Egypt Watch

The Egyptian government imposes more restrictions on NGOs’ fundraising

The Ministry of Social Solidarity has decided to ban the collection of cash or in-kind donations for the benefit of NGOs through the use of electronic platforms or social networking sites, except after applying for a specific permit from the Ministry.

The Ministry obligated the natural or legal persons wishing to collect donations to apply for a permit, provided that the application states the purpose of compiling money and the estimated disbursement plan for the donations to be collected.

The statement added that organizing fundraising operations is in line with the governance rules that the Ministry envisions in preserving public money and rationalizing expenditures. In 2019, 25 Egyptian human rights organizations issued a joint statement declaring their absolute rejection of the new Civil Work Law, considering its aim is to nationalize civil work by placing arbitrary restrictions on collecting donations. The law prohibits collecting donations or obtaining funds from abroad without getting a permit from the Ministry of Social Solidarity when civil society and human rights organizations suffer from a lack of funding to carry out their activities.