The government has charged Justice Minister Mohamed al-Guindi with the formation of a fact-finding committee to examine the direct foreign funding of non-governmental organizations and unlicensed international organizations operating in Egypt.
In a press statement on Tuesday, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abouelnaga said that the committee would be tasked with compiling a detailed report over the amount of aid given.
Abouelnaga went on to say that the government's decision came in response to Egyptian public opinion, which rejects such funding and considers it interference in the nation’s internal affairs.
She further explained that the committee will unveil its recommendations within three weeks, and that they will include the uses of and conditions attached to these grants.
“The Egyptian government fully supports any measures which reinforce the role and activities of civil society, as long as they comply with the regulations managing that process,” said Abouelnaga.
Abouelnaga previously criticized the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) after it had published advertisements for pro-democracy grants in Egyptian newspapers.
Last week, Minister of Solidarity and Social Justice Gouda Abdel Khaleq said that the US has violated Egypt’s sovereignty by offering funding to Egyptian civil institutions, organizations and associations without properly consulting the government.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
