Dear Members of the GANHRI Sub-Committee on Accreditation,
Dear Members of the GANHRI Bureau,
Dear Members of the GANHRI Bureau,
We, the undersigned human rights organizations wish to express our deep concern regarding several procedural and substantive shortcomings observed during the 2025 accreditation review of Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights (NCHR). While we recognize the importance of constructive engagement with National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), we believe that the outcome of the 2025 review does not adequately reflect the NCHR’s level of compliance with the Paris Principles, nor does it adequately assess the NCHR’s performance in responding to the human rights challenges prevailing in Egypt.
Our Requests to GANHRI and the SCA:
- The SCA to initiate a structured follow-up process with clear benchmarks that the NCHR must meet within a specific timeframe.
- GANHRI to publish a justification underlying the 2025 accreditation decision, including the draft law submitted by the NCHR.
- The SCA to reaffirm the principle that accreditation must be evidence-based, grounded in performance and compliance —not unverified commitments and hypothetical reforms.
- A Special Review should be considered in 2026 if legislative reforms are not enacted or if there is no measurable improvement in the NCHR’s independence and effectiveness.
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Civil society be afforded the opportunity to provide input into any follow-up review or special review procedure concerning Egypt.
We urge the SCA and GANHRI to address the concerns outlined in the attached letter through transparent follow-up, clear benchmarks, and evidence-based assessment.
We remain available to provide further information or clarification should this be of assistance in any subsequent review or follow-up process.
Yours sincerely,
- Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies (AITAS)
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
- Committee for Justice (CFJ)
- Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF)
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
- El Nadeem Centre
- Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF)
- EgyptWide for Human Rights
- EuroMed Rights Network
- HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement (HuMena)
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF)
- Mena Rights Group
- REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression
- Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
