NGO bill sparks controversy in Egypt
A new civil society organizations law may be passed in Egypt that will allow the state to impose restrictions on their funding and freeze their activities under the pretext of violation of public morals.
CAIRO — Humanitarian organizations around the world have long criticized Egypt’s regulation of nongovernmental organizations. But now a bill is headed for parliament that, depending on who is asked, could either improve the current situation or make it even more restrictive.
The Social Solidarity Ministry issued the bill. Khaled Sultan, chief of the ministry’s Central Administration of NGOs, told Al-Monitor the bill was drafted after discussions with 566 human rights organizations. The legislation includes proposals from those groups, but reserves the government’s right “to supervise and control the work of civil society organizations and follow up on their funding sources and methods of spending,” he said.
Many NGOs oppose the bill, said Mohammad Zare, head of the Arab Organization for Penal Reform. He told Al-Monitor that while the government has a right to monitor NGO programs, activities and funding within Egypt and hold them to certain standards, the bill goes too far.
"We refuse state control on external financing,” he said. “How can the state prevent civil society organizations from obtaining funding from well-known foreign institutions with international reputations?”
