Annual Report of The National Council for Human Rights

Chapter One - Cont.

Egypt's role in the Establishment of International and Regional
Legitimacy of Human Rights Principles

Third: Egypt's role in the Establishment of the Regional Legitimacy of Human Rights Principles

Egypt's efforts and participation have not been confined to its endeavours to establish international legitimacy for the principles of human rights at the international level through the United Nations, but it has strived in its national struggle to establish and consolidate the regional groupings to which it belongs at the African and Arab levels.
Egypt has supported the establishment of the Arab League as a regional community for the Arab states. Egypt also supported the creation of the Organization of African Unity as an African community of states. Egypt has effectively participated in proposing, drafting and endorsing African and Arab charters relating to human rights and has set out to adopt them.
Egypt has adopted the following regional conventions:

1- Organization of African Unity's Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, 1969.

Egypt adopted the Convention according to Presidential Decree no. 332 of 1980, issued on 28 June 1980. It was published in the Egyptian Official Gazette, Issue no. 20, of 20 May 1982.

2- African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, 1980.

Egypt adopted the Charter according to Presidential Decree no. 77 of 27 February 1984. The Charter was published in the Egyptian Official Gazette, Issue no. 17, of 23 April 1992, and was implemented as of 21 October 1986.
Egypt had reservations on Article (8) and Article (18-3), holding that their application would be subject to the Islamic Shari'a, and that Egypt's interpretation of Article (9.1) is that its provisions shall be confined to the information permitted to be acquired under Egyptian laws and regulations.

3- The Charter on the Rights of the Arab Child of the League of Arab States, 1983.

Egypt adopted the Charter according to Presidential Decree no. 365 of 1993, without any reservations. It was published in the Egyptian Official Gazette, Issue no. 11, of 7 March 1994, and was implemented as of 11 January 1994, which is the day of the deposit of the ratification document in application of the provisions of Article 51 thereof.

4- African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990.

Egypt adopted the Charter according to Presidential Decree no. 33 of 2001. It was published in the Egyptian Official Gazette, issue no. 44, of 28 October 2004, and was implemented as of 22 May 2001.
These efforts reflect Egypt's keenness to promote regional groupings and support their activities that relate to the promotion of human rights and the establishment of protection mechanisms therefore.