Could Egypt really serve the cause of human rights at the international level? In some ways, argues Dina Ezzat In September of this year, Egypt will take its seat at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) along with 46 other member states elected by the UN General Assembly on the basis of equitable geographic representation. Egypt's three-year membership was secured through a UN General Assembly election conducted a week ago in New York. It is a membership that many Egyptian and international human rights organisations qualify as unjustified in view of the government's unimpressive record of human rights. However, according to Egyptian officials, it is a well deserved membership in view of the fact that Egypt had previously participated in the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) which was replaced with the UNHRC in 2006, and also on the basis of the diversified nature of human rights, which Egypt may be in violation of some of the time, but not all. In press statements made this week, Maged Abdel-Fattah, Egypt's permanent representative to the UN in New York, said that in its bid for the UNHRC membership, Egypt committed itself to an agenda of human rights that covers national and international fronts. And as such, he added, Egypt, like any other country is illegible to sit on the UNCHR. Egyptian officials say that despite the many question marks over the government's performance in observing and promoting human rights, Egypt was not in a position to be denied the membership in the UNHRC, especially that the UN General Assembly resolution that established this body stipulated that the 47 member seats are open to all member states of the UN on condition that they secure 98 out of the 199 votes of the General Assembly. Egypt received 168 votes -- some through diplomatic deals and others through sheer political support. Meanwhile, in the words of one official, "while it is true that Egypt needs to work on improving its record in terms of civil and political rights, it is equally true that there are other areas of rights which Egypt can speak for." Through its previous experience with the UNCHR, Egypt spoke up for the rights of development and cultural preservation. Egypt too, Egyptian diplomats stress, was an outspoken member of the UNCHR on the rights of individuals under occupation, especially in relation to the status of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Egyptian diplomats in Geneva, the seat of the UNHRC, say Egypt was one of the countries that lobbied hard during the formation period of the new body to keep issues related to the Palestinian status under occupation on the agenda. "It is an open secret that the US and Israel, who were both opposed to the establishment of the UNHRC, wanted to take these issues off the agenda. But we worked with several supportive Arab, Muslim and other Non- Aligned Movement countries to oppose this motion that was presented on behalf of the US and Israel by some UNHRC member states," said a Geneva-based Egyptian diplomat who requested anonymity. As it joins other member states for the sixth session of the UNHRC in autumn, Egypt seems determined to pursue this matter further. Egyptian officials indicate a governmental willingness to cooperate with Egyptian human rights non-governmental organisations on the matter. They say they are willing to cooperate even with organisations which were opposed to Egypt's membership on the basis of what they perceived as poor performance on civil and political rights in the country. According to Abdel-Fattah, as a member of the UNHRC, Egypt is already committed to coordinate closely with the concerned national NGOs and to take into consideration the concerns voiced by international NGOs. "We have already started a process of reforms that includes a clear human rights component and we are committed to this process," Abdel-Fattah said. However, he added that whatever human rights measures will be pursued by Egypt, they must be consistent with the common values of the Egyptian society, "not Western society". In addition to their tendency to project the violations of civil liberties in Egypt as "a worldwide phenomenon found everywhere, even in the US", Egyptian officials insist there is a ceiling to how far the government would go in accommodating the Western connotations of human rights. "Egypt cannot allow homosexuality or sexual liberties for teenagers under the pretext of promoting human rights because even if there are some groups that advocate these rights the vast majority of society is simply and strictly opposed to these Western values," a government official said. According to government sources, throughout its three-year membership of the UNHRC Egypt will seek to promote three main initiatives. The first is related to the prevention of religion defamation. "We are talking about all religions without any exception. And there will be no reference to any particular religion in the proposal that we intend to present to the UNHRC," said one government source. A second initiative that Egypt is planning to adopt is related to the promotion of the concepts and treaties of international humanitarian law, especially in relation to individuals under occupation and in contexts of armed conflicts. "The international community has been showing considerable concern with international law but very little attention to the huge violations of international humanitarian law," commented the government source. The third initiative that Egypt is to lobby for while seated on the UNHRC is related to socio-economic rights. Egypt, officials say, is uncomfortable with the limited support demonstrated to basic rights such as the right of development. Through its membership of the UNHRC, it wishes to bring more awareness of the vitality of such rights to individuals living in developing and underdeveloped countries. In press statements made to mark Egypt's election to the UNHRC, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, chairman of the semi-official National Council for Human Rights, expressed optimism that the selection would encourage a better promotion of the values and practices of human rights in Egypt.
