The Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs refused to give permission to eight American NGOs to work in Egypt.
In statements to MENA, an official source from the ministry said that after scrutinizing the mechanisms the NGOs would employ to carry out their activities it was found out that they would infringe on Egypt’s sovereignty.
One of the NGOs is the Carter Center, which was seeking to deploy observers to monitor the presidential election and assess preparations in the leadup to the vote. The NGO was also planning to assess the effectiveness of election awareness campaigns and then issue periodical reports and share results with concerned Egyptian and international parties.
The NGO also planned to oversee the steps that follow the election, including the handling of complaints and disputes.
The list of rejected NGOs includes, among others, an organization which seeks to improve the image of Arabs and to achieve peaceful settlement of international issues.
He added that they also include the Seeds of Peace Organization and the Coptic Orphans Organization, which seeks to help orphans at more than 35 churches across Egypt.
Another American organization, Latter-Day Saints Charities, was also rejected. The charity seeks to provide relief services to fund water projects and provide services in the fields of agriculture and sanitary drainage as well as training for doctors.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
