The Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF) participated in a roundtable entitled “Towards a Comprehensive National Framework to Combat Discrimination in Egypt,” organised by Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and with support from the European Union. The roundtable was held in Cairo on 14–15 April 2026.
EHRF was represented by its President, Dr Moataz El Fegiery, who joined remotely as a speaker in the fourth session of the first day, dedicated to discussing the contributions of civil society organisations to combating discrimination in Egypt. The meeting brought together representatives of government bodies, national councils, civil society organisations and international experts.
In his intervention, El Fegiery stressed that no credible national framework for combating discrimination can be separated from the broader environment for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Egypt. He called for the safe return of human rights defenders and activists living in exile, the resolution of the legal cases brought against them, and an end to punitive measures linked to their peaceful exercise of fundamental rights.
He also emphasised the need to guarantee the independence of human rights organisations and enable them to operate freely and safely. Independent civil society organisations, he noted, are essential to documenting patterns of discrimination, supporting victims, and providing the legal and technical expertise required by an anti-discrimination commission and other national human rights institutions.
El Fegiery further underlined that establishing an independent anti-discrimination commission, as required under Article 53 of the Egyptian Constitution, must go beyond the creation of another formal institution. The commission should be founded on clear guarantees of independence, transparency, pluralism and accountability, and should have meaningful powers to receive and investigate complaints, protect victims, provide effective remedies and hold those responsible for discriminatory practices accountable.
He highlighted the importance of ensuring the genuine participation of civil society organisations and communities affected by discrimination in drafting the legislation and policies governing the commission. He also called for the adoption of a comprehensive definition of discrimination that covers direct, indirect, multiple and intersectional discrimination and provides effective protection to all groups without exception.
El Fegiery concluded by stressing that combating discrimination requires comprehensive legislative and institutional reform, alongside genuine political will to uphold the rule of law, safeguard the independence of national institutions, protect civic space and provide effective remedies to victims. He cautioned against reducing the process to formal or procedural measures that fail to address the structural causes of discrimination in Egypt.
