One of Egypt’s foremost feminist legal organizations has warned that repeated rejections by the Ministry of Social Solidarity could force it to shut down programs that serve thousands of women in crisis.
Seham Ali, a senior attorney and executive director at the Center for Egyptian Women Legal Assistance, told Al Manassa that since early 2025, the ministry has blocked several development projects—despite their focus on “poor and abused women—who make up 70% of beneficiaries—and vulnerable men accounting for the remaining 30%.”
“The refusals are arbitrary and keep happening,” Ali said. “We’re not given any explanation—just a rejection.”
In a Facebook post on Sunday, CEWLA said it had sent formal appeals to the president and cabinet after the ministry rejected three feminist, legal, and development proposals aimed at empowering women and girls. A fourth project was stalled so long that the donor withdrew its funding.
“We’ve followed every regulation,” Seham added. “We cannot legally accept a single pound from a donor unless the ministry approves it.”
In its statement, CEWLA said the ministry’s behavior violated Law 149 of 2019 on Civil Associations, citing how officials miscalculate the legally mandated approval window.
According to CEWLA, the ministry uses a broad interpretation of the law—counting 60 business days from when the proposal reaches the central office, not the date it was submitted to the local department. Each request for clarification resets the timeline.
Article 32 of Executive Decree 104/2021, which implements Law 149, requires prior government approval before any association may partner with foreign organizations. That approval must come within 60 days.
Ali said the opaque rejections are already jeopardizing operations. “Soon we won’t even make payroll—let alone reach the women who count on us,” she said.
She estimated that the rejected projects would have helped roughly 10,000 women, providing legal aid, psychosocial services, and community awareness.
“We filed internal appeals,” Ali said. “No one ever responds.”
CEWLA also said the blocked initiatives align with Egypt’s National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, which explicitly calls for civil society engagement in implementation.
When contacted by Al Manassa, Mohamed El-Okaby, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Solidarity, said the matter was under review. He did not respond to further inquiries before publication.
CEWLA’s statement came just days after Amnesty International urged Egypt to revise its NGO law, warning that sweeping restrictions on independent civil society groups violate fundamental freedoms and threaten to extinguish civic space.
Amnesty stressed that international law demands any limits on civil associations be “precisely defined, strictly necessary, and proportionate.” It urged the government to replace its current approval regime with a simple notification process, end national security interference, and eliminate arbitrary funding blocks.
In its report, Amnesty notes that Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity, through its Central Unit for Associations and Civic Work, enforces licensing procedures that contradict both international law and Egypt’s constitution, which grants NGOs legal recognition upon notification. These rules allow the state to block registration, freeze funding, interfere with boards, and even remove members.
The current NGO law has faced withering criticism since its passage. In 2019, 10 leading human rights groups condemned it as a cosmetic revision of the draconian Law 70 of 2017.
Critics argue that the law empowers security agencies to micromanage NGO operations and criminalizes noncompliance with fines of up to 500,000 Egyptian pounds.
