Egypt to undergo first peer review mechanism process

The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has indicated his country’s readiness to undertake its first African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process.This came about during a courtesy call by the APRM Support Mission led by the APR Panel of Eminent Persons Vice-Chairperson, Professor Ibrahim Gambari to Fattah el-Sisi at the state house.

“The Arab Republic of Egypt is ready to demonstrate to the world its commitment towards good governance. We will open ourselves to the APRM process without interference and will maintain the integrity of the process. We pledge our utmost assurance and support to the peer review process. We hope the resultant Country Report is objective and reflects the realities in Egypt”, said President Fattah el-Sisi.

The Egyptian president was passionate in his expression that development on the African continent has to be underscored by good governance. He further emphasized that good governance is the cornerstone for development of the continent. He spoke of various initiatives within the different spheres of Egyptian public service to strengthen good governance and to build the capacity of public officials.

Professor Gambari said Egypt’s preparedness to open itself up to the peer review process is a significant step towards encouraging other countries in the North Africa region to follow suite in either acceding to the APRM or submitting themselves for the review process.

“Egypt is a very strategic country in the region. Being the host of the League of Arab States and submitting itself for review sends out a clear message of its commitment to good governance and improving the lives of the Egyptian people. I therefore encourage all stakeholders who will be involved in the Support Mission to engage in frank and progressive dialogues,” alluded the Panel Vice-chair.

Gambari further pledged that the APRM will provide the country with all the support it needs during the review process, especially given that Egypt will be the first country to pilot the use of the electronic questionnaire in its APRM process.

The Support Mission is expected to consult with various stakeholders including the Egyptian Prime Minister as well as government ministers, president of the national governing council, private sector actors, civil society structures and further provide training to Technical Research Institutions (TRI’s). The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Sameh Shoukrya and APRM representatives.Egypt acceded to the APRM in March 2004, while the Support Mission concluded on March 6, 2018.