The National Council for Human Rights receives the delegation of the Belgian Student Association "Conference Olivant"

Ambassador Moushira Khattab, President of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), received the delegation of the Belgian Student Association "Conference Olivant", which includes 27 students and supervisors, as part of a week-long study visit to Egypt to learn about the overall situation here, including the human rights situation.

Khattab welcomed the visiting delegation and expressed her appreciation for the mission of the Oliphant Conference Foundation, which is based on an advanced vision and its motto is "Teaching governance today, Nurturing leaders of tomorrow" in order to enable young people to participate in the public, life of a democratic society. She added that the NCHR pays special attention to youth, as it has conducted in-depth dialogues with the youth of ten Egyptian universities, whose number has reached six thousand and five hundred students, so far, with the aim of forming a culture of respect for human rights and providing them with information that enables them to spread this culture.

It also dealt with the establishment of NCHR, the law establishing it and its jurisdiction, and that NCHR has enjoyed an “A” classification since its inception by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, and the Sub-Committee on Accreditation of the Global Alliance of Independent National Institutions for Human Rights, and reviewed the activities of NCHR and the challenges it faces.

The ambassador held an open dialogue with visiting students, who showed great interest in various issues related to human rights at the global level, as well as the Middle East and North Africa, including Egypt. Khattab emphasized the development that Egypt is witnessing in the field of human rights, the achievements made in the field of women's rights and religious freedoms, and the qualitative shift in society's awareness of these rights, in which conviction has become firmly established and cannot be reversed. She also clarified NCHR role in the National Dialogue and cooperation with the Presidential Pardon Committee, and reviewed the current societal dialogue regarding the Personal Status Law and the President's pledge not to sign a law that does not do justice to women. It dealt with NCHR participation in the parliamentary debate to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure, the role of NCHR in spreading the culture of human rights throughout the Republic, and the importance of education to confront dangerous phenomena such as population increase and child labor. She said that there are still challenges ahead, confirming that there are plans to deal with them.

Ambassador Mahmoud Karem, Vice President of NCHR, participated in the interview, and presented the organization of NCHR and its committees. Ambassador Karem called on the delegation not to rely on unreliable sources to follow up on what is happening in Egypt.

The supervisor of the Belgian delegation explained that this student organization was established since 1954, and that it is the only one in Belgium that operates in two official languages (Dutch and French) and that it aims to educate its members for public work, and expressed his appreciation for the dialogue and objectivity in the discussion.

At the end of the meeting, the President of NCHR conveyed a message to the delegation that it is important to pay attention to follow-up with what is happening in Egypt objectively, and to scrutinize and pay attention to the positive achievements, and to distance yourselves from incitement  or condescension. She advised to appreciate what is being achieved step by step in the field of human rights in particular taking in consideration that all countries of the world are experiencing economic crises, epidemics, wars and climate changes that have greatly affected financial and human resources