Egypt to "consider tightening legal controls on foreign funding" to NGOs

The United States has violated Egypt’s sovereignty by offering funding to Egyptian civil institutions, organizations and associations without properly consulting the government, said Egyptian Minister of Solidarity and Social Justice Gouda Abdel Khaliq on Wednesday.

In a press statement, Abdel Khaliq said that his ministry has managed to track the flow of US funds to Egyptian groups in violation of Egyptian law.

Abdel Khaliq warned civil society associations and NGOs against applying for foreign grants. He stressed the need for Egyptian officials to follow up on all grants received by these associations and institutions and to ensure that they are used in accordance with the law.

The ministry has asked its departments nationwide to alert the civil associations and NGOs to “take all the necessary precautions before accepting foreign grants.” Abdel Khaliq said he has decided to form a committee to review civil institutions and NGOs and consider tightening legal controls on  foreign funding.

The ministry stressed that it is trying “to facilitate the ability of NGOs and civil institutions to obtain permits for receiving foreign grants and funds in accordance with the general good of the country."

Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abouelnaga had previously criticized Washington after the US Agency for International Development published advertisements for pro-democracy grants in Egyptian newspapers.