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief. They include the following:
(a) A forum on tolerance and moderation has been created within the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs while seminars and religious classes have been held to uphold freedom of opinion and respect for human rights, disseminate a culture of dialogue and eradicate violence, extremism, terrorism and religious hatred;
(b) Educational booklets have been produced about human rights and the principles of citizenship, peaceful coexistence and combating extremism. They include titles such as “Protection of churches in Islam”, “Concepts in need of correction” and
“Internet preaching”. The booklets and a number of sermons have been translated into other languages;
(c) A teaching module has been rolled out for different levels of education in Al- Azhar in order to support Islamic values and their practical application, promote human rights guarantees and uphold religious, confessional and cultural pluralism;
(d) The “Al-Azhar unites us” initiative has been put into place at youth centres to promote the values of tolerance and acceptance of others;
(e) Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Orthodox Church continue to work together under the umbrella of the “Egyptian Family House” initiative to affirm the principle of citizenship, combat incitement to religious-based violence and discrimination and promote a culture of tolerance. The initiative also envisages training on moderate religious discourse for Muslim and Christian preachers;
(f) Al-Azhar has established a “world observatory”, which monitors the social media activities and publications of groups dedicated to takfirism and violence, corrects misguided opinions and provides replies and messages in several languages.
18. The Ministry of the Interior has put a number of measures in place in response to recommendations regarding security forces’ obligation to abide by international rules of engagement in the apprehension of suspected criminals and by international norms regulating the use of force. One of these has been to adopt a progressive approach to law enforcement. In fact, the length of time during which offenders are warned to desist, while being sprayed with water, has been lengthened, and more severe steps are not taken until all avenues of negotiation have been exhausted via a system of orders that goes to the highest levels of security command. In addition, different approaches are taken when dealing with children, women or older persons, and security forces receive training on how to protect public facilities. Means to disperse riots using smoke bombs and pepper sprays are being developed, while broadcasts, circulars and instructions are disseminated on human rights protection measures during security operations. Seminars are organized for security officials to imbue them with a legal culture on the legitimate use of force under international standards. In addition, training is provided to Police Academy students on how to address situations such as detention, arrest, search, transfer and treatment of prisoners. The training – which includes mechanisms to ensure peaceful demonstrations and to deal with riots, sit-ins and the sabotage or attack of public facilities while respecting human rights – has been expanded to cover modern investigative methods. Any allegations of excessive use of force are referred for investigation to the State Prosecution Office while oversight mechanisms within the Ministry of the Interior take the necessary disciplinary measures.
19. Recommendations were made that the death penalty be abolished or that a moratorium be placed on its use. The right to life is the most exalted of human rights, a right inherent to human beings upon which all other rights and freedoms depend. Under Egyptian law, that right enjoys full protection with safeguards to ensure that people are not arbitrarily deprived of life under any circumstances. As is the case in many other countries around the world, the law does admit the death penalty for the most serious crimes, in accordance with articles 2 to 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
However, the use of the death penalty is surrounded by safeguards that reconcile society’s right to a public deterrent with the individual’s right to life. All standards of a fair trial must be duly applied and the condemned person may not be subjected to any kind of abuse or cruel treatment. These safeguards are set forth in detail in the annex to the previous report.
20. With respect to recommendations concerning detention and fair trial guarantees, articles 54 and 55 of the Constitution state that, apart from cases of flagrante delicto, personal freedom may not be violated or restricted except pursuant to a reasoned judicial order, and that safeguards must exist to guarantee the human rights of persons whose freedom has been restricted.21 Articles 55, 95, 96, 97, 186 and 189 state that the courts have jurisdiction to rule on all disputes and offences and that the State Prosecution Service, which is an integral part of the judiciary, is responsible for conducting investigations and launching and pursuing criminal cases. Its members enjoy full independence and neutrality when conducting investigations or referring cases for trial. The constitutional provisions also make it clear that punishment is personal and that there can be no offence and no penalty except as defined by law. Furthermore, penalties cannot be handed down except by a court ruling and only for actions committed after the date the law came into force. Persons are innocent until proven guilty in a legal trial in which they have had the right to defend themselves, and sentences are handed down by competent courts sitting in public session.
21. As concerns the trial of civilians before military courts, article 204 of the Constitution states that the military judiciary is an independent judicial body and that civilians may be tried before military courts only for offences that constitute a direct assault
on military personnel, military installations or other facilities falling under the authority of the armed forces. This is in line with articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and with the Human Rights Committee’s general comments No.
13 of 1984 and No. 32 of 2007 on article 14 of the Covenant, both of which admit the trial of civilians before military court in exceptional circumstances. Judges in military courts have the same independence and immunities as the ordinary judiciary and accused persons enjoy the same safeguards as they would before the ordinary courts: the right to a defence, to examine the case file, to a public trial and to appeal against their sentence before a higher court.22 In addition, the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the law concerning the circumstances and procedures for lodging appeals with the Court of Cassation are all applicable to appeals within the military justice system.
22. According to article 56 of the Constitution, prisons and places of detention are under the supervision of the judiciary, a fact reflected in article 42 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, article 85 of the Prisons Act23 and article 27 of the Judicial Authority Act.24 Under those provisions, judges and members of the State Prosecution Service – as an independent judicial body – oversee and inspect prisons and places of detention to check the law is being applied and take the necessary action in case of any violations. They also receive prisoners’ complaints and examine documents and prison registers. Since 2017, judges and State prosecutors have conducted a total of 124 prison visits. The National Council for Human Rights also has a legal mandate to visit prisons and other places of detention, as well as curative and correctional institutions, to ensure that inmates are being well treated and are able to enjoy their rights. Following each visit, the Council writes a report with its observations and recommendations.25 The human rights committee of the House of Representatives also routinely visits prison; since 2017, it and other national human rights institutions have conducted a total of 12 visits.
23. With a view to reducing prison overcrowding, the Government has developed a plan to construct, develop and enlarge prisons. The move is designed to protect the dignity and health of inmates in response to recommendations from the State Prosecution Service, the human rights committee of the House of Representatives and the National Council for Human Rights. Holding cells have been adapted to promote the health of detainees while medical care has been expanded by assigning each prison a local hospital with specialized clinics, radiography and dialysis units and emergency operating theatres, as well as a regional hospital with modern operating facilities and equipment and specialized clinics for each geographical prison region. In addition, kindergartens for the children of female inmates have been upgraded with modern equipment. National vaccination campaigns are conducted against epidemics in prisons and comprehensive testing for the hepatitis C virus takes place as part of a national plan to detect and treat diseases.
24. On a separate front, pensions and assistance are offered to the families and children of inmates, and 66,391 beneficiaries have received a total of 298,371,034 Egyptian pounds (LE) since 2015. Over the same period, 47,337 education grants were distributed to the children of inmates at a cost of LE 19,606,560. The rehabilitation programme for prisoners has been expanded to provide training in different trades and give them salaries, either to help support their families or to set up their own small businesses once they have been released. In addition, 95,947 books have been donated to prison libraries. In parallel with those initiatives, the Government has been working to reduce the prison population by releasing prisoners periodically through the following measures:
(a) The President of the Republic has been using the right enshrined in article 155 of the Constitution to remit certain sentences of deprivation of liberty on the occasion of national feast days and holidays; 56,000 prisoners have received a presidential pardon since 2015;
(b) The rules for release have been amended to allow inmates, if they have served at least 6 months, to be released after serving half – rather than three quarters – of their sentence. Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment may not be released until they have served at least 20 years.26 Two months beforehand, the Ministry of Social Solidarity is given the names of the persons due to be released so as to facilitate their rehabilitation and prepare them for life outside prison;
(c) Prisoners can be released on health grounds if medical tests reveal that they are suffering a life-threatening or disabling condition; 60,876 inmates have been released for health reasons since 2015;27
(d) Alternatives to pretrial detention have been applied such as house arrest, obliging persons to present themselves at police stations at certain times or prohibiting them from frequenting certain locations;28
(e) The “prisons without debtors” initiative has been launched in cooperation with civil society in order to pay fines due by inmates in minor crimes and release them. A total of 15,820 prisoners have been released in this way since 2015.
25. With regard to recommendations concerning torture, articles 51 and 52 of the Constitution unequivocally state that torture of any kind is a crime that is not subject to the statute of limitations. This is reaffirmed in the Criminal Code, which envisages multiple descriptions and penalties for such offences,29 commensurate with the gravity of the acts concerned, in accordance with the Human Rights Committee’s general comment No. 20 on article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Furthermore, although criminal cases fall into prescription 10 years after an offence was committed, given the gravity of torture and ill-treatment, criminal cases resulting from such offences are not prescribed at the expiry of that period.30
26. Rulings by the Court of Cassation reaffirm that any statements shown to have been made by a detainee under torture, intimidation, coercion or physical or mental abuse, or the threat thereof, are null and void,31 pursuant to article 55 of the Constitution.32 As of April 2019, police officers have faced investigation and criminal prosecution in 30 cases of torture, 66 of use of force and 215 of ill-treatment. The investigations and trials resulted in 70 criminal convictions, 156 cases were archived while 85 are still being considered. In addition, 344 disciplinary hearings have been held against police officers, leading to 207 disciplinary convictions.
III. Economic, social and cultural rights33
27. In response to the aspirations the Egyptian people expressed in the revolutions of 2011 and June 2013, the Government has launched a sustainable development strategy for 2030 with a view to ensuring that all citizens, without discrimination, can live a decent life.
The strategy, which envisages widescale community participation and the involvement of international development partners, also takes account of the views of civil society and the private sector. The goal is to achieve sustainable economic, social and environmental development while preserving the rights of future generations and ensuring equality, equal opportunity and the optimal use of resources.
28. Acting upon recommendations that emerged from the second cycle of the universal periodic review, the Government has adopted a comprehensive plan for economic reform.
The decision to float the foreign currency exchange rate in 2016 was necessary because the existence of two exchange rates was having a negative impact on investments and on the availability of the foreign currency required for the provision of foodstuffs and petrochemical products. Between 2014 and 2019, the economic growth rate climbed from 4.4 per cent to 5.6 per cent while, between 2015 and 2019, foreign currency reserves went up from $20.1 billion to $44.4 billion.
29. The Government has been implementing a “financial inclusion in the Arab region 2017” initiative, which was launched in Cairo and aims to formalize the informal economy as a priority step towards economic development. The Central Bank has provided low- interest property financing for persons on limited and middle incomes and has launched funding initiatives aimed at medium-size, small and micro-businesses. In addition, a draft strategy on financial education has been drawn up, while a new investment law has been enacted with a view to attracting the cash flows needed for development, the creation of businesses and job opportunities and the reduction of unemployment. Investors have been encouraged to develop a sense of community responsibility by allowing them to allocate not more than 10 per cent of their net annual profits into community development.34
30. At the same time, the Government has launched several large-scale labour-intensive projects to promote people’s right to adequate housing, work, development, food, etc. They include:
(a) Creating a new administrative capital covering 170,000 feddan and with capacity for 6.5 million inhabitants;
(b) Promoting integrated development in the Suez Canal region with the opening of the new Suez Canal in 2015; efforts are now being made to set up a global logistical centre;
(c) Constructing a conduit under the Suez Canal to carry water to irrigate 400,000 feddan of cultivated land in Sinai, as well as six tunnels linking the two sides of the canal;
(d) Cooperating with the private sector to build three power stations adding 14,400 megawatts to the national grid, an increase of 45 per cent, thereby moving from a situation of deficit in energy supply to one of surplus and meeting economic development needs;
(e) Beginning work on a four-reactor nuclear power station with a total output of 4,800 megawatts. The reactors will come into operation between 2026 and 2028. This is in addition to numerous sun- and wind-powered clean energy projects;
(f) Completing 65 projects to expand and develop the network of major roads and bridges; up to the end of 2018, 3,093.8 km have been built of a total 5,415.5 km planned;
(g) Launching two projects covering 8,700 feddan to create 5,759 fish farming tanks with a view to achieving self-sufficiency in that sector and provide job opportunities;
the project envisages setting up factories to produce fish food and to freeze and process the fish, as well as storage silos;
(h) Building 7,500 greenhouses covering 34,000 feddan, in order to increase local production of vegetables, and launching a project to cultivate an additional 4 million feddan of agricultural land in order to alleviate food shortages, create new jobs and establish industries related to agriculture and livestock;
(i) Launching the Golden Triangle mineral resources project in the south of the country with the creation of four industrial, mining and logistical zones, in order to create job opportunities and optimize the use of resources.
31. All these economic projects have had a direct effect on the standard of living of citizens. Between 2014 and 2019, average annual individual income went up from LE 28,000 to LE 53,721 while unemployment dropped from 12.8 per cent in 2014 to 8.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2019. Furthermore, 3,121,595 persons – 365,992 of them women – found employment between 2015 and 2018, and government and society are redoubling their efforts to establish a climate conducive to the exercise of the right to work. A public employment policy has been drafted and its implementation is being monitored by a high- level committee chaired by the Minister of Labour. The membership of the committee is made up of employers’ and workers’ representatives, thus consolidating the tripartite principle. Alongside that, an integrated system of employment has been rolled out, which includes information about unemployed persons and available job openings as well as about companies and factories that are looking for staff. The Government is aiming to provide 900,000 jobs per year over the next four years. In addition, since 2015, the National Council for Human Rights has been issuing annual decrees drawing attention to the various different aspects and dimensions of the right to work.
32. Also in response to recommendations emerging from the second cycle of the universal periodic review, the Government is operating a number of projects and programmes aimed at achieving social justice and integration, ensuring a dignified life for citizens and reducing poverty. These initiatives include:
(a) Raising pensions for government employees and private- and public-sector workers from LE 103.1 billion to LE 175 billion between 2014 and 2018, an increase of 41
per cent. This move has benefited around 10 million citizens and, as of July 2019, the minimum pension has been set at LE 900;
(b) Launching the “solidarity and dignity” programme which, in cooperation with civil society organizations, aims to provide a social protection network for poor families, older persons, orphans and persons with disabilities who are unable to work. The programme benefits some 10 million citizens;
(c) Launching the “social safeguard” programme under which 1.4 million families receive unconditional cash support; education grants are also provided to prevent the children of such families from dropping out of school;
(d) Launching programmes and initiatives in cooperation with the private sector and civil society; these include schemes to curb poverty, ensure people can live dignified lives and provide aftercare for the employment of children from institutions for persons deprived of family support;
(e) Providing funding amounting to $929 million for development projects in the poorest regions, in addition to $550 million from the World Bank for social housing programmes;
(f) In 2018, 68,069,032 individuals benefited from subsidized bread and foodstuffs and, between 2015 and 2018, the number of distribution points for subsidized foodstuffs went up from 29,153 to 33,226.
33. According to the 2017 census, the population growth is 2.56 per cent, and the Government has therefore been redoubling its efforts to meet the challenge of providing suitable, safe and healthy homes for its citizens, delivering housing units for various income levels and developing accommodation for families in greatest need. It has provided 333,000 new units for limited-income families since 2015 at a symbolic monthly rent, a move that has benefited around 3 million citizens, as well as 74,651 units for middle income families.
The aim of the Government is to build an additional 395,000 units for limited-income families by 2020. Between 2014 and 2018, the social housing programme for persons on limited and middle incomes provided 210,806 soft loans to enable such persons – 19.11 per cent of them women – to own their own homes. As for more marginalized areas, Bedouin homes and residential units have been built in the governorates of Sinai, Red Sea and New Valley: a total of 19,700 units in addition to 2,024 units in the district of Nasr el-Nouba. A national committee has been set up to develop rules and mechanisms for the payment of compensation to persons not previously compensated for the building of the Aswan Dam and other subsequent projects in the south of the country.35 The committee has, in fact, completed work on its rules and mechanisms and is taking measures to disburse the compensation.
34. Acting on recommendations received, and in line with article 78 of the Constitution, the Government has produced a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem of informal housing. This includes replanning, the provision of infrastructure and facilities, and improvements in the quality of life and public health. The Government has built 103,000 alternative units for inhabitants of zones at risk and is currently developing 90 areas of informal housing in various governorates, with a total of 92,355 units. People are given a choice between moving to alternative neighbourhoods or accepting monetary compensation, otherwise they are given a temporary alternative home or a sum of money to find one for themselves, until such time as their area – in which they have already been allocated a housing unit – has been developed.
35. With a view to providing citizens with clean and safe drinking water, the Government has rolled out 276 projects since the end of 2014 thanks to which 98.5 per cent of the population now has access to such water. At the same time, the Government has set up 155 sewerage projects in cities and 624 in villages so that around 60 per cent of the population now has access to sewerage.
36. With regard to recommendations about education, articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Constitution state that pre-university education is free and obligatory and that technical education and vocational training are to be encouraged and expanded in line with the needs of the labour market. In that connection, between 2015 and 2018, the Government
expanded 2,038 schools and 506 technical schools, while the budget of the Ministry of Education was increased by 17 per cent to LE 98,106,981,000. In order to encourage exceptional students and to provide atypical educational opportunities, 10 schools have been built since the end of 2014, accommodating 5,400 gifted youngsters. This brings the total of such schools, in 2016, to 12 in addition to 18 centres for gifted children across 10 governorates. On a separate front, the Egyptian Knowledge Bank has been set up, the largest Arab Internet library where thousands of periodicals, encyclopaedias and specialized academic journals are available free of charge. At the present time, there are 55,214 schools attended by 22,453,381 students, as compared with 49,435 schools and 18,555,232 students in 2014. Girls now represent 48.5 per cent in basic education and 55 per cent in secondary education. The dropout rate has fallen to below 7 per cent. This is the result of support provided to families of children at risk of dropping out, which is provided on condition that the child’s attendance rate is at least 80 per cent.
37. In fulfilment of its obligations under article 25 of the Constitution, the Government has intensified its engagement with civil society to eradicate illiteracy among persons over the age of 15. The number of persons graduating as of the middle of the last academic year was 150,683, and 1,208 women-only classes have been set up, with 31,961 students. The latest statistics point to a drop in illiteracy rates, from 29.7 per cent to 25.8 per cent between 2006 and 2017; 30.8 per cent of women are illiterate and 21.1 per cent of men.
38. In accordance with article 22 of the Constitution, the higher education budget increased by 43 per cent, from LE 25 billion to LE 35.8 billion, between 2014 and 2018, while the number of universities – both State-run and private – went from 42 to 52 and the number of faculties from 524 to 627. The number of persons enrolled in university went up by 19 per cent, from 2.3 million to 2.9 million, with girls accounting for 54 per cent. Over the same period, the number of persons enrolled in higher education increased by 51 per cent, from 277,435 to 420,222, with women accounting for 46.5 per cent of persons with a Master’s degree or doctorate. The number of non-Egyptians enrolled in university or higher education climbed by 197 per cent from 18,500 to 55,000.
39. Between 2014 and 2018, the budget for academic research went up by 31.8 per cent, from LE 22 billion to LE 29 billion. Moreover, a fund for inventors and innovators has been established to help them transpose their creations into products capable of competing on the market.36 A support programme for young researchers and inventors has been launched at a cost of LE 100 million to encourage scientific enquiry. As of July 2019, 500 research projects by 5,000 students in science faculties had been supported at a cost of LE 25 million.
40. Between 2015 and 2018, in response to recommendations regarding enjoyment of the highest possible level of physical and mental health, and in line with article 18 of the Constitution, 20 new hospitals, medical centres and health units were constructed in 20 governorates, while 38 existing hospitals, medical centres and health units were expanded.
A total of 22,334 beds were added to hospitals of the General Authority for Health Insurance and 401,082 patients received treatment. In order to provide care for the needy, 5,586,404 orders were issued for the treatment of 3,136,445 persons at State expense between 2016 and 2018. Measures were put in place to ensure the prompt delivery of medical services to persons receiving such treatment, thanks to which the period between making the application and the issuance of the treatment order has been reduced to 48 hours for urgent cases and 72 hours for other cases. Furthermore, the specialized medical councils are now linked to the 13 medical subcouncils in a videoconferencing network for the examination and confrontation of cases.
41. The Universal Health Insurance Act37 has been passed, as mandated by the Constitution. The Act, which represents an important part of the strategic plan to develop the health-care system up to 2030, will be applied gradually to all citizens in parallel with gradual improvements in the quality and capacity of health institutions, before the new system begins to be implemented. This will favour the delivery of outstanding health care to needy persons and provide insurance cover for all maladies as well as ensuring sustainability of funding and respect for the freedom of insured persons to choose their health-care provider. The system will be rolled out across the governorates over six phases,
the first of which was launched in 2018, covering five governorates at a cost of LE 1.8 billion.
42. In September 2018, “100 million healths” initiative was launched with the aim of eradicating the hepatitis C virus and screening for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. A total of 56,837,857 individuals were tested as well as 67,498 refugees and resident foreigners, and 700,000 persons were treated free of charge. In February 2019, a campaign was launched to detect and treat obesity, dwarfism and acute anaemia in students under 12. In March 2019, the President of the Republic announced a campaign to treat a million Africans affected by the hepatitis C virus. In addition, the Government has taken steps to prevent certain diseases. These steps include:
(a) Compulsory routine vaccinations of around 2.6 million children each year, with coverage of more than 96 per cent;
(b) Providing vaccines and serums to target groups such as children, students, overseas travellers, etc.;
(c) Providing 40 million vaccinations annually against polio, German measles and mumps;
(d) Providing antiretroviral drugs and regular laboratory analyses free of charge for persons suffering from HIV/AIDS, via 13 specialized centres, in addition to voluntary consultations and laboratory tests in 23 fixed and mobile centres in 17 governorates;
(e) Promoting a safe system of waste disposal in 17 incinerators, with regular sampling at drinking water treatment plants.
43. In response to recommendations regarding the promotion of cultural rights, a number of programmes have been rolled out, in particular on “cultural justice” and “the protection and promotion of cultural heritage”. The purpose is to stimulate interest and encourage universal involvement in cultural heritage, its protection and its accessibility.
Thanks to cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization has been established containing 50,000 artefacts covering the various phases of the growth of civilization in Egypt. Work is currently under way to complete the Grand Egyptian Museum, which will house artefacts from the pharaonic period. In partnership with civil society, the “Touf we shouf” programme has been launched to increase public awareness with guided tours to cultural sites. In 2017, following the visit of Pope Francis, the Government launched the “Holy Family” programme, and Sinai was declared the capital of religious tourism at an international conference held at St. Catherine. A medical tourism programme has been rolled out for persons affected by the hepatitis C virus.
IV. Empowerment of women38
44. Equality of public rights and duties between men and women, and equality of opportunity without discrimination are enshrined in 22 articles of the Constitution, chief among them articles 11 and 53. Under constitutional amendments introduced in April 2019, a minimum of 25 per cent of seats in the House of Representatives are allocated to women, as well as 25 per cent of seats on local councils. Article 214 of the Constitution establishes the status of the National Council for Women as an independent body that has the right to report to the public authorities regarding any violations in its area of activities. For its part the Government – acting upon recommendations received during the second cycle of the universal periodic review and desirous to raise the status of women and to achieve equality and equal opportunity – has entered into a broad participatory process to implement the national strategy to empower Egyptian women 2030, in line with the Constitution and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The strategy covers three main areas of empowerment: the political, the social and the economic. The year 2017 was declared as the Year of Egyptian Women.
45. As concerns the political empowerment of women, the parliamentary elections of 2015 resulted in 90 women being returned, 76 by election and 14 by appointment, and
brought female representation in the House to 15.5 per cent, as opposed to 1.2 per cent in 2012. Meetings have been held in governorates to encourage women to participate in local elections, and figures show that around 10,000 women wish to take part in the forthcoming polls. Eight female ministers have been in place since 2018, holding 25 per cent of ministerial portfolios and, for the first time, two women have been appointed as governors.
In addition, women account for 27 per cent of deputy governors and hold leadership roles in neighbourhoods and on city councils, as well as the mayoralty of certain villages.
Twenty-five per cent of management positions in the Central Bank are occupied by women and 12 per cent on the administrative boards of banks. There are women who work in the judiciary and a woman holds the position of adviser to the Head of National Security.
46. The National Council for Women – in line with the law governing its activities39 and article 214 of the Constitution – is responsible for coordinating programmes and activities, raising awareness and promoting values of equality and non-discrimination, with a view to the empowerment of women. It also pronounces its views on draft laws and regulations relevant to its sphere of activities, receives complaints about violations and works with the relevant bodies to resolve them. Since 2015, training courses have been held for 300 female
“rural pioneers” capacitating them to raise awareness among rural communities about women’s rights. In addition, 712,155 national identity cards have been issued free of charge to needy persons in various governorates, as part of the “your card, your rights”
programme. In fact, an identity card is vital in order to be able to exercise a range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
47. In order to monitor the problems women face and to raise awareness about government services, in 2016 a campaign was launched in villages and hamlets under the title “knock on the doors”. By July 2019, it had reached 11,784,289 women and girls in 991 villages. In parallel, another campaign, “the secret of your strength is the ta marbutah”, was seen by 40 million people on social media, and mobile cultural round tables were set up to discuss issues relevant to women. In addition, and as part of the “they are able” initiative, 2,812 medical services were provided, 1,010 women and girls in isolated communities received training and 162 small and micro-businesses were set up. A women’s complaints office and a family advice line 16021 have been created as two national mechanisms to combat violence against women, including domestic violence, child marriage, human trafficking and female circumcision, and to raise awareness about reproductive health and family planning.
48. In order to improve women’s health, the Government has launched an initiative, which covers 28 million adult women and involves 1,030 medical teams offering free screening for breast cancer and non-communicable diseases. In addition, there have been awareness-raising campaigns about harmful cultural practices such as early marriage, early pregnancy, circumcision, ignorance of family planning and childbirth without medical supervision. A total of 83 medical campaigns have been set up targeting 46,573 women in addition to programmes to promote reproductive health, which were run with the participation of some 700 civil society organizations and reached 66,307 women.
49. In the area of the economic empowerment of women, equal opportunity units have been set up in all government ministries as a way to achieve real equality in the working environment and to address discriminatory practices against women, while programmes have been run to raise legal awareness about the rights of working women. A cooperation forum bringing together 117 civil society groups has been formed to exchange expertise about women’s empowerment and to define priorities among women’s issues. Furthermore, an initiative about “the dangers of cheques and promissory notes” has been rolled out to raise awareness and reduce the numbers of female debtors.
50. In coordination with banks, and in order to encourage the financial inclusion of women, 316,000 simplified accounts (without charges or a minimum balance) have been opened, and 35 per cent of them belong to women. Between 2015 and 2017, the proportion of women with a bank account grew from 9 per cent to 27 per cent while, from 2015 to 2018, small and medium-size businesses run by women went from 23 per cent to 46 per cent, and women benefiting from microloans went from 45 per cent to 69 per cent. In addition, 30 per cent of investors on the stock exchange and 44.5 per cent of government workers are women. Since 2018, 50,000 free insurance policies have been issued to self-
