Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ability of non-governmental organisations to operate freely in Egypt and the restrictions they face; and when and at what levels that issue was last raised by UK officials with their Egyptian counterparts.

The UK is deeply concerned over the ability of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate freely in Egypt. Ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights concerns with Egyptian authorities; this includes restrictions on civil society. I raised these issues with Egyptian counterparts during my visit to Cairo in August 2017. The UK also raised concerns about restrictions on civil society and media freedoms in Egypt at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017.

The UK believes that respect for individual and civil rights in Egypt is fundamental to Egyptian stability and prosperity and we will continue to urge Egypt to reduce restrictions on NGOs operating in the country, both in bilateral and multilateral fora.