Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli delivered a virtual address on behalf of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi at the 33rd African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Forum, highlighting Egypt's commitment to good governance, human rights, and economic reforms. The forum, held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, focused on peer-to-peer reviews of member states' governance practices. It was attended by Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and a number of African heads of state. In his address, Madbouli emphasized Egypt's commitment to implementing the recommendations from its 2020 review and highlighted the country's progress in various areas. He highlighted the most important elements of the report, stating that in the area of political governance, Egypt has continued its efforts to strengthen democracy and governance in accordance with its national priorities and its obligations under regional and international agreements. This includes enacting legislation and implementing policies aimed at promoting human rights, empowering women and youth, and supporting the role of civil society. Madbouli added that Egypt was keen to complete the elections of the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2020, despite the circumstances imposed by the pandemic. The presidential elections were also held in December 2023, with follow-up from the media, civil society, and international and regional organizations. He noted that the turnout in those elections was high, with a voter turnout of 66.8%. In order to achieve community participation in discussing the priorities and issues of national work, the "National Dialogue Initiative" was launched with the participation of representatives of political parties, trade unions, and civil society organizations. The aim of the initiative is to develop recommendations related to Egypt's path towards building the "New Republic". Madbouli stressed that the Egyptian state has worked to implement the "National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030" to ensure their right to education and public services, as well as to hold senior positions in the government and the private sector. He added that as for youth empowerment, their representation in the House of Representatives has reached 32.6% of the total members. The government has also been keen to continue its policy of appointing young people to senior positions. Madbouli pointed out that Egypt organized the third edition of the "World Youth Forum" in 2022, with the participation of young people from Egypt, African sister countries, and the rest of the world. The forum provided a platform for young people to express their opinions and recommendations on issues of development and peace. The Prime Minister noted that the state has continued to strengthen the role of civil society, including declaring 2022 as the "Year of Civil Society" to emphasize the importance of its contribution to achieving sustainable development and participating in spreading the culture of human rights and providing services to the community. Madbouli said that Egypt has adopted a comprehensive and integrated approach to combating terrorism, based on the security and development dimensions. This approach has resulted in a decline in terrorist operations, and the lifting of the state of emergency was a clear message that the country is safe and free of terrorism. The Egyptian government has also been keen to review and strengthen the legislation related to combating terrorism and to enhance regional and international cooperation to confront this phenomenon that causes suffering to people. Madbouli added that Egypt launched the "National Human Rights Strategy 2021-2026" to promote human rights in its comprehensive concept. The strategy is being implemented on four main axes: civil and political rights, economic and social rights, the rights of women, youth, and children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, in addition to education and capacity building. He added that Egypt has established the "National Coordinating Committee to Combat Illegal Immigration and Human Trafficking" and is implementing a national strategy in this field to protect the most vulnerable groups from exploitation. Moving on to the area of economic governance, the Prime Minister explained that Egypt has begun implementing the second phase of economic reforms (2021-2024) to continue moving towards a diversified and competitive economy that can absorb external shocks.
