In search of the civil

'Civil society in the future' was the theme of a two day-conference held this week. It was unclear whose future was being debated, writes Mariz Tadros
A banner at the Ramses Hilton proudly announced the theme of a conference being held there under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Affairs, and organised by the NGO Service Centre. "Civil society in the future," it read. The legitimacy of that title, however, was promptly questioned by the participants at Sunday's opening session. Mustafa Tolba, former consultant to the UN environmental programme, quipped that the title should be modified to "NGOs in the future," given that civil society at large was not represented. He was right. There were no representatives of political parties, intellectuals (except a very few), workers or farmers.
Even amongst the NGOs, there seemed to be a predominance of business people's associations and environmental NGOs. The range of organisations attending was too narrow, which was a pity. In many ways, the debate was stifled before it even began.
A rapid consensus was reached on the relationship between government and non-governmental agencies. Minister of Social Affairs and Insurance Amina El-Guindi told delegates that she saw the relationship between government, the private sector and the NGOs as a complementary one. The government, she said, felt that economic reform must go hand in hand with social reform in health care, education, assistance to low income families and women's issues. NGOs and the private sector are partners with the government in social development, said the minister. The ministry is seeking to empower NGOs to play a more active role, she said.
The NGOs, it seems, agree with the government on this. Tolba and others spoke about a synchronisation of efforts between the government and the NGO sector. And like El-Guindi, many other participants were at pains to describe the relationship between the government and the NGOs as complementary, rather than confrontational. "We are with the government and not in conflict with it," said a representative of an association for the development of micro- enterprises in Sohag. NGOs should concentrate on service provision, he said, rather than antagonising the government.
The conference was not without its tensions, however. Several delegates urged NGOs to take up advocacy: attempting to bring about change through influencing decision-makers. At the moment, NGOs -- those involved with business, charity and development alike -- are weary of "advocacy" and its implications for their relationship with the authorities.
A senior official from the NGO Service Centre, who wished to remain anonymous, said he did not see there being a conflict between advocacy and maintaining cordial relations with the government. The NGO Service Centre, a five-year project funded by USAID, provides technical assistance to NGOs on topics including advocacy. "Advocacy is about building your constituency around citizens' interests, about helping people express their needs; this is not politics, it is development," he said. There is a fine line, however, between advocacy and being seen as politically active. While the government does pay lip service to encouraging advocacy organisations, the waters remain untested for NGOs. No one yet knows how far they can go before being accused of violating the law by engaging in political activities.
Indeed, NGOs are not always seen as sufficiently autonomous from the government to engage in advocacy. According to Mohamed El-Sayed Said, a human rights activist and deputy director of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, the line between government and civil society is fuzzy at best. According to Said, there is no real civil space in which a civil society independent from the state can thrive in Egypt. Civil institutions and organisations that enjoy full political and economic autonomy do not exist in Egypt, a problem which he attributed to the "modernity trap."
"In societies that are undemocratic and pre-industrial such as Egypt, traditional groupings and institutions, such as rural associations and craftsmen's guilds, have collapsed when faced with modernity," he said. In the transition to an industrial society, modern civil organisations such as political parties, trade unions and NGOs have failed to take over from older institutions.
Nabil Abdel-Fattah, a researcher at the Al-Ahram Centre and a civil society specialist, also believes that official policy is tilted towards policing NGOs rather than promoting them. However, he finds hope in the potential for NGOs using legal channels to win rights and challenge established policies. A prime example of that, according to Abdel-Fattah, is the appeal filed by a small NGO with the Court of First Instance in Tanta against NGO Law 153. The matter was later referred to the Supreme Constitutional Court which declared Law 153 unconstitutional.
Abdel-Fattah warned that the full implications of the 11 September attacks against New York and Washington have not yet been realised, and they are bound to affect civil society and political forces across the region. He expressed concern that US policies in Afghanistan might have an impact on voluntary initiatives in the West, which would have a knock- on effect on the funding and support given to parallel voluntary organisations in the South, including Egypt. Abdel-Fattah also identified a need for new NGOs and centres for the promotion of a Christian-Muslim dialogue.
The underlying theme of the conference was that building up the capabilities of NGOs would have an impact on civic culture; this, in turn, would encourage NGOs to reappraise their role in civil society. Whether such predictions will be borne out remains to be seen.
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