CAIRO — The issue of establishing a youth commission by the office of the president in Egypt, to enable young people to participate in decision-making within state institutions, sparked a controversy between the youth affiliated with various political movements in the Egyptian street. While some believed it a good opportunity to integrate youth into the political process, others considered it an attempt to distract the youth via a parallel entity, without including them in a clear way in state institutions. The latter group thought that this commission came within the context of other promises made to the youth by the office of the president that have not been carried out. Thus, it is important to determine the views of the various youth forces and consider the importance of the commission in empowering youths in political life.

In the context of the importance of young people' role in implementing the Egyptian road map, Mostafa Higazy, the adviser to the president for strategic affairs, proposed the establishment of a national youth commission, where the young people themselves would be in charge of planning. It was aimed at taking young people from the stage of merely having knowledge about politics, to empowering them, providing them leadership roles and giving them responsibilities in all state institutions. A series of meetings on this topic was held beginning in September 2013. The most recent was a meeting by experts representing various sectors of the national forces on Feb. 5, to discuss the articles of a draft law for the commission, with the aim of determining its final form as a prelude to launching a dialogue with various youth forces.

The proposed youth commission is not the first attempt to create an entity that gathers various currents of young people, especially after the revolution of June 30, 2013. It was preceded by a serious attempt to establish a "national council for youths," proposed by young people in the National Salvation Front (NSF) during a meeting with former Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa Eddin. This council was aimed at serving as a support body for the government during the transitional phase, and the idea later evolved into the youth commission.

Al-Monitor met with head of the Socialist Alliance Party Abdul Ghaffar Shokr, who presented a proposal to interim President Adly Mansour to create the youth commission. "The purpose of the commission is to enable youth to play a greater role in society. This will be achieved via providing them with humanitarian knowledge and experience in social work, so that they can manage a dialogue on issues and problems affecting society. Moreover, [the commission will enable them] to issue publications to express their opinions and implement service-based activities," said Shokr.