CAIRO: According to a Ministry of Planning International Cooperation (MPIC) press statement on July 12, Faiza Abou el-Naga, the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, directed the ministry of justice to form a commission to examine direct foreign funding of civil society projects in Egypt. The Ministry of Justice commission has no more than three weeks to investigate and submit a detailed report to the MPIC listing the amounts and intended purposes of direct foreign funding payments or grants received by Egyptian civil society organizations as well as both registered and unregistered international organizations operating in Egypt. The Cabinet's decision to launch this investigation comes from the fact that “Egyptian public opinion rejects such funding, as it is considered interference in Egyptian domestic affairs,” according to Abou el-Naga. This new task comes at a time when the Ministry of Justice is already facing tough criticism for delaying and postponing trials of Mubarak era officials and individuals accused of killing protesters, not to mention last week's acquittals. Protesters reoccupied Midan Tahrir last Friday and remain there today, expressing their discontent with how slowly the transitional government seems to be responding to the demands of the revolution. This is not the first time Minister Abou el-Naga has expressed disquiet about foreign funding for civil society organizations, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) came under fire after running advertisements for pro-democracy grants in Egyptian newspapers. Further, a series of leaked diplomatic cables quoted by the Herald-Sun reveal that Minister Abou el-Naga sent a letter to the American Embassy in Cario in February 2008, asking USAID to cease funding 10 separate organizations that were not registered as NGOs. In an October 2008 cable, Gamal Mubarak is quoted as being “irritable about direct US democracy and governance funding of Egyptian NGOs.” And just last week, Gouda Abdel Khaleq, the Minister of Solidarity and Social Justice, described US funding for Egyptian civil society projects as a violation of Egypt's sovereignty, reported Al-Masry Al-Youm. Interestingly enough, despite heavy criticism from Egyptian officials for various USAID initiatives in Egypt, a 2009 audit by the Inspector General of USAID's effectiveness in Egypt found that the organization had only achieved “limited results.” In fact,USAID reported that it had met only 52 percent of its goals in 2008. Even more striking: “the impact of USAID/Egypt's democracy and governance programs was unnoticeable in indexes describing the country's democratic environment.” The report cited the “restrictive political environment” and “reluctance” by the Egyptian government as major stumbling blocks to achieving its stated democracy and civil society goals. Between 1999 and 2009 USAID provided an average of $24 million dollars each year to promote democracy and governance programs. But USAID is not the only point of contention; both foreign and Egyptian commentators have criticized the Egyptian government's heavy-handed treatment of civil society organizations. Egypt's NGO law is internationally notorious for allowing excessive government interference and oversight, its odious registration and appeals processes, and often arbitrary or vague application. According to the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL), Law 84 of 2002, which lays out the process for NGOs to register with the government and then legally exist, grants the Ministry of Social Solidarity “enormous” oversight authority. The Ministry has the power approve or deny foreign funding, and can deny registration or dissolve an NGO on “overly vague” grounds. Prominent Editor Ibrahim Eissa pointed out that the Egyptian government has not exercised the same level of scrutiny when dealing with sources of funding for Islamic civil organizations and parties. “Unlike US officials or European ones who are obliged to disclose details of donations, grants and loans to foreign entities, the Gulf countries manipulate their populations' resources without any checks and balances,” he said on Fil Midan. BM
