User:National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms/sandbox

Establishment Background: National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms NADRF is a non for profit organization established in August 16, 2005 and registered under the ministry of Social Solidarity. NADRF is mainly concerned with monitoring, documenting and combating human rights violations, in particular women’s rights.

NADRF participated in monitoring presidential and parliamentarian elections in 2005, which highlighted clearly the problem of weak political participation of women in the whole electoral process, whether they are voters or candidates, which returns to several problems including weak economic conditions and lack independency. NADRF developed a program for the promotion of political participation of women and the preparation of leaders having capacity to take part in political life actively to build a base of skilled women capable to hold lead posts and take part in elections as candidates and other aspects of participation in public life. NADRF has managed to get funding for this program from international donors such as National Endowment for Democracy NED and Middle East Partnership Imitative MEPI. The program continued for 4 continuous years and targeted all Egypt’s governorates, in particular Upper Egypt. In the course of the implementation of political participation program, NADRF noticed that women suffer strongly from poor economic conditions, which rendered them dominated by men and community as they are restricted in stereotypical roles as wives and mothers. That is why, we decided to develop a new program for providing legal aids for vulnerable women to help them claiming and defending their rights.

Memberships in networks and coordination with other NGOs

Euro-Mediterranean Women’s Foundation: NADRF is a member in the network of Euro-Mediterranean Women’s Foundation since 2016. The network is committed to building equality in all aspects of women’s and men’s life. It acts for the emancipation, empowerment and strengthening of the role of women in the Euro-Mediterranean area in order to build equality between women and men.

Economic and Social Council in the United Nations: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at its Coordination and management meeting of June 6, 2019 adopted the recommendation of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to grant special consultative status to NADRF. The consultative status enables NADRF to actively engage with ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, as well as with the United Nations Secretariat, programs, and agencies in a number of ways and supports its efforts to achieve NADRF’s goals and strengthen its cooperation with international organizations.

Local CSOs: Since the very beginning of NADRF establishment, it managed to build a good relation with a large number of CSOs in different areas in Egypt, in particular Upper Egypt, which are very familiar with the needs of their community and in constant contact with their problems. Such experience facilitates the identification of the most vulnerable categories to improve the process of providing services.

Anna Lindh Foundation: NADRF is a member in Anna Lindh Foundation network. It is an international organization working from the Mediterranean to promote intercultural and civil society dialogue in the face of growing mistrust and polarisation. The Anna Lindh Foundation acts as a Network of National Networks which today brings together over 4000 civil society organizations from across the region for the promotion of dialogue between cultures. The National Networks reflect the diversity of their own civil society and work across fields including intercultural relations, heritage, religion, research, human rights, democracy and community development, arts, youth and education, gender, environment and sustainable development, and media.