The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched on Wednesday, Egypt's national report on combating terrorism for 2022 in Arabic and English. The report reviews the efforts of the Egyptian state and its comprehensive approach to combating terrorism and extremist ideology. It was prepared in coordination with the various ministries and state agencies concerned, in a way that highlights the efforts of those bodies in countering terrorist threats, and the relevant national policies and practices. Minister Plenipotentiary Mohamed Fouad, director of the International Counter-Terrorism Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the report provides a detailed presentation of the axes of the comprehensive approach followed by Egypt to deal with the various dimensions of the phenomena of terrorism and extremism, especially with regard to addressing the roots of these two problems.
The report also reviews the Prevention of terrorism and the efforts made to immunize society, especially the youth, from falling behind the claims of extremism, in addition to policies aimed at strengthening national capacities to combat terrorism and extremism.
He also explained that the report reviews the efforts exerted by the concerned state bodies in accordance with the four pillars of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Fouad pointed out that the pillars include measures aimed at addressing the conditions conducive to terrorism, counter-terrorism and prevention measures, measures aimed at building national capacities in the field of counter-terrorism and Prevention and strengthening the role of the UN system in this regard, and measures aimed at ensuring respect for Human Rights and the rule of law as a necessity to combat terrorism. He also noted that the report reviews the legislative system to combat terrorism, including national legislation and its amendments that are consistent with Egypt's relevant international and regional obligations. It also includes the pioneering Egyptian experience in the field of awareness-raising and Prevention of extremist and inflammatory thought, which is based on the initiative launched by the president in 2014 to correct religious discourse, based on the conviction that intellectual confrontation must be given the necessary attention to immunize segments of society, especially young people, from the dangers of intellectual polarization. Fouad added that the report also presents the security efforts exerted to pursue terrorist organizations and undermine their ability to carry out operations that affect the security and stability of the homeland. "The report also presents the efforts to combat the financing of terrorism and the drying up of its sources, in addition to the achievements made in terms of advancing development rates and raising the standard of living of citizens, taking into account the importance of the development dimension in the Prevention of terrorism and extremism," he said. These efforts, which included all the governorates, contributed to the development of various sectors, especially the development of informal areas, public services, health, education and transport, in addition to providing means of support and care for the families of martyrs and injured of terrorist operations. He also noted that the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology and their prevention is one of the priorities of Egyptian diplomacy, where Egypt plays a prominent role in strengthening the international system for combating terrorism.
In this regard, Egypt was chosen in April 2022 – with the European Union – to co-chair the global forum for combating terrorism, which is considered one of the most important international mechanisms for the development of the value system for combating terrorism and extremism.
