UN High Commissioner praises steps taken by President Sisi to advance human rights file in Egypt

CAIRO – 9 June 2022: “We appreciate the positive steps taken by President Sisi to advance the human rights file, including the launch of the first national human rights strategy and the declaration of 2022 as the year of civil society, then his call for a societal dialogue,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday.

Ms. Michelle Bachelet’s praise came during her meeting with Ambassador Mushira Khattab, the new president of the National Council for Human Rights and Ambassador Mahmoud Karem, the vice president of the council, said the Egyptian council in a statement.

Bachelet congratulated Khattab on assuming the position of president of the council, to be the first woman to occupy this position, and praised her internationally recognized expertise, the statement added.

Bachelet also commended the cooperation between the OHCHR and the National Council for Human Rights and their partnership in holding joint seminars on sustainable development as well as holding an extensive human rights conference, in which all Arab national institutions participated.

Furthermore, she expressed the commission's readiness to support the council in all its activities as well as in the areas of technical cooperation and providing support for the civil society.

Khattab explained the human rights approach as President Sisi raises the bar of civil and political rights, and implements a decent life program that translates economic, social and cultural rights into actions on the ground in the most deprivileged areas.

She added that the council has drawn up a national action plan to implement the strategy within the framework of cooperation with the European Union and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, within a specific time frame, the statement added.

The president of the council also discussed the council's committees’ efforts to prepare work plans for the national dialogue, from a human rights perspective, in a way that supports the Egyptian state's approach in this file, the statement continued.

At the end of the meeting, Khattab invited Bachelet to visit Egypt and the National Council for Human Rights, an invitation that was welcomed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the statement concluded.