Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced 2022 Year of Civil Society as he launched on Saturday the National Strategy for Human Rights.
In a speech at the launch of the strategy from the New Administrative Capital, El-Sisi urged the civil society to "continue working hard side by side with the state institutions to achieve sustainable development in all fields."
He also urged the civil society sector to cooperate with the state institutions to "spread awareness of the human rights culture and to contribute to achieving the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
El-Sisi hailed the role of the civil society as "key and important in enhancing and protecting human rights at the political, economic and social levels."
He added that the civil society organizations contribute to "spreading awareness of human rights in society and the culture of volunteer work and efforts to combat extremism and trends against the values of our Egyptian society."
"There is no doubt that the contributions and achievements of the civil society are clear, and its partnership with the state is indispensable," El-Sisi said.
He added that he, hence, had directed the government to reconsider the earlier civil society law, and therefore, a new law was issued.
El-Sisi said the new law, which came into force earlier this year, has included facilitations and guarantees that enhance civil work after a societal dialogue involving 1,300 Egyptian and foreign NGOs was conducted.
El-Sisi said the Egyptian state is committed to respecting and protecting personal freedoms, the right of political participation, the freedom of expression and the right of the formation of civil society organizations.
He added that Egypt welcomes differences in opinions as long as they respect the freedoms of others and aim, through constructive criticism, to achieve the better for the country and people.
During a roundtable discussion on the new strategy at the event, the President cautioned against the consequences of people imposing their opinions on others.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
