Maat for Peace, Development, and Human Rights organisation released a statement on Sunday complaining of the Social Solidarity Ministry’s negligence in a request the organisation filed. The statement called on the cabinet to intervene and follow up with the ministry on the status of its request.
Maat has sent several complaints to the ministry and said that the ministry apparatus is intentionally delaying and postponing the organisation’s work requests.
The statement described the ministry’s performance in this matter as unjustified “intransigence” and noted that the ministry’s unsatisfactory performance impacts Egypt’s image abroad.
It reported that since 14 January it has been attempting to acquire ministry approval for a fund from an international NGO, the Anna Lindh Foundation, which operates from an office in Alexandria. Maat did not receive a response until now.
The organisation said the ministry responded to their requests in a way that violates the content and spirit of the law.
Thus, Maat decided to apologise to the Anna Lindh Foundation for not being able to receive the grant ”for the implementation of the seventh step of the network’s strategy which was signed earlier this year”, due to the ministry’s negligence in their request approval.
The statement also addressed Maat’s desire to withdraw from the presidency of the Egyptian National Network for the Anna Lindh Foundation, a position which it has been elected for twice. “This is due to the intransigence that the organisation faces in obtaining approvals for funded projects, despite its literal commitment to the provisions of Law 84 of 2002 according to the results of all previous revisions of the Ministry of Social Solidarity itself,” the statement read.
Maat agreed on these decisions in a meeting with the Board of Trustees on 11 May to discuss the situation.
Officials from the ministry were not available for comment on the issue.
Maat is not the only organisation to complain about the ministry apparatus. Other NGOs, particularly those accused in the foreign funding case, reported negligence by ministry in registering them or approving their projects.
The general director of Maat, Ayman Okeil, told Daily News Egypt previously in late March that Maat is among the NGOs accused in the foreign funding case.
