Podium about the situation in Egypt,
in collaboration with COP Civic Space
November 5, 16:30–18:00 CET
Online

This year, the UN global climate conference COP is taking place in Egypt – a country described by local and exiled activists, as well as NGOs as one of the most repressive regimes in the world. Through surveillance, intimidation and arbitrary arrests and detention, it has been trying for years to break any serious opposition. The COP27 is now being used by this very regime to put itself in the best light before an international audience, while still suppressing any criticism or any movement towards civic freedoms in Egyptian civil society.

It’s essential to take a clear stance here. To disregard the civil society struggles in Egypt as “extraneous” to the climate negotiations during the COP would be a fatal mistake. Instead, we should *especially* during this climate conference take a closer look and point out the connections: There can be no climate justice if political freedoms are systematically and violently taken away, indigenous populations are suppressed and displaced, and refugees are imprisoned, exploited and pushed back.

Topics

In this information event we will look at the situation in Egypt from different perspectives. With inputs on

• the general situation of Egypt’s civic space
• the situation of Sinai residents and indigenous people, where the COP27 will take place
• the situation of refugees and migrants in Egypt

Speakers

• Yasmin Omar (she/her), International human rights lawyer, UN and Regional Mechanisms Manager at the Committee for Justice (CFJ).
• Ahmed Salem, co-founder and executive director of Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
• Nour Khalil (he/him), Human Rights Defender, Lawyer, Researcher, specialized Consultant in immigration and asylum policies and issues, and Executive Director of the Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE)

Language

The event will take place in English and Arabic with simultaneous translation into German.