The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) attended this event organised by APPG Egypt. The event was chaired by Lord Marlesford and featured the following speakers:

• Dr Leyla Takla, Egyptian politician and chair of International Affairs Committee at the National Council of Human Rights. (“LT”)
• Dr Moushira Khattab, former Egyptian Minister of Family & Population and human rights activist. (“MK”)

The key points raised by the speakers were as follows:

• The Muslim Brotherhood had a strong anti-women agenda and undermined many of Egypt’s previous gains in women’s rights. (MK)
• Since the June liberation, the status of women has improved as President el-Sisi has a genuine desire to advance their freedoms. (LT)
• Positive changes are taking place. Women played pivotal roles in the political transformation of Egypt and there are now 4 women ministers in Government. The 2014 constitution defines women’s equality on a human rights basis. (MK)
• A Court of Appeal recently handed down a 2 year sentence for FGM. (MK)
• Religious freedoms have also improved. A new law has been introduced to help build churches and the school curriculum has been changed to improve education on religious tolerance. (LT)
• Many challenges remain. Women should be invested in as agents for disseminating peace. (LT)
• The Parliamentary elections, which are due to take place next month, present an important opportunity to improve women’s representation.

The PHRG will continue to support the empowerment of women in Egypt, and to monitor developments in the upcoming parliamentary election closely.