Egypt has been grappling with persistent economic challenges for over a decade, prompting the government to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2024. The economic reforms agreed to by both Egypt and the IMF have included significant austerity measures, such as cutting food and energy subsidies, raising government service fees, and reducing spending on health, education, and social protection. Although the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) states that austerity should safeguard core economic and social rights, Egypt has not taken steps to lessen the negative impact of these reforms. Furthermore, the government’s punitive actions against certain groups, including prisoners and human rights defenders, have exacerbated the impact of austerity measures on these individuals’ economic and social rights.
In the framework of Egypt’s fourth cycle of Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy—together with the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, MENA Fem Movement for Economic, Development, and Ecological Justice, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance, and the Egyptian Human Rights Forum—submitted an alternate report to the UPR Working Group regarding the economic and social rights in Egypt.
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