President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Monday with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry who presented to the president the first report of the National Strategy for Human Rights. President Al-Sisi stressed the need to continue embracing human rights and freedoms in Egypt in their comprehensive sense, in accordance with the Egyptian Constitution and international obligations. He directed the government to omit all obstacles facing the Supreme Standing Committee for Human Rights (SSCHR) to fully implement the National Strategy for Human Rights. Presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi said the foreign minister highlighted the efforts of the authorities involved in the report. The report included the most important national efforts to implement the National Strategy for Human Rights 2021-2026, focusing on its most important achievements until August 2022. The Minister pointed out that the report also addressed the initiatives and decisions of the president and their impact on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. These include the abolition of the state of emergency, the launch of a comprehensive national political dialogue, the reactivation of the presidential pardon commission, the declaration of 2022 as the year of civil society, and the promotion of women's access to judicial positions in the State Council and the Public Prosecutor's Office for the first time. "These initiatives and decisions came to strengthen public freedoms, especially freedom of opinion and expression, participation in political and public life, and to consolidate the values of democracy, the rule of law and Human Rights," the report said. The Foreign Minister also explained that the experience of the first year in the implementation of the National Strategy for Human Rights confirmed that the close interconnection between the efforts to promote and protect human rights and the "Sustainable Development Strategy in Egypt's vision 2030 is an essential guarantee for their success together and for achieving a comprehensive impact that improves the conditions of citizens and their rights. All this comes in line with the progress achieved in the implementation of major national initiatives and projects in the fields of infrastructure development, localization of industry and energy, achieving water and food security, the establishment of modern urban agglomerations, and others. The president also directed the need to continue cooperation between the committee and various government agencies, civil society organizations and specialized national councils to strengthen efforts related to human rights in Egypt within the framework of a constructive participatory approach. Furthermore, Al-Sisi directed to continue the dialogue with states, international and regional organizations, and UN bodies concerned with human rights issues to benefit from the best experiences and practices in this regard, focusing on the implementation of all the targeted results of the strategy in its five axes equally to ensure a qualitative leap in the overall climate of rights and freedoms in Egypt. Additionally, he directed continuous capacity-building efforts for all employees of the various state agencies, spreading the culture of human rights, raising awareness of the provisions of the Constitution and national laws, as well as Egypt's international obligations in the field of human rights and the rights and duties of each individual. He welcomed the level of progress achieved in the course of institutional development, which resulted in the establishment of human rights units in various state agencies. The president stressed the need to make further progress in the path of legislative development and to decide on the legislative amendments submitted by the committee in a way that contributes to strengthening the Egyptian legislative structure and aligning it with Egypt's international obligations.
