Therefore, regular migration or “legal migration” is an integral part of the strength of the national economy of any country and an important source of national income, and in turn contributes to the achievement of development goals. But the real challenge facing governments is “irregular migration “or what is known as ” illegal migration”, for which the search for decent work is the most basic motivation, where young people risk their lives and their families in search of decent jobs and a better life – as he believes– in other countries, oblivious to the serious consequences of this .

In line with the above, the strategic forum for public policies and Development Studies “Derayah” issues a research paper highlighting the “difference between regular and irregular migration in terms of concept; with monitoring of some statistics on the volume of regular and irregular migration in Egypt, the dimensions of the problem of irregular migration in Egypt and its causes, and finally the efforts of the Egyptian state in reducing and dealing with this phenomenon”.

The most important recommendations reached by the paper, which can be put in front of the decision maker, may provide solutions that integrate with the vision of the state and its plans in this regard, were the following:

1-studying the social, cultural and economic nature of the cases of young people who have applied for irregular migration in a scientific and detailed manner to find out their motives, and providing appropriate support and solutions through state institutions.

2-developing a preventive and remedial strategy for the phenomenon of irregular migration based on providing job opportunities, facilitating legal migrations, and providing training opportunities to raise the level of competence and professional performance of young people, enabling them to find job opportunities in other countries.

3 – working to reduce poverty and unemployment rates and considering this as a top priority for the Egyptian state, as they are the most important factors that aggravate the phenomenon of irregular migration.

4-increasing state support for poor and marginalized families and communities, especially as they are the most important source of victims of irregular migration.

5-developing a major media plan to raise awareness of the dangers of irregular migration in which religious institutions actively participate.

6-increasing the volume of political and security measures and confrontations of smuggling networks, within the framework of internal, regional and international efforts to combat crimes of smuggling migrants and human trafficking.

7-increasing international cooperation and coordination in the field of countering irregular migration, through the conclusion of more relevant agreements and work to activate them, as well as the exchange of studies and data on the phenomenon of irregular migration.

8-work on concluding more agreements between labor-exporting countries and those that need seasonal labor in order to maximize the benefits of the migration phenomenon for both parties.

9-increasing the regular immigration outlets, and coordinating between the concerned government agencies to promote job opportunities available to young people in the countries they wish to immigrate to.

10-expanding the conduct of more surveys and studies on the needs and requirements of foreign labor markets, and focusing on providing immigration opportunities for those wishing to do so, with the importance of highlighting the laws governing immigration systems in other countries.

First: the difference between regular and irregular migration, in terms of concept 

The National Coordinating Committee to combat and prevent illegal migration and human trafficking defined “safe migration “or” regular migration” as:(the movement of a person from his usual place of residence to a new place of residence, in line with the laws and regulations governing the exit of the country of origin, travel, transit and entry to the destination or host country).

While the committee pointed out that the definition of ” irregular migration ” or “illegal migration”:(is migration outside the regulatory standards of the sending state, transit state or receiving state of migrants. From the point of view of the receiving state, it includes illegal entry, residence or work in the country. From the point of view of the sending state, it involves violation of regulations and laws in cases such as: a person crosses the international border without a valid passport or travel documents or does not meet the administrative conditions for leaving the country. However, the term is more associated with cases of illegal/ legal smuggling of migrants).

It should also be noted that there are also fundamental differences and similarities between the term “illegal immigration” or “smuggling of migrants “and “human trafficking”; both are profitable trades involving people and carried out by organized groups, but there are differences between them:

People can be trafficked within the country (internal trafficking) or across the border (international trafficking), while the smuggling of migrants occurs only across the border.

Trafficking in Persons is a crime against humanity, while smuggling of migrants is a crime against the state.

Second: statistics and figures on the volume of regular and irregular migration in Egypt

Regarding the volume of irregular migration in Egypt at the current regional level, the Arab Barometer network has issued a report on the intentions and motives of migration in the Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa; the survey results published on the research network’s website showed that “almost half of the respondents (48%) want to leave the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, while Egypt ranked lowest in that regard, with only 13% expressing their desire to emigrate . The survey also indicated that economic difficulties represented the biggest driver of migration in Egypt at 97%, but it did not represent the same percentage in Jordan, reaching about 93%, and in Libya it decreased to 53%.

Egypt also ranks second in terms of the number of irregular migrants crossing the sea route from the Mediterranean Sea and land to Europe, which amounted to approximately 7,938 migrants since January 2021 until December of the same year, the vast majority of them are heading to Greece, Malta and Italy.

With regard to regular migration, Egypt has witnessed a significant increase in the number of regular migrants over the past two decades, specifically since 2005, where the total number of migrants increased from 1.3 million in 1990 to 1.8 million in 2005 and then jumped to 3.6 million in 2020, which represents about 3.5% of the total population. Egypt is considered one of the largest countries of origin for migrants, as it ranked 19th globally and the second ranking in the Arab world (after Syria) in 2019.

With regard to the countries receiving Egyptian workers, the statistics of the Egyptian labor market survey for 2018 indicate that the Arab countries are considered the first destination for Egyptian migrant workers, especially in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, where the percentage of Egyptian migrants reached the total number of immigrants in these countries is 41.3%, 28.7%, 10.5% and 5.3% respectively. The percentage of work permits abroad for these countries amounted to about 97% of the total work permits abroad.

In the next ranking of the Arab countries are some countries of the organization for Economic Cooperation and development with 2.9% and the European Union countries with 1.6% of the total employment. Immigration to foreign countries is concentrated mainly in Italy with 37.1%, followed by the United States of America with 35.4%, then Canada with 19.4% and finally Australia with 2.9% of the total permanent immigrants to foreign countries.

Immigration to these countries is considered a permanent migration for the purpose of improving living conditions and obtaining the rights of a native citizen in this country, unlike immigration to Arab countries, which takes a temporary form in order to obtain a high income, but staying there does not add rights to the traveler.

In general, migrants with the best educational levels go to Western countries, while those with the lowest educational levels go to Arab countries and represent the largest source of remittances of workers abroad.

The search for a suitable job opportunity is considered the central goal pursued by all migrants, whether in a regular form or otherwise, in light of the inability of the economy to create sufficient demand to absorb the labor force on the one hand, and the low skills and quality of education on the other, resorting to many young people go to irregular migration routes in search of decent job opportunities.

Third: the dimensions of the problem of irregular migration in Egypt

* The origin of the problem : The problem of irregular migration began in Egypt since the seventies of the last century; where Egyptian labor flowed to the Gulf countries in order to participate in the huge construction projects that these countries began to build from oil revenues, especially because Egyptian labor was low-paid at that time compared to those from other countries of the world, but the matter changed with the beginning of the nineties and the end of the first Gulf War and the trend of the Gulf countries to replace Egyptian labor with Asian the time when countries The European Union signed the Schengen agreement in 1990 and then the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to guarantee the freedom of movement of EU citizens within the borders of its members without restrictions, and this has resulted in the imposition of severe restrictions on the movement of foreign workers inside the European Union, and therefore the tendency of those wishing to migrate to illegal and illegal ways to move to these countries.

* The most exporting Egyptian governorates for irregular migrants :

A recent research study conducted by the National Center for social and criminal Research among Egyptian youth who wish to immigrate irregularly showed that there are eleven governorates that are sources of irregular migrants: Sharqiya, Dakahlia, Qalyubia, Menoufia, Gharbia, Beheira, Kafr el Sheikh, Fayoum, Assiut, Luxor and Minya.

* Characteristics of villages and provinces exporting irregular migrants:

1-these villages are famous for agriculture, fishing, ship industry in the sea face, agriculture, grazing, tourism and trade related to them in the tribal face.

2-the lack of the role of health care services, especially in the maritime area, and the lack of material and human capabilities, in addition to a shortage in middle schools and a severe shortage in secondary schools.

3-the roads are mostly dirt and very bad on the sea side, but they are better on the tribal side as a result of tourist activities.

4-the availability of a network of relationships from acquaintances/ relatives/ relatives in the country of destination or previous experience for them in it, so that information related to the availability of job opportunities, the level of wages and living conditions can be obtained. Here it should be noted that Italy is one of the most important destination countries because of its proximity to Egypt and most of the migration routes depend on the sea at the sea and land routes through Libya at the front.

5-there are brokers, travel agents, translators, employment offices and bankers, most of them have previous experience in immigration.

6-the presence of peers in the village who migrated and signs of wealth appeared on them after returning, in addition to the presence of encouragement from the family.

* Demographic characteristics of immigrants :

1-most of them are either unaccompanied children and their ages range from 18:9 years or young people from 35:18 years, all of them are males, most of them are late in marriage and drop out of education, and most of them live in large families.

2-the majority of them are employed in informal jobs or unemployed (frustrated /dissatisfied with local job opportunities).

3-almost a third of young people have computer and language skills, among them.

4-infrastructure is available in different proportions and they have durable goods but do not own land or real estate.

*The most attractive destination countries:

Although statistics indicate that some Egyptian irregular migrants are heading to Greece and Malta, Italy remains the preferred destination for most migrants; approximately 649 young people were deported in 2001, and then increased to 5,102 young people in 2007, from these countries upon arrival.

The reason why immigrants prefer Italy is due to:

The good economic situation of Italy compared to Malta and Greece.
Italy’s large informal sector attracts many skilled and unskilled migrant workers looking for work, as they do not have to reside and work legally.

Encouraging Egyptian communities in cities such as Milan for their family members, friends or acquaintances from the same villages, who are looking for work and living opportunities in Italy, to immigrate illegally.
The dangers surrounding irregular migration in Italy:

The dangers of irregular migration are the same for both adults and children and consist in the difficulty of the journey from their country of origin. However, it often has a more severe negative impact on children because they are more vulnerable, as unaccompanied migrant children are vulnerable to exploitation once they arrive from Egypt for a number of reasons, especially if it is escaping from migrant centers, the most prominent of these risks is:

– These children are often ignorant of their rights or of the provision of Italian law protecting them; they derive their information only from their acquaintances and often have to pay adults to accompany them to social services appointments, police stations or court and may also need to do so in order to obtain a certain Guardian. Sometimes, young people are exploited by The Guardian of their choice.

– Unaccompanied migrant children are also particularly vulnerable to exploitation due to the cost of the migration journey; this means that it is possible to exploit them in poor or inhumane working conditions to repay the debt to smugglers.

– These children can also be forced into other human trafficking activities, including prostitution, drug trafficking, forced labor or forced removal of their organs.

Fourth: the causes of irregular migration in Egypt:

The causes of irregular migration in Egypt are numerous and intertwined, but they can be summarized in the following points:

A-economic reasons:

– Poverty and lack of basic needs.

– The desire to improve the standard of living.

– High level of unemployment or work in unstable conditions (informal sector) and dissatisfaction with the available local job opportunities.

B. cultural reasons:

– Encouragement of irregular migration by the family and the community in the villages, viewing it as a form of struggle.

– The cultural heritage related to having a large number of children, and the consequent growth in the population and the size of the labor force with a shortage of jobs.

C-social reasons:

– Inability to afford the costs of marriage.

– Comparison with peers in the village who were able to emigrate and showed signs of wealth after returning.

D-other reasons:

– High costs of legal/regular immigration and restrictions on it abroad.

– The existence of stimulating conditions in the villages of origin of migration ( such as the network of relations and brokers, the availability of information about the countries of destination, previous experiences).

Fifth: the efforts of the Egyptian state to reduce the phenomenon of irregular migration :

The Egyptian state has made great and sincere efforts to reduce the phenomenon of irregular migration at the local and international levels, the most prominent of which were:

A-at the local level:

1-the establishment of the National Coordinating Committee to combat illegal migration in 2014 in accordance with the decision of the chairman of the Council of ministers No. 380 of 2014.

2 – the establishment of the “National Coordinating Committee to combat and prevent illegal migration and human trafficking” as a restructuring of the previous committee, and the membership of the committee consists of 30 ministries, bodies and national centers, including the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of manpower, the Ministry of migration and the affairs of Egyptians abroad and the Ministry of Interior and foreign affairs the National Centre for Human Rights and the National Centre for motherhood and childhood are responsible for the legal representation of unaccompanied migrant children whose families have not been identified.

3-the issuance of Law No. 82 for the year 2016, which is the first law to discuss the fight against irregular migration, where the law criminalizes assistance in any form on irregular migration and smuggling of migrants, and set a penalty of imprisonment or payment of a fine not less than fifty thousand pounds and not more about five hundred thousand Egyptian pounds according to the severity of the crime. The law did not hold irregular migrants or their relatives any civil or criminal responsibility, as they were considered victims of the crime of smuggling. The law also guarantees the establishment of a” fund to combat illegal immigration and protect migrants and witnesses”, and it has a public legal personality and its own budget to provide financial support to victims of illegal immigration.

5 – launching the Presidential Initiative “lifeboats” at the conclusion of the Youth Forum in December 2019 to address irregular migration, which was considered a national initiative and was linked to the Egypt 2030 strategy, where the Ministry of planning allocated an amount of EGP 250 million to activate the initiative in 70 villages in the governorates that are the most exporting of irregular migration.

B-at the international level:

1 – the “For Africa” initiative was launched in 2016 in cooperation between the European Union and the International Organization for migration to facilitate safe and orderly migration, protect migrants and achieve their reintegration upon return, which began in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin in the Horn of Africa region; the initiative covered North Africa, including Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco and aims to identify the needs of vulnerable migrant communities from these countries, improve their conditions, protect them, ensure their voluntary return to their countries and help them return integrate with it.

2 – the launch of the “migration for development” project, implemented by the German agency for international cooperation on behalf of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and development in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of migration; the project aims to improve the living conditions of returnees from migration in a number of countries, including Egypt on the side of Iraq Tunisia, Morocco and a number of other countries, as well as encouraging labor migration specialized in some magazines and professions that are in demand in Germany. This initiative resulted in the establishment of the Egyptian-German Centre for jobs, migration and reintegration.

3- The signing of a protocol of cooperation between the International Organization for Migration in Egypt, the Ministry of State for Migration and the affairs of Egyptians abroad and the agency for the development of Micro, Small and medium enterprises, where the first phase of the project aimed to reduce irregular migration through the adoption of local development projects and the provision of job opportunities; the second phase aimed at enhancing the participation of Egyptians abroad in development and enhancing communication and communication with them, and cooperation is also being carried out between Egypt and Italy in particular to hold training programs for Egyptian migrant workers to Italy, with the aim of qualifying them to join the Italian society.

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The Strategic Forum for Public Policy and Development Studies “Draya” issues a research paper on the crisis and its causes, consumption and production rates, energy sources in Egypt, the most important projects in this field, and finally the international outlook on the development of the electricity sector in Egypt.

The most important recommendations for getting out of the crisis :

– The need to accelerate diversification and dependence on new and renewable energy sources, especially solar-powered plants.

– Taking advantage of batteries that rely on solar energy generation by deploying them on the roofs of houses and factories and making use of them during power outages.

– Compensating for the shortage in gas production at the Zohr field as a result of reports that some of the field’s wells were out of operation due to the presence of a leak of sea water inside them, with the continuation of exploration and exploration for other gas fields.

– Take advantage of the current decline in gas prices by importing gas during the summer period.

– The importance of openness and disclosure to citizens and constant information about the government’s response to the crisis.

– Fair and regular distribution of electricity outages with no exceptions except for vital areas only .

– Reduce the hours of interruption in areas suffering from severe high temperatures in southern Egypt.

– Cooperation with international organizations and partners in order to fulfill their obligations to countries suffering from the effects of climate change and rising temperatures.

First: the crisis

Egypt has been hit by power outages before and their severity increased after 2011 amid the deterioration of electricity networks and their inefficiency amid the lack of investment in this sector, as well as the stagnation of production and the suspension of gas exploration contracts.

Indeed, confronting this crisis was a priority on the agenda of President Sisi, who, since coming to power in June 2014, has been keen to solve it and the state has launched an ambitious plan to confront the crisis by building a network of new plants: three gas-fired plants with a capacity of 4.8 gigawatts, namely Beni Suef and the new capital, burlus, operated by the German Siemens group, representing almost 40% of Egypt’s energy capacity and providing electricity to about 40 million Egyptians. In 2015, Egypt also began importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the first time in its history, docking two floating storage and re-conversion units (FSRU) in Ain Sokhna in the Gulf of Suez.

The Italian company Eni announced the discovery of a natural gas field in 2015 with reserves estimated at about 30 trillion cubic feet of gas, which is equivalent to 5.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent, and these reserves represent more than 135% of the current reserves of crude oil in Egypt, after which Egypt will become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas.

This discovery has strengthened Egypt’s position to become a regional energy center and a platform for trading gas, whether produced locally or imported from neighboring countries, and then re-exported after liquefying it.

These discoveries and this development contributed to Egypt playing an important role in meeting Europe’s natural gas needs after the Russian/ Ukrainian war, and in June 2022 the European Union signed a gas agreement with Egypt and Israel to increase gas supplies.

In 2023, Egypt exported 8.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas, ranking as the twelfth largest exporter in the world.

Second: the causes of the crisis

– The country is exposed to heat waves caused by climate change, amid increasing domestic consumption.

– The decline in natural gas production due to the presence of some errors causing cracks in one of the wells in the Zohr field, which led to the leakage of sea water inside it and stopped production completely .

– The Egyptian government stopped importing the fuel oil needed to operate the stations as a result of its high prices, it is noteworthy that the Electricity Holding Company had received more than 500 thousand tons of fuel oil and it was consumed to operate electricity production stations.

– The crisis of the shortage of foreign exchange necessary for the import of gasoline fuel mixed with gas for the operation of power plants in the country.

– Continue to support the electricity sector and sell it at less than its real price.

– Compliance with gas export contracts to Europe, which prompted the government to transfer part of domestic production to the European market .

– Israel’s decision after the events of the seventh of October and its war on the Gaza Strip to stop the eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline that connected Ashkelon in southern Israel to El Arish in Egypt, which negatively affected the duration of the interruption.

Third: consumption and production rates

Government data indicate that investments of up to 355 billion pounds (11.5 billion dollars) were made in the field of electricity production during the period from 2014 to the end of 2022, and the government invested about 85 billion pounds (2.75 billion dollars) in strengthening and modernizing the electricity transmission system.

– In 2022, Egypt exported about 8.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas to become the 12th largest exporter in the world, and about 60% of its natural gas production went to Europe.

Gas is still the largest source of electricity generation in Egypt at more than 79%, but it is lower than the previous year’s 82.9%. Electricity generated from natural gas decreased from 174 in 2021 to 159.3 TWh in 2022 by 8.5%.
In the same context, Egypt’s consumption of natural gas decreased over the past year to 60.7 billion cubic meters, compared to 62.2 billion cubic meters in 2021, an annual decline of 2.3%.

Gas exports jumped during the year 2022 to 8.4 billion dollars, compared to 3.5 billion dollars in 2021, and liquefied gas exports decreased to 2.9 million tons (3.9 billion cubic meters), compared to 3.9 million tons (5.3 billion cubic meters) in the comparative period of 2022.

Fourth: energy sources in Egypt

Egypt has a variety of sources of electricity generation between Steam and gas-fired plants based on fossil fuels, water plants based on the High Dam in southern Egypt and wind and solar-based plants such as the Zaafarana and Bannan project south of Aswan.

While solar plants operate only during the day, and wind turbines stop when the air movement stops, the greatest dependence remains on plants that combine steam and gas, which make up 52% of electricity stations in Egypt .

Egypt relies heavily on natural gas for electricity generation by 66%, so it has developed plans to diversify energy sources in the country by investing in the new and renewable energy sector, as it is one of the most developed countries in the Middle East and North Africa in terms of energy transformation projects, and ranks first in North Africa in terms of installed electric capacity (solar, wind and hydrogen energy).

The most important Egyptian projects in the field of electricity and energy:

-A report by the information and Decision Support Center of the Council of ministers indicated that “Egypt reached the fourth place in energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa during 2022-2026,” as confirmed by APICORP in its report, ” the value of energy projects in Egypt, both planned and projects under implementation during the period (2022-2026) reached about 100 billion dollars. The estimated value of the 10 largest gas projects in Egypt was set at about 14 billion dollars, compared to 12 billion dollars for the 10 largest oil projects in Egypt,”he said.

It pointed out that Egypt aims to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2035.

– Egypt has one of the largest power plants in the world, the Bannan solar energy complex with a capacity of up to 1.8 GW, and the complex is also the largest solar energy farm on the African continent( 200 thousand solar panels equivalent to 90% of the electricity generated by the High Dam, with a total investment cost of up to 4 billion dollars.)

– the Kureimat solar energy project, the installation of photovoltaic cells on the rooftops of 121 MW as well as hydropower projects in Nag Hammadi with a capacity of 64 MW, and Assiut bat.

-Dabaa Nuclear Station: One of the largest electrical energy production projects on the African continent. It includes four nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts, with 1,200 megawatts for each reactor. The first nuclear reactor is scheduled to begin operating in 2028, and the other reactors will then be operated successively.

Future projects

The green hydrogen strategy announced by Egypt at the COP27 climate change conference aims to:

-An increase in GDP from 10-18 billion dollars by 2025.

-Creating more than 100,000 new jobs.

-Contributing to reducing Egypt’s imports of petroleum products.

-Reducing carbon emissions

This strategy is being implemented in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Arab Union for Sustainable Development and Environment.

Within the framework of cooperation with Siemens, the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company will launch a green hydrogen pilot project in which the capacity of electrolyzers will range from 100-200 megawatts.
Signing a memorandum of understanding with the Norwegian company SCATEC, which aims to produce 1 million to 3 million tons annually of green ammonia.

-The Indian ACME Group’s production target is 2.2 million tons annually of green fuel
-The Saudi Al-Fanar Company aims to produce 500 thousand tons annually of green fuel.
-The German company H2 Industries (East Port Said Industrial Zone) established the first station to convert waste into green hydrogen with a production capacity of 300 thousand tons annually.

Egypt has sought to be a pivotal center for energy, through electrical interconnection with neighboring countries and its membership in various energy groupings at the continental level up to the international level, especially since the continents of Africa and Europe are among the least continents and regions of the world producing electricity around the world for the year 2021, (the percentage of electrical energy generated in… Africa represents 3.2% of the world’s total production, Europe’s production accounts for 14.2%, and Asia and the Pacific’s production of electrical energy accounts for 49.2%.

The figure shows the most prominent bilateral interconnection projects:

-The Egyptian/ Libyan electrical interconnection project with a target capacity of 2000 MW, the electrical interconnection project between Egypt and Sudan with a target capacity of 300 MW, the electrical interconnection project between Egypt and Saudi Arabia with a target capacity of 3000 MW, and between Egypt and Jordan with a target capacity of 2000 MW.

-Egypt / Cyprus / Greece electrical interconnection project: the project aims to make Egypt the Gateway of electrical interconnection between Africa and Europe through Cyprus to exchange electricity capacity up to 2000 MW.

-At the African level, the country is working to be a pivotal Center for energy and electricity trade by establishing an electricity trading market between countries that pool energy for East African countries EAPP.

Fifth: consequences of the crisis

Positive results:

– Registration of gas export revenues ranging from 100 to 150 million dollars per month, with an increase in the value of Egypt’s gas exports to reach 8 billion dollars by the end of June 2022.

– The reduction of domestic gas consumption by 10% brings returns of 300 million dollars per month.If it is reduced by 15%, it achieves returns of 450 million dollars per month.
Negative results:

Social effects related to:

– The temperature is increasingly rising, which affects citizens negatively, and social and political stability as a result of citizens ‘ discontent.

– The feeling of a state of inequality among citizens as a result of its non-interruption in all parts in an equal way, as well as the existence of exceptions for tourist areas, while these considerations were not taken into account in other tourist cities such as Luxor and Aswan.

Economic effects :

– Causing a decline in the rate of foreign investment in Egypt, especially as this will affect the business climate and attract investors.

– Ending the current crisis will require the government an additional 300 million dollars a month to import enough energy in addition to the value of state support for the sector of about 220 billion pounds (about 4.6 billion dollars), which will put pressure on the state budget, according to the minister of finance, especially since the state cannot pay from the foreign reserve of 46,125 billion dollars in May 2024.

– Fears of rising inflation rates, which have reached 35% on a monthly basis, especially in light of the government’s announcement of a trend to increase electricity prices, and adjusting the prices of consumer segments, as well as the rise in prices of cereals, fruits and vegetables as a result of crop damage due to high temperatures

Sixth: the international view of the development of the electricity sector in Egypt

Fitch expects:

– Strong growth in renewable energy sectors compared to 2021 (the growth rate of electricity generation from renewable energy sources (other than hydroelectric energy) will reach 13.9% in 2021, compared to 22.6% in 2022, and 23% in 2023)

Egypt will be one of the fastest growing non-hydroelectric renewable energy markets in the region over the next ten years

– Egypt is enhancing its competitiveness and becoming a very attractive destination for investors in renewable energy sources, thanks to strong support and natural solar and wind energy potential.

Egypt is also at the forefront of the Arab countries in the production capacity of solar and wind energy, with a capacity of 3,523 megawatts, and Fitch confirmed that electricity exports and green hydrogen projects will drive the long-term growth of the Egyptian energy sector, and the surplus energy supply in Egypt will remain high during the next ten years.

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Violence against women is a major obstacle to the realization of any plans for sustainable development, peace, justice and equality, as it has serious short-and long-term economic and social consequences and repercussions. Here we point out that the practices of violence against women are contrary to the fifth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which seeks to achieve gender equality and enhance the status of women.

The strategic forum for public policies and Development Studies ” Draya” issues this report, which deals in detail with the reality of violence against women, its causes and consequences, in addition to the efforts of the Egyptian state to address it, and presented the most important recommendations aimed at eliminating this type of violence, through several axes, namely:

First: The concept of violence against women and its types.

Second: The causes of violence against women.

Third: The repercussions of violence against women.

Fourth: Indicators of violence against women globally and locally.

Fifth: The Egyptian state’s efforts to address violence against women.

Sixth: Proposals to reduce the violence against women.

First: The concept of violence against women and its types

The United Nations General Assembly has defined “violence against women” as “any assault against women based on gender, which causes physical, sexual or psychological harm or pain to women, and also includes the threat of such assault, pressure or arbitrary deprivation of freedom, whether it occurs in The framework of public or private life.

The United Nations has defined the types of violence against women as follows:

1- Domestic violence: It means any behavior adopted by a former partner that causes harm or suffering to the woman, whether physical, sexual, or psychological, including physical assault, sexual coercion, and psychological abuse.
2-sexual violence: it means any sexual act committed against the will of another person under duress (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual harassment, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber harassment)

3-human trafficking: it is the possession and exploitation of people by means such as force, fraud, coercion or deception. Millions of women and girls around the world suffer from it, many of whom are subjected to sexual exploitation.

4-female genital mutilation: it includes procedures that deliberately alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons, usually driven by beliefs about sex and its relationship with appropriate sexual expression.

5- Child marriage: It refers to any marriage in which one or both spouses are under 18 years of age.

Second: causes of violence against women

Many factors have contributed to the existence of a favorable environment for the commission of violence against women, the most prominent of which are the following according to the World Health Organization and specialized scientific studies in this regard:

1-low levels of education and the resulting misconception of values and moral principles that prohibit violence, and influenced by negative stereotypes about violence.

2-previous exposure to violence, witnessing family violence and the spread of abusive customary practices in society and beliefs related to family honor and chastity, which creates a fertile environment for the consolidation of a culture of violence against women.

3-male control over social and economic decision-making and their monopoly on it in the presence of societal standards that give men privileges or raise their status and degrade the status of women.

4-the low paid job opportunities available to women, the lack of opportunities for women’s participation in society and their feeling of marginalization and not taking into account their needs.

Third: the repercussions of violence against women

Violence against women has wide-ranging effects at various levels, and the World Health Organization has classified these effects according to the following:

1- Fatal consequences such as murder or suicide

2- Possible injuries: 42% of women who are exposed to intimate partner violence report being injured as a result of this violence.

3- Unwanted pregnancies, induced abortions, women’s health problems, and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection.

4-depression: women who have been subjected to violence may develop depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety-causing disorders, suffering from sleep difficulties, eating disorders, and suicide attempts.

5-headaches, pain syndromes (back pain, abdominal pain, chronic pelvic pain), stomach and intestinal disorders, limited mobility and ill health in general.

6-sexual violence, especially during childhood, may lead to an increased likelihood of smoking, substance abuse, alcohol, and risky sexual behaviors, and is also associated with committing violence (for males) and becoming a victim of violence (for females)

Fourth: Indicators of violence against women globally and locally

-A third of women in the world (almost 27%) have experienced violence at least once in their life

-One in 3 women experiences sexual or physical violence at least once in her life.

-5 women or girls are killed every hour by a member of their family.

-The percentage of murders of women committed by their partners reaches 38% of the total of these crimes.

– 6%of the world’s women report having been sexually assaulted by someone other than their partner.

-86%of women and girls live in countries where there are no legal protection systems from gender-based violence.

-45% of women reported that they had experienced some form of violence against women.

-7out of 10 women expressed the belief that verbal or physical abuse by an intimate partner tomorrow is more common.

-6 out of 10 women feel the aggravation of sexual harassment in public places.

B. local indicators:

Female circumcision

The rates of circumcision among previously married women reached 85.6% compared to 92% in 2014. The rate of circumcision is higher in the countryside than in urban areas, and in the governorates of Upper Egypt than in the governorates of Lower Egypt, where it reached 91.5% in Upper Egypt compared to 84.1% in Lower Egypt. And 62% in the border governorates.

The rate of circumcision is also linked to the educational status of women, as the results indicate a decrease in the rates of circumcision with an increase in the educational level, reaching 82.4% among women who have completed secondary school or higher, compared to 85.9% among women who have completed primary school, and 89.8% among women who have not. Primary stage, and 94.9% who have never gone to school.

– Violence by the husband:

The results indicate that about 31%, or one-third of ever-married women between the ages of 15-49, have been exposed to some form of violence by their husbands (any form of violence, whether psychological, physical, or sexual).

Nearly a quarter of women, or 25.5% of previously married women between the ages of 15-49, have been exposed to physical violence, 22.3% to psychological violence, and 5.6% to sexual violence.

– Violence against women with disabilities:

The National Council for Women, in partnership with the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics and with the support of United Nations organizations, conducted a survey on violence against women with disabilities for the year 2020 – the survey sample included 5,616 women with disabilities – the most prominent results of which were as follows:

– 61% of women with disabilities were exposed to some form of violence by their husbands at any stage of their lives.

-54% of previously married women were exposed to psychological violence by their husbands, 43% were exposed to physical violence by their husbands, and 34% were exposed to disability-related violence by their husbands.

– 20% of women with disabilities have been exposed to sexual violence, and 14% have been exposed to both psychological, physical, sexual, and disability-related violence by their husbands at any period of their lives.

The family and the surrounding environment are the main reasons why girls with disabilities are exposed to violence

– The study showed that 35% of the respondents have been exposed to psychological violence by family members or the surrounding environment since the age of 15, 28% have been exposed to disability-related violence, 25% have been exposed to physical violence, about 10% have been exposed to any form of sexual violence, and 8% have been sexually harassed .

Women with disabilities who are young and living in urban governorates are more vulnerable to violence

– Women with disabilities who are young and living in urban governorates are more exposed to violence in public places than older women or residents of the sea or tribal face.

– 66% of women who have experienced violence in public places have not taken any action to counteract this violence .

– Women with visual impairments are more likely to be subjected to violence in public places than women with other disabilities

– 7% of women with multiple disabilities had violence against them as the reason for the occurrence of these disabilities.

Fifth: the Egyptian state’s efforts to eliminate violence against women

-The 2014 Constitution obligated the Egyptian state, in both Articles 11 and 53, to ensure the achievement of equality between men and women, protect them from all forms of violence, and provide care and protection for childhood and motherhood.

The national strategy for Human Rights (2021-2026) included items stipulating ” effective implementation of policies to combat violence against women through raising awareness ” and benefiting from programs to combat all forms of violence against women and developing policies that would create a supportive environment for Battered Women in reporting perpetrators of violence to benefit from protection services.

In 2022, the National Council for women launched the results of the research ” violence against women with disabilities”, which was prepared in cooperation with the central agency for public mobilization and statistics and the Ministry of Social Solidarity, which is the first study of its kind in the Arab region.

The National Council for women, in partnership with the central agency for public mobilization and statistics and with the support of UNICEF, carried out the first national survey on the ” economic cost of gender-based violence in Egypt ” in 2015.

The National Council for women launched the national strategy for the elimination of violence against women 2015-2020, and launched a special unit to follow up and implement this strategy, in coordination and cooperation with various relevant state agencies.

The council launched the” national strategy for the empowerment of Egyptian women 2030 ” within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, and in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030, where the strategy recognizes the importance of addressing violence against women and protecting women from all forms of violence.

The Ministry of Justice, in accordance with the cooperation protocol with the National Council for Women, established committees to protect women from violence, whose mission is to review legislation related to violence as well as submit the necessary legislative proposals.

The state established primary care units, equipped working women’s service centers, and social protection projects for abused women.

Sixth: proposals to reduce the phenomenon of violence against women

Despite the great and unprecedented efforts made by the Egyptian state to eliminate all practices of violence against women, more efforts can be made, which can be summarized as follows :

1-inclusion of violence against women practices in demographic and health surveys that monitor and develop accurate information about demographic characteristics.

2-establishment of a database on the scale and characteristics of violence against women and its nature.

3-documenting the practices of violence against women and estimating its rates and consequences in order to develop plans to prevent these practices.

4-expansion of research and studies on the causes and consequences of violence against women with the identification of effective measures necessary to prevent these practices in the future

5-expanding the involvement of civil society institutions, youth leaders and the private sector in studying the causes of violence against girls and women, while providing the necessary funding for this

6-providing survivors of violence with psychological and social support and economic and social empowerment programs .

7-develop a national program to work with couples and provide them with programs aimed at improving communication skills and establishing healthy marital relationships.

8-developing a national cultural program aimed at increasing community awareness and changing all standards that promote gender inequality.

9-providing curricula with programs that promote the values of gender equality.

10-encouraging girls and women to immediately report any attempts to commit violence against them and to inform the concerned authorities immediately after the occurrence of these crimes.

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It is not possible to erase history, deny the existence of the Palestinian people, and hide their identity, whose roots extend back centuries. The occupation has not been able in any country throughout history to eliminate its indigenous peoples, regardless of the efforts at ethnic cleansing or the attempt to change the demographics of the population.

In this context, the Strategic Forum for Public Policy and Development Studies “Draya” issues a report that provides an overview of the history of the Palestinian state, and the area of land that remained for the Palestinians of their land after the Nakba of 1948, in addition to the demographics of its people.

First: a historical overview of the Palestinian state

Many Arab tribes and peoples migrated from the Arabian Peninsula to Palestine, the most famous of which are: the Canaanites, the Amorites, and the Arameans. These peoples established important civilizations, especially the Canaanites who established large cities in Palestine and named them by their names, and they remain a legacy until now.

Palestine was invaded by various ethnic groups that managed to control it for a while, but they were eventually expelled and the land returned to its original inhabitants. The most famous of these groups are the Hyksos (1750-1500 BC.M.), and the Persians (520 BC.M.), and the Greeks led by Alexander (332 BC.Ad), and the Romans in the first century AD. In 636 AD, the Muslim armies conquered Palestine and became part of the Islamic State, and Palestine witnessed prosperity in the Arab era despite the Crusades it went through. It also remained active in shaping the events of Arab history even during the four-century Ottoman rule.

In the late nineteenth century, the process of Jewish settlement in Palestine began during the period of Ottoman rule, and the Zionist movement used all means to encourage Jewish immigration to Israel. Some Jews entered as merchants and businessmen, while others took advantage of being allowed to visit the holy places to infiltrate Palestine and stay there. Jewish settlement in Palestine began in 1859.

In the midst of World War I, the Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed, which stipulated that Palestine would become under the British Mandate. In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour issued a statement stipulating the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine, which is known as the Balfour Declaration. Declaration, Britain worked to provide facilities and support for waves of Jewish immigration to Palestine and to increase the number of Jewish settlements there.

The Palestinian people began to confront the Zionist and British movements through armed resistance and demonstrations; the revolution of 1921, the Buraq revolution of 1929, and the revolution of 1936, which was renewed in 1937 and lasted until 1939. At the same time, Britain continued to confiscate land and Judaize it, while the UN addressed the Palestinian issue, issuing a partition resolution in November 1947, which provides for the creation of two independent Arab and Jewish states.

Events followed and the resistance intensified until the first Arab – Israeli war on May 15, 1948, which flared up after Britain officially withdrew from Palestine, and its results were the establishment of the state of Israel and its occupation of the bulk of Palestine, in addition to the displacement of most of the Palestinian people from their cities and villages under the pressure of Zionist groups that committed massacres against the Palestinian people to force them to leave their land. The Palestinian Arab people lived as refugees in camps scattered in neighboring countries.

Following the 1948 war, nothing remained of Palestine except the West Bank, which was subject to Jordanian administration, and the Gaza Strip, which was subject to Egyptian administration until 1956. The armed Palestinian revolution was launched in 1965, led by the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Fatah, with the aim of liberating Palestine, after the Israeli aggression in 1967. Israel took control of all Palestinian territory after it occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and tens of thousands of Palestinian people were displaced outside their homeland once again.

Second: the area of historical Palestine and the rest of the land

The total area of historical Palestine is 27.009 square kilometers, while the area of the proposed state of Palestine (as stated in UN Resolution 181, which is known as the partition resolution in 1551948) on the territories occupied in 1967 (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) is 6209 square kilometers and represents 22.95% of the area of historical Palestine as follows:

1-the area of the West Bank is 5844 kilometers, constituting 21.6% of the total area of the land of historical Palestine.

2-the area of the Gaza Strip is 365 square kilometers, and it constitutes 1.35% of the total area of the land of historical Palestine.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has revealed that the Israeli occupation controls more than 85% of the total land area in historical Palestine (the West Bank, Gaza and Israel).

After the political and geographical reality imposed by the occupying power, the actual remaining area for Palestinians of the total area of the West Bank is less than 54% of the area of the West Bank, after the Israeli occupation seized 46% of the area through settlement, the wall and occupation practices on the ground.

According to a statement by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, Israel uses about 76% of the area classified C of the West Bank under its control. Therefore, the remaining land for the Palestinians is not enough to establish a Palestinian state, and poses a threat to the Palestinian demography.

Third: Demographics of the Palestinian people

Demography is known as the science of population that is concerned with studying population characteristics such as size, distribution, density, composition, ethnicities, growth components (birth, mortality, migration), income level, etc.

Throughout history, the Palestinian state has witnessed many political, economic and social changes, which have caused profound demographic changes among the Palestinian people, affecting demographics, education, health, and the economy. According to the latest data released in 2023, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics showed a number of indicators related to the Palestinian population, the most prominent of which are as follows:

(A) population indicators:

1-14.5 million Palestinians in historical Palestine and the diaspora :

The number of Palestinians in mid-2023 reached about 14.5 million Palestinians in the world, including 5.5 million Palestinians in the state of Palestine, or 38% of the total number of Palestinians in the world.

The data of the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics show that the number of Palestinians residing within the 48 territories is about 1.7 million individuals, residents in Arab countries is about 6.5 million individuals, and residents in foreign countries are about 800 thousand individuals.

Figure 1 shows the number of Palestinians in the world by their place of residence:

The Palestinians in the State of Palestine are distributed as 3.25 million people in the West Bank (about 60%), including 1.65 million males and 1.60 million females, while the population of the Gaza Strip is estimated at about 2.23 million people (about 40%), including 1.13 million males and 1.10 million. One million females.

2- The Palestinian society is young and more than a third of its population is under 15 years of age:

Figure No. (2) shows the average family size in Palestine by region during the years 2007 and 2022

4-the population growth rate in 2023 in the state of Palestine reached 2.4%, with 2.1% in the West Bank and 2.7% in the Gaza Strip.

5-the crude birth rate in 2023 was about 28.8 births per 1000 of the population, 26.6 births in the West Bank and 32.0 births in the Gaza Strip. The crude mortality rate in 2023 in Palestine was 3.7 deaths per 1000 residents, 3.7 in the West Bank and 3.4 in the Gaza Strip.

6-the life expectancy of survival at birth for 2022 was about 74.3 years, 73.2 years for males and 75.4 years for females.

7-the percentage of the elderly (60 years and over) reached about 5.7% of the total population of Palestine, 6.3% in the West Bank, and 4.8% in the Gaza Strip.

The percentage of individuals in the age group (0-14 years) is estimated at 37% of the total population in Palestine in 2023, 35% in the West Bank and 40% in the Gaza Strip. The percentage of individuals aged (65 years and over) reached 4% in Palestine, 4% in the West Bank and 3% in the Gaza Strip.

B- Indicators of housing conditions and services:

1- About 81% of families in Palestine live in homes owned by a family member residing there. At the regional level, this percentage is distributed at 87% in the West Bank and 70% in the Gaza Strip in 2022.
2-The percentage of families who live in rented housing in Palestine reached 7% (5% in the West Bank, compared to 10% in the Gaza Strip), while the percentage of Palestinian families who live in housing without compensation or in exchange for work is 12% (7% in the West Bank). Western, compared to 20% in the Gaza Strip), during the year 2022.

3- More than half of the families in Palestine live in apartments:

The total number of families in Palestine who live in apartments reached about 54%, while 43% of families live in dwellings classified as a house, less than half a percent of families live in a villa, and 3% of families live in other dwellings such as a separate room or a tent. , or Barakia, or another in 2022.

Figure No. (3) shows the relative distribution of families in Palestine by type of housing

4-on average, 1.5 people live per room in Palestinian housing

The average housing density (number of persons per room) in Palestine was 1.5 persons/ room in 2022 (by 1.5 persons/ room in urban and rural areas, compared to 1.8 persons/ room in the camps), while the average housing density at the regional level was 1.4 persons/ room in the West Bank, compared to 1.7 persons/ room in the Gaza Strip.

5-about 5% of West Bank families live in overcrowded housing compared to 9% in the Gaza Strip:

6% of families in Palestine Live in high-density housing units (3 or more people per room) (5% in the West Bank, compared to 9% in the Gaza Strip), and at the level of the type of community, it is 6% in urban and rural areas and will increase to 9% in the camps in 2022.

It should also be noted that the average number of rooms in the dwelling reached 3.5 rooms in 2022 in Palestine, and the average number of rooms in the dwelling reached 3.5 rooms in urban and 3.6 rooms in rural compared to 3.2 rooms in the camps, and the average number of rooms in the dwelling in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip reached 3.5 rooms during the year 2022.

6- Only 4% of Gaza residents have access to safely managed, pollution-free water:

The data indicate that about 40% of the population in Palestine has access to safely managed and pollution-free water (free of E-Coli bacteria, 66% in the West Bank, compared to 4% in the Gaza Strip), and this percentage by type of community reached 36% in urban and 67% in rural, and this percentage decreased to 25% of the population in the camps in 2020

C-work indicators:

1-the labor force participation rate (for individuals 15 years and older) was 43.4%, where the female participation rate was 19% compared to 17.2% in 2021, and the male 71% compared to 69% in 2021.

2-the unemployment rate in Palestine in 2022 reached about 24.4%, and there is still a large disparity in the unemployment rate among participants in the labor force for individuals from 15 years and more between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where this rate reached 45.3% in the Gaza Strip, compared to 13.1% in the West Bank.

At the gender level, the unemployment rate for males in Palestine reached 20% compared to 40% for females in 2023. The unemployment rate reached 48% among young people (19-29 years old) with an average diploma and above, with 61% for females compared to 34% for males.

3-Approximately 40% of wage-employed workers in the private sector receive a monthly wage less than the minimum wage of (1,880 shekels), where the percentage reached about 38% for men, compared to 50% for women, and approximately 40% of female wage-employees in the private sector work. Without an employment contract, 44% receive a contribution to financing retirement/end-of-service benefits. In contrast, 46% of female wage employees in the private sector receive paid maternity leave.

D- Education indicators

1-The illiteracy rate among individuals aged 15 years and over in Palestine reached 2.2%, and this rate varied greatly between males and females. It reached 1.1% among males, while it reached 3.3% among females.

2- Females outperform males in completion rates for the lower and higher secondary levels, as these percentages reached 97% and 78%, respectively, while the percentages among males reached 90% and 53%, respectively.

3- The percentage of female students enrolled in Palestinian higher education institutions reached 62% of the total students enrolled in higher education institutions for the academic year 2021/2022, of whom about 10% are enrolled in the communications and information technology major.

4-The number of schools, according to the Palestinian Census data in 2021, was about 3,107 schools, with a number of teachers amounting to 59 thousand teachers annually and a number of students amounting to 1,338,353 annually.

E-health indicators:

1-the number of hospitals in 2021 reached about 89 hospitals, distributed among 54 hospitals in the West Bank, and 35 in the Gaza Strip.

2-the number of health centers in 2021 reached about 765, 64% of these centers are affiliated with the Palestinian Ministry of health, compared to 25% affiliated with non-governmental organizations, 9% affiliated with the relief agency and 2% affiliated with military services.

3-the number of doctors was 2.7 doctors per 1000 inhabitants, and the number of beds was 1.5 per 1000 inhabitants

F- Information Society Indicators:

1- In 2022, about 92% of families in Palestine reported that they or one of their members has access to internet service at home, 93% in the West Bank, and 92% in the Gaza Strip.

2-The percentage of individuals aged 10 years and over who used the Internet from anywhere was 89% in Palestine, 92% in the West Bank and 83% in the Gaza Strip, while the percentage was 89% among males and 88% among females.

3- About 79% of individuals (10 years and older) in Palestine own a mobile phone, 86% in the West Bank and 69% in the Gaza Strip. There is a clear gap in ownership of a mobile phone between males and females, as the percentage reached 83% for males and 76% for females. In 2022.

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Over the past decades, Egypt has provided about 100 thousand martyrs and 200 thousand wounded during its wars with Israel for the Palestinian cause.

The Egyptian state has always strived to bring the views of the Palestinian factions closer and achieve reconciliation to end the division and heal the Rift, and to form a unified national position that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a secure and stable life.

It should be noted that the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on the division of Palestine into two states, “Resolution No. 181”, one Arab and one Jewish, considering Jerusalem as a distinct entity subject to a special international regime, with the approval of 33 countries, the rejection of 13 countries and 10 abstentions..

The origins of the partition decision date back to 1937, when the “bell committee”, tasked by Britain to investigate the causes of the Great Palestinian revolution in 1936, issued its report in which the partition proposal was mentioned for the first time.

And on May 14, 1948, the establishment of the state of Israel was declared on most of the territory of historical Palestine without clarifying its borders to this day.

We review the most prominent stations of Egyptian support for the Palestinian cause over the past 75 years as follows:

-1948, Egypt opposed the decision to partition Palestine, considering that it denied the right of the Palestinian people to exercise full self-determination on the whole of its territory.

-1950: Egypt opposed the plans that targeted the West Bank, asserting that it belongs to the Palestinian people, and demanded the need to recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people on their land Palestine.

-1964, Egypt welcomed the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization and adopted the decision of the organization to establish a Palestinian Liberation Army and defined the obligations of the member states to assist them in the exercise of their functions.

– 1967, president Nasser called for the Khartoum conference and raised the slogan “no recognition, no reconciliation, no negotiation” with Israel.

– 1969, Nasser supervised the signing of the “Cairo” agreement in support of the Palestinian revolution, and continued his defense of the cause until his death in 1970.

– 1972, President Sadat proposed the idea of establishing a provisional government of Palestine in response to the claims of Golda Meir, the then prime minister of Israel, that there was no Palestinian people.

-1973, Egypt strongly assisted the efforts of the Palestine Liberation Organization until it was able to obtain full recognition from the Arab countries as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, during the sixth Arab Summit held in Algeria.

– 1974, thanks to the efforts of the Egyptian state, the UN General Assembly, in Resolution No. 3236(29th Session), affirmed the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of self-determination, the right of independence and the right of return.

– 1975: on the basis of an Egyptian proposal, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution No. 3375 ( 30th session) inviting the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in all efforts, discussions and conferences related to the Middle East..

– 1976, a proposal submitted by Egypt to grant the Palestine Liberation Organization full membership in the league of Arab states was unanimously approved, thereby giving the organization the right to participate in discussions and in the formulation and adoption of decisions related to the Arab nation, after its role was limited to participating in discussions on the Palestinian issue only..

– 1977, during his famous speech in the Israeli Knesset, President Sadat demanded a return to the pre-1967 borders.

-1982: the Egyptian ambassador was withdrawn from Israel after the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982 under President Mubarak.

-1988, as a result of intensive efforts in which Egypt participated, the first American decision was issued to open a dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization, thus opening the door to a new stage of peace efforts.

– 1989, President Mubarak put forward his peace plan, which included the need to resolve the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Security Council resolution, the principle of land for peace, and the establishment of political rights for Palestinians with the cessation of Israeli settlements.

–  1993: Egypt participated in the signing of the “Oslo” agreement on the right of Palestinians to self-government.

– August 1995, Egypt played a prominent role until the Cairo protocol was signed, which included the transfer of a number of powers to the Palestinian Authority.

–  September 1995: in the city of Taba..The interim agreement was signed to expand the Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank, and then it was finally signed in Washington on September 28, 1995 under the auspices of the Egyptian state, and in accordance with the Taba agreement, the Israeli withdrawal from the major cities in the West Bank, namely Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Bethlehem, then Qalqilya and Ramallah.

– 1997, as a result of the Egyptian efforts, the Hebron Agreement was signed on the general framework of security arrangements in the city of Hebron and the next stages of redeployment.

– 1998, Egypt supported the Palestinian side in its demand to abide by the “Wye plantation” agreement reached with Israel as an application of the Oslo Accords, which gave the impression that there was a breakthrough on the road to peace.

– October 2002, Egypt participated in the efforts that led to the adoption of the road map plan adopted by the quartet, which includes a comprehensive vision for resolving the Palestinian issue leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005.

-Since November 2002 : Egypt sponsors the Palestinian-Palestinian dialogue and hosts its tours with the aim of helping the factions achieve Palestinian reconciliation.

– 2003, Egypt supported the “Geneva” document between the Israelis and the Palestinians as a peace model to calm the situation in the region.

– 2004, Egypt launched an initiative to play a direct role in creating the conditions for the implementation of the Israeli withdrawal plan from the Gaza Strip.

–  2008, Egypt confirmed its commitment to continue its contribution to supplying the Gaza Strip with electricity, as the Ministry of electricity and energy installed voltage capacitors on the electric lines extending from Egyptian Rafah to Palestinian Rafah to increase the power supply capacity in the cities and villages of the Gaza Strip isolated from the grid to meet the needs of the Palestinian brothers and relieve the burden of the blockade imposed on them by Israel, especially in the field of electricity and energy.

– Opening the Rafah land crossing for the sick, injured, humanitarian cases, Umrah pilgrims and students residing in Egypt and the Arab countries.

– In May 2014, Egypt succeeded in persuading the “Fatah and Hamas” movements to sign a reconciliation agreement under interim president Adly Mansour.

– After Abdel Fattah al-Sisi assumed the presidency of the Republic in June 2014, he stressed during his participation in the meetings of the UN General Assembly that the Palestinian issue is the top priority of the Egyptian state, and that there is no way for peace except by establishing the Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

– 2016: Sisi appealed to the Israeli people and their leadership to move towards peace with the Palestinians.

– 2017: the Fatah and Hamas movements signed an agreement to end the Palestinian division in Cairo, where Egypt invited a meeting to be held with the participation of all Palestinian factions that signed the Palestinian National Accord agreement in 2011. The two movements agreed on measures to enable the government of National Accord to exercise its functions and assume its full responsibilities in managing the affairs of the Gaza Strip, as in the West Bank, no later than on 1/12/2017, while working to eliminate all problems caused by the division.

– In 2018, during a youth conference at Cairo University, Sisi called on public opinion in Israel to seize the “great opportunity for peace” currently available.

– In 2021, Sisi announced that Egypt will provide 500 million dollars as an Egyptian Initiative allocated for the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the Israeli aggression against it.

– Sisi directed the opening of Egyptian hospitals to receive the wounded of the ongoing Israeli aggression against the defenseless Palestinian people.

– Since the brutal Israeli aggression that followed the “Al-Aqsa flood” operation in October 2023, Sisi has held intensive contacts with world leaders to discuss efforts to de-escalate and inject blood into the Gaza Strip.

Sisi stressed that there is no solution to the Palestinian issue except the two-state solution, while rejecting and deploring the policy of displacement or attempts to liquidate the Palestinian issue at the expense of neighboring countries.

He declared that Israel’s reaction in Gaza goes beyond self-defense to collective punishment.

He said that what is happening in Gaza now is not limited to directing military action against Hamas in order to liquidate the Palestinian resistance, but is an attempt to force the civilian population to seek refuge and migrate to Egypt, which is “unacceptable and unworkable”.

The Houses of Representatives and the Senate declared that attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homeland and push them to seek refuge in Egypt are a war crime and an immoral attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

The Egyptian state refused the exit of foreign nationals from the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt before allowing the entry of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian brothers.

The president directed the sending of convoys to the Rafah crossing loaded with huge amounts of food and medical aid, including doctors from all specialties and medical devices, and waiting for the brothers in Gaza to enter.

The largest nationwide Blood Donation campaign has been launched in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

– On October 21, 2023, Egypt hosted the “international peace summit” called by President Sisi in order to contain the worsening crisis in the Gaza Strip and reduce the military escalation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

Egypt will remain strongly supportive of the Palestinian cause and will do its utmost to ensure that the Palestinian people enjoy security and peace, achieve their dream of establishing their independent state and end the Israeli occupation.

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This research paper highlights the sustainable development goals and the economic dimensions of Egypt’s Vision 2030 based on the importance of achieving this and the necessity of developing strategies and drawing development policies with a more balanced future vision, through the following axes:

1- Sustainable Development Goals

2-areas of development in Egypt’s Vision 2030

3- performance measurement indicators to achieve development areas

4- the components and opportunities in the Egyptian economy

5- the challenges of achieving economic development in Egypt

6- knowledge economy as an approach to achieving development in Egypt

7- policies to achieve economic development in Egypt at the sectoral level

The most important findings of the paper are as follows:

1-there are several axes for the Egyptian government to deal with all developments to achieve sustainable development based on enhancing the role of the private sector in economic activity, raising its participation rate in the economy to 65% of the total investments implemented within 3 years and supporting the localization of national industries to rely on the local product.

2-the state strategy is based on the complete exit, reduction or stabilization of government investments directed to certain sectors and activities, as well as studying the continuation or increase of government investments in sectors with strategic or social dimensions, and announcing a program for private sector participation in state-owned assets with a target of 10 billion dollars annually for 4 years.

3- Announcing a clear and binding plan to reduce public debt as a percentage of national income, and reduce the budget deficit over the next 4 years.

4-Proposing an integrated vision to advance the Egyptian Stock Exchange, which includes offering companies owned by the armed forces, providing basic goods at subsidized prices, and social protection measures.

5- Egypt must rely on its own resources to achieve economic development in terms of investment, awareness, or developing capabilities, and translate them into effective policies that benefit Egypt, through preparing strategies capable of achieving Egypt’s Vision 2030.

 first axis: the goals of sustainable development

The 17 sustainable development goals adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015 are based on what has been achieved.

Among the successes in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), which represents a global vision and call to action to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all peoples enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015, are based on the successes in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), and they represent a global vision and call to action to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all peoples enjoy peace and prosperity by Year 2030.

The 17 goals are as follows: 1- End poverty, 2- Zero hunger, 3- Good health and well-being, 4- Quality education, 5- Gender equality, 6- Clean water and sanitation, 7- Clean and affordable energy, 8- Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 10- Reducing Inequalities, 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12- Responsible Consumption and Production, 13- Climate Action, 14- Life Under Water, 15- Life in Righteousness, 16- Peace, justice and strong institutions, 17- Contract of partnership to achieve goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals require working in a spirit of partnership and in a practical manner so that the right choices can be made to improve life in a sustainable way for future generations. They provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt according to their priorities, taking into account the environmental challenges facing the entire world.

Countries are now required to achieve high rates of economic growth ،preserve the environment and the right of future generations to resources at the same time, in addition to fighting poverty and corruption, protecting the consumer, and paying attention to education, training and scientific research. Achieving all of this requires the availability of large amounts of savings and financial resources, which often What these countries cannot fulfill.

Second axis: areas of development in Egypt’s Vision 2030

1- Economic development

Economic development is one of the most important axes of the economic dimension in Egypt’s Vision 2030 sustainable development plan, along with the axes of energy, transparency and efficiency of government institutions. The first axis “economic development” includes 7 goals, the foremost of which is the stability of macroeconomic conditions, and it includes reducing the ratio of public debt to GDP and the ratio of the total deficit to GDP, and maintaining the stability of the price level.

The second goal is to increase competitiveness, diversity and reliance on knowledge, which includes increasing the degree of competitiveness of the Egyptian economy internationally and raising the contribution of services to GDP, especially productive services such as maintenance of equipment and equipment, design and communications, shipping and transportation, in addition to the third goal “maximizing added value”, which includes increasing the local component in industrial content and reducing the trade balance deficit.

Egypt’s vision states that by 2030, the Egyptian economy will be a disciplined market economy characterized by stable macroeconomic conditions, capable of achieving inclusive and sustainable growth, and characterized by competitiveness, diversification, and knowledge-based.

2- Energy

By 2030, the energy sector will be able to meet all the requirements of sustainable national development in terms of energy resources and maximize efficient utilization of its various sources (traditional and renewable), leading to an effective contribution to promoting economic growth, national competitiveness, social justice, and environmental preservation, while achieving leadership in the fields of renewable energy. And the rational and sustainable management of resources, and is characterized by the ability to innovate, predict and adapt to local, regional and international changes in the field of energy, in the context of keeping pace with achieving the international goals of sustainable development.

3- Knowledge, innovation and scientific research

By 2030, Egypt will become a creative, innovative and productive society for science, technology and knowledge, characterized by an integrated system that ensures the development value of innovation and knowledge, and links knowledge applications and innovation outputs to national goals and challenges.

The repercussions of Corona in the first quarter of 2020 and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis imposed additional challenges on the Egyptian state, and their solution requires the search for additional sources of financing the Sustainable Development Goals, the most prominent of these challenges are the reduction of foreign exchange reserves, increasing public debt, and increasing the unemployment rate.

The Egyptian government expected that the negative repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war would continue during the current year on the Egyptian economy, which has incurred about 465 billion pounds in direct and indirect impacts since the outbreak of the war in early February 2022. The bill for the direct impacts amounted to about 130 billion pounds, represented by the prices of strategic goods and fuel, in addition to To interest rates and tourism, while indirect effects represented by increased wages, pensions, social protection and tax exemptions amounted to about 335 billion pounds.

The crisis also has its effects on Egypt’s foreign exchange revenues from tourism.during the period from July 2021 to January 2022, the number of tourists arriving to Egypt from Russia and Ukraine recorded about 31%. Russia and Ukraine occupy the first and second places in the ranking of the number of tourists arriving to Egypt during the period from July 2021 to January 2022, while Poland comes in sixth place with a number of tourists up to 214.1 thousand tourists and Belarus in the ninth place with about 146.6 thousand.

There are axes to deal with this crisis based on enhancing the role of the private sector in economic activity, raising the percentage of its participation in the economy to reach 65% of the total investments implemented within 3 years, and supporting the localization of national industries to rely on the local product. According to the cabinet, this step is based on improving the business climate, launching a package of various incentives, and opening direct communication channels with the private sector.

The state’s strategy in this axis is based on complete exit, and the reduction or fixation of government investments directed to specific sectors and activities. As for the third axis, it will be a study of continuing or increasing government investments in sectors with strategic or social dimensions, and announcing a program for private sector participation in state-owned assets, with a target of $10 billion annually for a period of 4 years.

 Third axis: performance indicators to achieve the areas of development

Egypt Vision 2030 developed a set of performance indicators that ensure quantitative measurement of the vision, as it specified values for the various indicators included in the strategic goals and objectives of the plan.

The performance indicators were divided into three groups. The first group expressed the strategic results, which was that the real growth rate would reach 12% in 2030, the per capita GDP would reach 10,000 US dollars, and the share of real GDP in the total real global product would reach 1. %, the percentage of poor people reaches 15%, and the percentage of the population below the extreme poverty line reaches 0%.

The second group is the output indicators. The performance indicators were represented in the percentage of industrial added value reaching 18% of the GDP, the percentage of merchandise and services trade reaching 65%, the net trade balance percentage reaching 1%, the percentage of services reaching 57%, and the percentage of the private sector’s contribution to the GDP reaching To 75%, and indicators at the output level determined that the percentage of high-technological exports of total Egyptian industrial exports reaches 6%, net foreign direct investment reaches $30 billion, and the value of outsourcing services revenues reaches $5 billion.

The third group expresses performance indicators related to inputs and specifies that income taxes reach 22.5%, value-added tax reaches 10%, the percentage of public investment managed by localities reaches 30%, the capital formation rate (investment rate) reaches 30%, and the value of Export support amounts to 8 billion pounds.

Fourth axis: components and opportunities in the Egyptian economy

1- Egypt’s strategic geographical location

Egypt is one of the most important global trade corridors between East and West. In addition to land transportation, which plays a major role in transporting foreign trade to and from Egypt, there are a number of canals, roads, and navigational and river corridors, whether natural or artificial, such as the Nile River.

2- Human energy

Egypt is one of the most populous countries in the Middle East, and its population is characterized by the fact that most of it is young. Egypt is considered a young country, with 61% of the total population under the age of 30.

3- The large size of the consumer market

Egypt is one of the most populous countries in the Middle East, and this makes it one of the largest consumer markets in the Middle East due to the large size of its population. Egypt also enjoys a network of international trade agreements that enable it to be a center for trade in the Middle East if these agreements are exploited well.

4- Tourism potential

Egypt has all the elements of tourist attractions, and tourism is one of the most important sources of national income and foreign currency for the Egyptian economy. In addition to the charm of nature and the splendor of the climate, Egypt includes about a third of the world’s monuments, and an ancient heritage. It is also characterized by the diversity of the tourism product between religious, historical, cultural, archaeological and therapeutic.

5-diversity of the Egyptian economy

Egypt’s economy depends mainly on the services sector, revenues from the oil sector, agricultural production, manufacturing industries, tourism revenues and Suez Canal income, which makes the Egyptian economy diversified, and protects this diversity from the negative impact of shocks that may affect one of these sectors, and it also gives Egypt a greater opportunity to participate and integrate into production and value chains at the global level.

 Fifth axis: the challenges of achieving economic development in Egypt

1- Challenges at the macroeconomic level

Over the past few years, the Egyptian economy has been exposed to a number of crises, which have led to a decline in growth rates, investment, employment, state general revenues, Government flows, an increase in government expenditures, an increase in the total deficit, the current and trade balance deficit, and the decline of the cash reserve to the lowest levels.the challenges of economic growth can be divided into challenges related to fiscal and monetary policies, investment, in addition to employment-specific challenges.

2- Operational challenges

Employment challenges can be limited to high unemployment, poor efficiency in the labor market, and the high size of the informal sector. Although some believe that this sector has contributed to providing job opportunities for a large number of young people, this work is not considered appropriate due to low wages and the absence of factors Security and safety, and its concentration in the trade and distribution sector, which negatively affected the productivity of this sector and deteriorated the quality of products that are not subject to supervision and harm the interests of consumers.

3- Investment challenges

The Egyptian economy suffers from some challenges that prevent increased investments, including weak domestic savings rates, a decline in foreign direct investment, and a lack of clarity in the mechanisms for allocating land, implementing contracts, protecting investors’ rights, and the rules of governance and transparency. The new Investment Law No. 17 of 2015 is a step in the right direction to develop the business environment and make it more attractive for practicing economic activity.

4- Challenges at the sectoral level

A-The industrial sector… The most important challenges are the complexity of the energy support system for energy-intensive projects, and the non-compliance of many industrial products with international standards as well as environmental standards.

B-In the Agricultural sector, the rates of loss in agricultural products are increasing, in addition to the relative limitation of the advanced agricultural manufacturing sector, the stagnation of marketing systems, the absence of contract farming, the lack of interest in post-harvest transactions, and the high rates of encroachment on agricultural land, which exceeded about 20 thousand acres annually.

C-In the water and irrigation sector, the most important challenges lie in the continuous population growth, which results in an increase in the demand for water services with limited water shares available, the deterioration of water quality due to pollution and the lack of financing and investments directed to the provision of water services at all levels.

D-In the tourism sector, the challenges are the lack of low-priced airline packages, the weakness of the electronic system for procedures for dealing with tourists, the lack of incentive policies, the weak marketing capacity of Egyptian tourism, and the low level of infrastructure necessary to connect different tourist areas.

E-In the transport sector, there is a weakness in the level of services in transport networks, means and services, insufficient coverage of public transport networks, insufficient safety and security measures in all transport networks, means and services, and high rates of traffic accidents.

Sixth Axis: knowledge economy to achieve development in Egypt

The World Bank defines the knowledge economy as one that achieves effective use of knowledge for real economic and social development. This includes bringing and applying different international knowledge, in addition to adapting and creating knowledge in order to meet the needs of society.

The knowledge society is a society in which all institutions and organizations enable individuals to develop without restrictions, and provide opportunities to produce and use all types of knowledge on a large scale for all members of society.

Steps to build the knowledge economy in Egypt

Global Knowledge Index 2021

The Global Knowledge Index 2021 represents a measure of knowledge as a comprehensive concept closely related to the various dimensions of contemporary human life in 136 countries around the world. The index depends on measuring the extent of development in 7 sub-sectoral indicators: pre-university education, technical education, vocational training, higher education, research, development and innovation, information and communications technology, economy, and empowerment.

Egypt advanced from 72nd place out of 138 countries in 2020 to 53rd place out of 154 countries in 2021 according to the Global Knowledge Index report and from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which includes multiple other indicators such as clear education.

Four basic elements of the knowledge economy: –

1- The availability of an economic incentive and institutional framework, which allows for the existence of good economic policies that help in the efficient allocation of resources, innovation and the use of knowledge.

2- The existence of an effective innovative system within companies, research centers, universities, consulting companies and other organizations that may participate in achieving the knowledge revolution.

3- The availability of skilled, trained technical personnel who can utilize various skills to use knowledge efficiently.

4- Creating an appropriate and modern knowledge structure that facilitates the use of communications and information technology.

Step one: determine the design characteristics

It is difficult to implement a work program aimed at achieving radical change to build a knowledge-based economy without adopting a methodology based on the spirit of innovation.

Second step: drawing up a proposal on the path of the knowledge economy that corresponds to the identified design characteristics, to the culture and conditions of the country.

Third step: testing the proposed mechanisms and procedures associated with the knowledge-based economy by comparing them with the specific characteristics of the design, and verifying how realistic they are for field application.

Step four: launching the knowledge-based economy campaign

seventh axis: policies for achieving economic development in Egypt at the sectoral level

1-Industry sector

The policies related to this sector are to correct the imbalance in the market, support fair competition, provide additional resources to support industry and other sectors, and continue the export orientation and openness to African countries, by achieving greater interconnection between industry and export growth, and converting part of commercial activities to manufacturing.

2- The agricultural sector

The policies related to this sector are represented in developing agricultural technology, encouraging contract farming, regional agricultural cooperation with African countries, and developing the agricultural investment climate.

3- Water and irrigation sector

Developing an integrated water resources management system, supporting water cooperation between Egypt and the Nile Basin countries, implementing joint water projects with African countries, conducting studies, research, and scientific and technical applications, while building databases and e-government.

4- Tourism sector

Promoting Egypt (as a tourist destination) and new products in the Egyptian market to reach different segments, such as hospital tourism, religious tourism, eco-tourism, desert and oasis tourism, conference and exhibition tourism, and opening up to new promising tourism markets with African countries.
5- The banking sector

Creating a mechanism to motivate banks to finance feeding industries, developing and diversifying financing services, activating the role of the Export Development Bank and the Egyptian Export Guarantee and Finance Company, and expanding export risk services, especially for African countries.

Conclusion

Achieving economic development in Egypt must depend on its own resources, whether in terms of investment, awareness, or developing capabilities, and translating them into effective policies that benefit Egypt, through preparing strategies capable of achieving Egypt’s 2030 vision.

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Digital transformation will reduce corruption, bribery, mechanization and electronic connectivity of state actors will facilitate transaction procedures and speedy judgement in cases of litigation to achieve justice, all of which are catalysts to attract investment. Digital transformation will also contribute to restricting control and reorienting the use of state property to serve the transformation of digital life.

In this context, the Strategic Forum for Public Policies and Development Studies issues a research paper on analyzing the performance potential of e-commerce and virtual companies in Egypt, through the following axes:

First: The performance of e-commerce and virtual companies in Egypt and Africa

Second: The Egyptian government’s procedures to facilitate the procedures of virtual companies

Third: Ease of doing business in Egypt

Fourth: Ways to support and stimulate e-commerce and virtual companies in Egypt

The paper’s findings are as follows:

-The number of internet users in Egypt increased to about 75.7 million users in January 2022, compared to 21.9 million users in January 2012, and the number of mobile internet users reached 68.5 million users in June 2022, compared to 59.7 million users in June 2021, an increase of 14.9%.
-13.7% of internet users in Egypt use it to invest and carry out banking transactions via mobile applications on a monthly basis, while 15% use the internet to pay for services and utilities.

-Since 2022, the Ministry of Communications has started a program to host electronics manufacturers in Egypt, including Nokia and Vivo companies, which started manufacturing from Egypt.discussions are currently underway with Oppo and Xiaomi companies to open a factory in Egypt. talks are also being held with Samsung to expand its factory in Beni Suef.

-The value of government electronic payment and collection services through the electronic payment system amounted to about 3.7 trillion pounds (about 200 billion US dollars), while the value of revenues from taxes and customs amounted to about 1 trillion pounds.

-The “UNCTAD” report confirmed that Egypt is the first investment destination in the African continent for 2022, while the Rand Merchant Bank has identified the top 10 countries attractive for investment in Africa for 2021, and Egypt came in first place.

First: The performance of e-commerce and virtual companies in Egypt and Africa

-The virtual company relies on electronic employment, where the work is remote, and communication takes place between them by electronic means, and it has no fixed headquarters, and it bears no expenses when compared to the company’s physical expenses, and it saves a lot of money, time, effort, and buildings. A company can decide to shift from being a traditional company that operates according to the familiar and known ways to a virtual company that relies in everything it does on remote work.

Global e-commerce sales jumped to $26.7 trillion in 2019, up 4 percent from 2018, according to a report by the United Nations Trade and Development Agency (UNCTAD). The report indicated that online retail sales grew significantly in many countries, with the Republic of Korea recording the highest share of 25.9% in 2020, up from 20.8% in the previous year, as the volume of e-commerce amounted to about 30% of Global (GDP) in 2020.

about 16% of companies in the world work remotely at a rate of 100%, while 44% of companies do not allow working remotely, According to the latest statistics of “findstack.com ” specialized in e-commerce affairs for the year 2022,She emphasized that 77% of employees say they are more productive when working from home, and the average annual income for remote workers is $4,000 higher than other workers. And she pointed out that 85% of managers believe that having teams with remote workers will become the new norm, while 74% of workers say that having the option to work remotely would make them less likely to leave the company.

The number of Internet users in Egypt reached about 75.66 million( 71.9%), and the average number of hours Egyptians spend on the Internet is 8 hours, according to the latest statistics of the virtual reality platform “Horizon World”, affiliated with “Meta Virus.” The Foundation indicated that the number of Internet users In Egypt, it increased from 21.9 million users in January 2012 to 75.7 million users in January 2022, and that 13.7% of Internet users in Egypt invest and carry out banking transactions via mobile applications monthly, while 15% use the Internet to pay for services and utilities.

The number of mobile Internet users also reached 68.5 million users in June 2022, compared to 59.7 million users in June 2021, an increase of 14.9%, according to the data of the annual bulletin of telecommunications statistics issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics in June 2023. The number of users reached Internet via ADSL reached about 10.5 million subscribers in June 2022 compared to 9.5 million subscribers in June 2021, an increase of about 10.7%.

Figure No. (1) shows the number of Internet users by mobile phone according to months

Source: Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics

-Since 2022, the Ministry of Communications has started a program to host electronics manufacturers in Egypt, including Nokia and VIVO companies, which started manufacturing from Egypt, and discussions are currently underway with Oppo and Xiaomi companies to open a factory for them in Egypt, and discussions are also being held with Samsung to expand its factory In Beni Suef, noting that it was agreed with these companies that the proportion of the local component in the electronics industry be no less than 40%, and that the construction of about 2,800 mobile towers will be completed to improve mobile services provided to citizens, in addition to the construction of 1,000 mobile towers in the villages of a decent life. In accordance with international standards, with approvals from all concerned state authorities.

-About two years ago, the Egyptian Tax Authority took good steps in digital transformation systems, such as imposing the electronic bill system, which obliges every seller and merchant in Egypt to pay taxes online, allowing the state to monitor suspicious financing and money laundering plans.
The number of online shoppers in Africa is estimated at 21 million. The size of the e – commerce market in Africa is estimated at more than USD 60 billion in 2021, and the market is expected to witness an increase of USD 14.5 billion during the period (2025-2030), and it is expected to contribute to the creation of 3 million jobs on the continent by 2025.

-There are about 264 startups in the African continent working in the field of e-commerce and marketing and active in 23 countries, including the developed African countries Mauritius, Tunisia, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Egypt and Algeria.

-Africa aims to increase online shopping through the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which will benefit Egypt, as the agreement imposes on companies a 90% reduction in taxes imposed on products, free movement of funds and transactions, and seeks to form a customs union at the level of the African continent

Second: Facilitating the procedures of virtual companies by the Egyptian government

-The government is currently expanding to allow the establishment of virtual companies (online without the need for headquarters), to support the Egyptian economy, which is under pressure from the negative repercussions of the Russian – Ukrainian war.

-The government’s plan to confront the economic crisis was based on 5 main axes, starting with enhancing the value of the local product and industry, localizing foreign direct investments, exiting the state from public companies to provide opportunities for the private sector, restructuring public debt, a plan to advance the Egyptian capital market, and continuing to maintain the social dimension. The plan included government endeavors to facilitate online registration of startups, opening virtual businesses without the need for corporate headquarters, and amending legislation and laws to facilitate the establishment of one’s own companies. This contributes to the integration of the informal economy under the State’s formal umbrella, to be the best supporter of the local economy.

-The latest statistics of the Ministry of Finance regarding the digital transformation system in Egypt showed that the value of government e-payment and collection services through the system amounted to about 3.7 trillion pounds (about 200 billion US dollars). The value of revenues from taxes and customs reached about one trillion pounds, and the system indicated that the government succeeded in converting 96% of the electronic government cards to pay the dues of state workers to secured “Meeza” cards with contactless smart chips for workers in the state’s administrative apparatus. The first phase of the electronic bill system was implemented from October 2020 until the implementation of the sixth phase in February 2022.

-The opening of virtual companies supports the government’s directions to increase the share of the private sector in executed investments from 30% to 65% by increasing the number of companies present in the Egyptian market.

-The decision will also attract a number of foreign companies wishing to enter the Egyptian market, as this step facilitates many of the usual administrative procedures, foremost of which is the possibility of running business via the Internet without the need for residency. Start-ups costs renting their own headquarters and hiring workers.

-Egypt needs a technological infrastructure capable of meeting the expansion in the field of digital transformation, as an important and necessary step for the success of the ambitious plans and projects that it has begun to implement in all fields, including education and health projects.

Third: Ease of doing business in Egypt

-The “UNCTAD” report confirmed that Egypt is the first investment destination in the African continent for the year 2022, and the “Rand Merchant” bank identified the top 10 attractive countries for investment in Africa for the year 2021, with Egypt occupying the first place.
The ranking of countries is as follows: Egypt – Morocco – South Africa – Kenya – Rwanda – Ghana – Côte d’Ivoire – Nigeria – Ethiopia – Tunisia. There are several factors that contributed to the growth of the economy of the ten African countries that brought the report, including the sectors of manufacturing, construction, communication and information technology, retail trade, and banking and financial services.

-Egypt witnessed accelerated steps for advancement, development and modernization at all levels and in all parts of it, such as the road network that it established to raise the efficiency of transport and communication, which will have great economic effects on trade, industry and population movement within the country.
In an important step for the advancement of the country, the administrative capital was established to be the largest smart city in the world, where smart infrastructure works were implemented at the highest level of digital transformation tools, as well as modernizing work in government agencies and departments that will move to it.

-Major technology companies around the world are racing to develop smart robots for various uses or amazing technologies that simulate humans, and many of them were shown at international exhibitions such as Gitex, the world smartphone Conference, and others.

-There are huge disparities between and within countries in terms of penetration, affordability, and performance of digital services despite the digital revolution.

-While more than half of the world’s population currently has access to the Internet, the penetration rate does not exceed 15% in the least developed countries, or 1 person in 7, due to the high prices of Internet services through mobile phones or fixed lines.

-The reason for the improvement in Egypt’s ranking is due to the efforts made by the government, including the expansion of adopting modern technologies to provide Egypt’s digital services, the implementation of a huge project to develop the communications infrastructure with investments amounting to about $1.6 billion, and the execution of the second phase of the project in the current fiscal year with investments of $300 million, in addition to To create the legislative and legal environment that governs the uses of artificial intelligence by issuing the Personal Data Protection Law that regulates the relationship between the data owner and users.

Fourth: Ways to support and stimulate e-commerce and virtual companies in Egypt

The paper recommends developing clear policies on the use and availability of data, opening more technology centers to stimulate scientific research and development in the field of artificial intelligence, and working closely with SMEs, open source developers, and educational institutions to help them integrate artificial intelligence in various fields.

The proposals in more detail as follows:

1- It is necessary to spread the culture of digital innovation for all and achieve universal access to digital technologies, and provide data at affordable prices.

2- Adopting digital transformation by all ministries, which is an engine for the development process, especially for those who rely on electronic platforms.

3- providing assistance to start-up companies, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises in order to enhance competition and innovation.

4- The need to raise the efficiency of Telecom Egypt’s performance and enable it to establish a digital infrastructure that meets the needs of the state and society in digital transformation and major national projects such as the pre-university education development project.

5- Presenting a number of regional policies at the level of the African continent, within the framework of the continental free trade area, with the aim of integrating economies and implementing national digital strategies, which requires cooperation between African countries in various fields, including digital taxation, data security and the availability of information across borders.

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Attacking Muslims and their property, burning Qurans, and vandalizing mosques has become a regular and frequent occurrence, carried out under the protection of the police under the pretext of freedom of expression, and in complete disregard for the feelings of two billion Muslims around the world.
What happened in Denmark, Sweden, and many other European countries, in terms of burning the Qur’an, reflects the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia” in it, and legitimizing it in light of the authorities’ permitting such actions, and deliberately distorting the image of Muslims and intimidating Western society from their presence.

In order to address the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”, which poses an imminent threat to global coexistence, especially the Muslims represent nearly 10% of the total population of Europe and constitute a source of intellectual, scientific and cultural wealth for Europe, the Strategic Forum for Public Policies and Development Studies issues “Deraya” a research paper that monitors and analyzes the reality of The phenomenon of Islamophobia in European countries through the following 7 axes:

First: The concept and origins of “Islamophobia”.

Secondly, “Islamophobia” is a manifestation of racism.

Third: Indicators of the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

Fourth: Reasons for the rise in the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

Fifth: the challenges to addressing the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

Sixth: The efforts of the Egyptian state to confront “Islamophobia”.

Seventh: Proposals to eliminate the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

The main findings of the research paper are as follows:

1-The phenomenon of “Islamophobia” is a form of racism and discrimination that affects all aspects of Muslims’ lives, from education and work to obtaining citizenship and full participation in society.

2- a big gap between official reports and the reality of the spread of “Islamophobia. Only about 12% of Muslims who are discriminated in the EU countries report their cases to the authorities.

3- “Islamophobia” has become institutionalized. France, Austria and Denmark are the most exacerbated countries in Europe.

4- The French authorities took control of 1,727 Islamic institutions, closed about 118 and confiscated about 10 million euros between January and August 2022.

5- Attacking about 42% of the 1,800 mosques in Britain.

6- European governments refuse to recognize the problem of “Islamophobia” and to set a specific definition for the term.

The research paper also suggests the following:
1- Considering hostile behavior against Islam and Muslims as a crime punishable by international law.

2- Enacting legislation and laws targeting extremist and racist groups that practice hostile manifestations against Muslims on the ground and virtually, and ensuring that they are punished for the racist crimes committed.

3- Develop a specific definition agreed upon by the countries of the world regarding the term Islamophobia in order to allow Muslims to report any crimes they are exposed to.

4-Activate the political and social roles of Muslim communities as part of the fabric of society and not as second-class citizens.

Reasons of the high frequency of “Islamophobia”

Several reasons for the high frequency of “Islamophobia”, including

1- Ignorance of the Islamic religion: There is a clear ignorance of the reality of Islam in the Western world, which derives information about it from sources that lack a correct understanding of Islam, objectivity, and integrity،Where Islam was branded with terrorism, fanaticism, contempt for women, intolerance towards non-Muslims, rejection of democracy, and the pursuit of a culture of revenge.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and other horrific acts of terrorism allegedly carried out in the name of Islam, institutional mistrust of Muslims has grown to epidemic proportions. Many countries, along with regional and international bodies, have responded to the security threats by adopting measures that target Muslims more than others.

2-Western media: it played a major role in the spread of “Islamophobia”, as it was able, with its massive technologies and wide influence, to carve a very negative stereotype about Islam and Muslims, and worked continuously to demonize the image of Arabs and Muslims as they pose a threat to Western and non-civilized values. They are able to integrate into these societies and tend to embrace extremist terrorist ideas.

3-The agendas of the extreme right: direct their arrows at Muslims and hold them responsible for the problems of the countries in which they reside, and then deal with Muslims as a “scapegoat” for any political or economic failures, which perpetuates hate speech and increases acts of racism against Muslims, such as burning the Holy Qur’an and writing inflammatory phrases on Walls, physical and verbal abuse of Arab immigrants or non-Arab Muslims, and other racist behavior.

4- The crisis of immigrants and refugees: the arrival of two million refugees, most of them Syrians, to Europe since the beginning of 2015) caused a state of fear and anxiety among the working and middle class in Europe because of employment opportunities, health and social care, and how to absorb these huge numbers of refugees within their countries, What resulted from this crisis was the deterioration of the economic conditions, which worsened with the Corona pandemic and after the Russian-Ukrainian war.

 Challenges facing the “Islamophobia”

There are many challenges when trying to eliminate this phenomenon in light of the growing wave of hostility against Islam and Muslims in the whole world and the emergence of an urgent need to address it, the most prominent of which are as follows:

1- United Nations resolutions on confronting “Islamophobia” are not binding on member states, such as the resolution that stipulates “intensifying international efforts to strengthen global dialogue on promoting a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels on the basis of respect for human rights and diversity of religions and beliefs.”

2- Targeting Islam and Muslims by the extreme right in Europe in an unprecedented way, presenting them to the world as extremists and advocates of killing, intimidation and terrorism, and who cannot coexist with Western societies.

3- Considering the abuse of Islamic religious symbols and sanctities as a kind of freedom of opinion and expression, which represents a threat to human freedom in what he believes, which is something that arouses the feelings of Muslims and their anger.

4 – Impunity for perpetrators of hate crimes against Muslims.

5- Restricting the participation of Muslims in presenting the media discourse that expresses the tolerant values of Islam and not participating in developing the necessary plans to correct the image that has been attached to Islam.
6- The Western media relates Islam with the Arabs and presents them as controlling the oil and petroleum markets and spending money irresponsibly, while ignoring the fact that Islam is a universal religion for millions of Europeans, Americans and peoples of the Asian continent and is not linked to a specific nationality, race or geographical area.

7- The interpretation of Islamic texts by some extremist terrorist organizations according to their own goals, in a way that enables them to justify their actions and crimes against humanity.

8- The emergence of movements against the presence of Muslims in Europe, such as the anti-Muslim “PEGIDA” movement, which succeeded in mobilizing demonstrations, the number of which exceeded 20 thousand demonstrators, denouncing the presence of Muslims in their countries and in Europe.

9- The chaos of using false news on social media, which led to an increase in news targeting Islam and Muslims, with the difficulty of verifying its authenticity.

10- The spread of secularism in European society and the growth of discourses and discussions that support modernity and reject religion in general.

11- The scarcity of studies and questionnaires that measure the repercussions of “Islamophobia” on Muslims and its impact on them. Most of the studies and statistics have been carried out by European bodies and institutions.

The Egyptian State’s Efforts to Confront “Islamophobia”

Egypt warns of the dangerous and negative repercussions of contempt for all religions, abuse of their adherents, and desecration of their sanctities, which leads to growing “Islamophobia”, provoking hate speech and extremism, and encouraging destructive endeavors and ideas that seek to destroy the bonds of civilized communication between the peoples and societies of the world.

In the statements issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it stresses the need for state authorities to take measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of attacks against Muslims and their sanctities, and to hold the perpetrators accountable, in an effort to preserve the culture of tolerance and the principles of peaceful coexistence, dialogue, and acceptance of the other.

Egypt has the largest religious institution in the world, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, which is characterized by its correct and moderate approach, and is always keen to preserve the moderation of Islam and resist the claims of the West and their attempts to undermine it, and to address the spread of the culture of fear of Islam “Islamophobia” through thought, discussion and taking a number of executive measures.

1- Establishing the “Al-Azhar Global Observatory for Combating Extremism” in twelve languages.

2- Establishing the “Al-Azhar International Center for Electronic Fatwa” in Arabic and a number of other languages, including: English, French and German, to eliminate the chaos of fatwas.

3- Establishing the “Al-Azhar Center for Translation” to be concerned with translating books that illustrate the true image of Islam in eleven languages, and sending them to embassies of foreign countries and international organizations in and outside Egypt.

4- Establishing the “Center for Interfaith Dialogue in Al-Azhar Al-Sharif” to be a new beginning in which intellectual, religious and civilizational dialogue with followers of other religions and civilizations would be a way of harmony and coexistence.

5- Dispatching “international peace convoys” to many countries of the world in cooperation with the Council of Muslim elders to promote peace and spread the culture of tolerance and coexistence.

6- Sending “Al-Azhar missions” to more than 80 countries, to spread the enlightened moderate Islamic science.

7- Launching the “East-West Dialogue Project” on the concept of pluralism and integration between East and West. One of its most important activities was the “First Forum of Muslim and Christian Youth,” with the participation of fifty young people from different countries of the world.

8- Establishing the “Al-Azhar Academy for the Training of Egyptian and Expatriate Imams, Preachers, and MuftisTo promote the moderation of Islam and spread it through these moderate Azharite ambassadors in the whole world.

9-Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta has also established the “Islamophobia” observatory, which monitors cases of racism and discrimination practiced against Muslims in all countries of the world and provides correct information about the teachings of the Islamic religion.

Proposals to eliminate “Islamophobia”

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution defining the 15th of March of each year as the International Day for Combating Islamophobia. This day coincides with the anniversary of an extreme right-wing extremist storming two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and shooting at worshipers, killing 51 people and wounding others.

The repercussions of “Islamophobia” no longer only affect Muslim communities in the West, but also extend to the relations of countries with each other. Therefore, it is necessary to make more efforts to confront this phenomenon, and this can be done through the following set of mechanisms and proposals:
1- Considering the hostile behaviors against Islam and Muslims as “Islamophobia” a crime punishable by international law.

2- Enacting domestic legislation within countries and concluding international agreements aimed at punishing extremist and racist groups that practice hostile manifestations against Muslims.

3- Determine a definition agreed upon by all the countries regarding the term Islamophobia in order to allow Muslims to report any crimes they are subjected to, as the lack of a specific definition contributed to the disastrous spread of the phenomenon.

4- Compelling the international community to adopt policies or an international plan of action to address discrimination and prejudice on the basis of religion, especially the Islamic religion.

5- Opening channels of communication with civil society in Western countries interested in combating racial discrimination, hatred and insulting religions, with the aim of introducing the values of Islam, and encouraging the establishment of a global dialogue on promoting a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels.

6- Activating the political and social roles of Muslim communities, as part of the fabric of society and not second-class citizens.

7- Providing the major and concerned religious institutions with a clear and agreed-upon interpretation of some Islamic texts that terrorist groups exploit as a cover for their criminal actions.

8- The need to combat misleading and anti-Islam information, and oblige social networks to remove all content that discriminates against Islam and Muslims or incites hatred or harm against them.

9- Strengthening media campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the danger of Islamophobia, promoting a positive image of Islam, correcting misconceptions, and presenting dramatic works that reflect the true image of Islam and Muslims.

10- Translating fatwas and reference books that respond to proponents of Islamophobia into different languages.

11- Expanding studies, field research and surveys on the extent of Muslims’ exposure to discrimination, hate speech, and psychological and physical attacks, provided that they are published periodically.

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Attacking Muslims and their property, burning Qurans, and vandalizing mosques has become a regular and frequent occurrence, carried out under the protection of the police under the pretext of freedom of expression, and in complete disregard for the feelings of two billion Muslims around the world.

What happened in Denmark, Sweden, and many other European countries, in terms of burning the Qur’an, reflects the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia” in it, and legitimizing it in light of the authorities’ permitting such actions, and deliberately distorting the image of Muslims and intimidating Western society from their presence.

In order to address the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”, which poses an imminent threat to global coexistence, especially the Muslims represent nearly 10% of the total population of Europe and constitute a source of intellectual, scientific and cultural wealth for Europe, the Strategic Forum for Public Policies and Development Studies issues “Deraya” a research paper that monitors and analyzes the reality of The phenomenon of Islamophobia in European countries through the following 7 axes:

First: The concept and origins of “Islamophobia”.

Secondly, “Islamophobia” is a manifestation of racism.

Third: Indicators of the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

Fourth: Reasons for the rise in the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

Fifth: the challenges to addressing the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

Sixth: The efforts of the Egyptian state to confront “Islamophobia”.

Seventh: Proposals to eliminate the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”.

The main findings of the research paper are as follows:

1-The phenomenon of “Islamophobia” is a form of racism and discrimination that affects all aspects of Muslims’ lives, from education and work to obtaining citizenship and full participation in society.

2- a big gap between official reports and the reality of the spread of “Islamophobia. Only about 12% of Muslims who are discriminated in the EU countries report their cases to the authorities.

3- “Islamophobia” has become institutionalized. France, Austria and Denmark are the most exacerbated countries in Europe.

4- The French authorities took control of 1,727 Islamic institutions, closed about 118 and confiscated about 10 million euros between January and August 2022.

5- Attacking about 42% of the 1,800 mosques in Britain.

6- European governments refuse to recognize the problem of “Islamophobia” and to set a specific definition for the term.

The research paper also suggests the following:

1- Considering hostile behavior against Islam and Muslims as a crime punishable by international law.

2- Enacting legislation and laws targeting extremist and racist groups that practice hostile manifestations against Muslims on the ground and virtually, and ensuring that they are punished for the racist crimes committed.

3- Develop a specific definition agreed upon by the countries of the world regarding the term Islamophobia in order to allow Muslims to report any crimes they are exposed to.

4-Activate the political and social roles of Muslim communities as part of the fabric of society and not as second-class citizens.

First: the concept and origins of Islamophobia

The term Islamophobia is one of the relatively recent terms, and it is seen as a compound term consisting of two words, an Arabic word “Islam” and a Greek word “phobia”, which means an unconscious and unjustified fear of situations, people, or activities, and therefore the term is considered foreign. It is not Arabic and translates to fear and phobia of all that is Islamic.

Islamophobia can also be regarded as the most eloquent expression of Islam’s status in the West. It is a word that has entered the dictionary of European politics and turned into a single term with limited meanings. It refers to the phenomenon of Western society’s fear of Islam and their perception of it as a non-coexistent religion with modern material civilization, and one that justifies the use of violence to achieve its aims.

United Nations defined “Islamophobia” as a term that means fear, prejudice and hatred of Muslims that leads to provocation, hostility and intolerance by means of threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement and intimidation of Muslims and non-Muslims, both in the online and offline world. Motivated by institutional, ideological, political and religious hostility that transcends into structural and cultural racism, it targets the symbols and markers of being a Muslim.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation defined the phenomenon of “Islamophobia” as the excessive fear of Islam and Muslims, or anything related to the religion of Islam, such as mosques, Islamic centers, the Holy Quran, the veil, etc.

Here, a distinction must be made between two basic stages in which the events of 11 September 2001 stand as a dividing point:

The first stage: the stage before the eleventh of September 2001 AD, which is characterized by the scarcity of using the concept, despite the fact that the Islamophobia and its intellectual implications is an old phenomenon.

The second stage: After the events of September 11 and the horrific terrorist operations that followed (the Madrid bombings in 2004, the Moscow bombings in 2010, etc.) that were allegedly carried out in the name of Islam, suspicions towards Muslims escalated and the mental image of Muslims was promoted as killing innocent people, and the mental image of Muslims was promoted as killing innocent people. The use of the concept in a remarkable way, and this term has become widely used by many in European countries and the United States of America.

Secondly:“Islamophobia” is a manifestation of racism

Islamophobia is a form of racism and discrimination because it targets Muslims based on their religion. Racism is reflected in “Islamophobia” in the negative trend, unjustified fear, sharp criticism and prejudice directed against Muslims, as well as the threat to their security in the streets, transportation and all life activities, And committing murders and acts of violence against them, such as physical assaults, destruction of property, ill-treatment of women, especially those who wear the hijab, burning mosques and distorting the sacred symbols of Islam.

Thus, it can be emphasized that the phenomenon of “Islamophobia” has come to affect all aspects of Muslims’ lives, starting from education and work, leading to obtaining citizenship, citizenship rights and full participation in society, which contradicts the values of justice, equality and human rights, which are guaranteed by Article 18 of the Law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Every person has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom to manifest his religion or belief through worship, rituals, practice and education, alone or with a group.

Third: Indicators of the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia”

The majority of reports and studies indicate that the phenomenon of Islamophobia is on the rise in European societies, most notably the recent European report on Islamophobia for the year 2022, which indicated that the phenomenon of Islamophobia has become institutionalized, and that France, Austria and Denmark are the most countries where the phenomenon of Islamophobia in Europe is significantly worsening.

A report issued by the Islam phobia Observatory of the O I C revealed that the continent of Europe has occupied the first place in the scale of the spread of the phenomenon of “Islamophobia”, followed by Asia and then North America, while the observatory indicated that both France and Britain included the most prominent activity related to Islamophobia.

It should be noted here that there is a large gap between official reports and the reality of the spread of the phenomenon of Islamophobia in its various dimensions, especially since the vast majority of European countries do not record incidents of Islamophobia as a separate category of hate crimes, which limits the mechanisms for revealing the true extent of the growth of this phenomenon, as well as the establishment of about Only 12% of Muslims who experience discrimination in European Union countries report their cases to the authorities.

This analytical paper monitors the most prominent indicators of the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia” in most European countries, based on several international sources and reports, most notably the “Islamophobia in Europe 2022” report, as follows:

A- Hate crimes and attacks against Muslims and their religious institutions:

France: The Coordination for Combating Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) recorded in its report about 501 complaints in France during the year 2022, as stated in the Islamophobia in Europe report in the same year, which confirmed that the policy of “obstruction” pursued by France led to the control of 1727 Islamic institutions, and the closure of 118 and confiscation of 10 million euros between January and August 2022.

Britain: Religious hate crimes recorded a greater increase in Britain in 2022, by 37% compared to 2021, as the number of Muslim victims reached 3,459 out of 8,730, constituting 42% of the total victims of hate crimes.

Germany: 364 crimes due to Islamophobia were recorded, including 26 targeting mosques, noting that crimes exceed these numbers, especially since the latest official statistics have not yet been issued by political bodies in Germany.

Spain: Hate crimes increased in 2021 by about 401 crimes compared to the total number of hate crimes in 2020, according to the annual report for 2021 issued by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior in October 2022.

Austria: More than 1,000 hate crimes against Muslims were recorded in 2022, according to the “Islamophobia in Europe 2022” report. The Documentation and Guidance Center for Austrian Muslims also mentioned in its report issued in early 2022 that Austria witnessed 1,324 racist attacks against Muslims, most of which were on websites and digital platforms in this country.

And that 15% of those who were subjected to racism and verbal and physical attacks were men, while about 40% of the attacks targeted women.

Netherlands: The report “Islamophobia in Europe 2022” noted that about 67% of attacks against Muslims were related to belief.

Denmark: The report confirmed that approximately 49% of the 792 hate crimes that occurred between 2017 and 2021 were committed against Muslims.

In the absence of State condemnation and impunity for hate crimes, incidents of racism were increasing and the problem was worsening.

B- Discriminatory decisions and laws against Muslims:

the most prominent indicators of the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia” is the decisions taken by governments and political parties, and the accompanying legislation that directly targets Muslims and limits their religious practices, and they are treated differently from other religious communities, which has led to the closure of Islamic institutions and NGOs without any lawsuit or evidence of their extremism, as they claim.

Western countries apply different types of laws such as banning the call to prayer, mosques and veiling. In Belgium, for example, ritual slaughter is still prohibited in some areas, and in Sweden and Denmark many Islamic schools have been closed on the claim that “the children there are at risk of extremism.”
In 2022, the French Minister of Education launched a campaign targeting Muslim students and teachers, claiming the spread of religious symbols in French schools.

In the Netherlands, the Minister of Education decided to place non-formal education in mosques and Islamic weekend schools under inspection and monitoring as a form of restriction and limitation of the freedom of education.

The European Court of Justice has also upheld laws prohibiting the wearing of women’s veils in private institutions to prevent the appearance of any Islamic symbol on the pretext of preserving their neutrality

C- Political discourses hostile to Islam and Muslims:

Organized political speeches and campaigns directed against Islam as a religion and against Muslims are among the most prominent forms of the growing phenomenon of “Islamophobia.” For example, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to continue publishing cartoons insulting to the Prophet Muhammad, saying: “We will not abandon drawings and caricatures, even if some back down.” as “freedom of expression”.

During her presidential campaign in 2022, Marine Le Pen described the hijab as an “Islamic outfit” and explained that she wants to ban it in all public places and put those who wear it under penalty of financial fine, while French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour stated during his campaign that: “Muslims should take a distance from the Quranic text that pushes to fight Jews and Christians, to restrict the freedom of women, And that integration is the only possibility of accepting Muslims on French soil.

For his part, Czech President Milos Zeman said: “We respect Islamic countries and their beliefs, as long as their inhabitants do not come to Europe because once they arrive in Europe, the two civilizations collide with each other,” calling on his country’s citizens to be careful about what he described as “terrorists.” Islamists.

The Dutch (right-wing) Freedom Party also proposed during its electoral program the application of a restrictive immigration policy and a complete ban on immigrants from Islamic countries. The right-wing politician Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party, published a video clip on his Twitter account under the title “No to Islam, No to Ramadan.” Freedom, not Islam.”

d-Growing popularity of the extreme right:

Extreme right-wing parties in Europe worked to perpetuate fear of Islam and Muslims and sought, through their systematic campaigns, to distort Islam and attach charges of “terrorism” to every Muslim residing in their countries, exploiting this matter to achieve electoral goals and political gains. It is represented in increasing the number of votes that it reaps through the ballot boxes, and access to power, so slogans appeared, including “Islamization of Europe” and “the hidden Islamic threat”, and other slogans that provided the extreme right with a discourse heard by a large segment of European societies.

Some right-wing parties have also established organizations aimed at countering “Islamization” in Europe, and supporters of the far-right in Germany launched in 2014 the “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West” movement called “PEGIDA”.

There are several prominent parties of the extreme right, spreading in European countries and openly expressing their hostility to Muslims, the most prominent of which are the Dutch Freedom Party, the French National Front Party, the Austrian right-wing popular party, the Danish right-wing popular party, the Danish Nationalist Party, the German Alternative for Germany party .. and many others.

E- Deliberately not using the term “Islamophobia”:

European governments refuse to recognize the problem of “Islamophobia” and use the term in their discourses. There is a political insistence not to recognize the existence of a racist problem against Muslims in order to legitimize and support racist practices on a large scale.

The British government refused to adopt a definition of the term “Islamophobia”, which had been proposed by a number of Deputies of some parties, after a warning from experts and specialists that this step may hinder the fight against terrorism and may undermine the right of airport and seaport police officers to arrest and search suspects, without obtaining prior permission.

G-Duplication in dealing with refugees

Since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the duplicity in dealing with refugees was evident by various European countries, as refugees from Ukraine were welcomed because of their religion, claiming that they were “more civilized compared to Syrian refugees,” while Europe closed borders and erected walls to prevent refugees from other regions, led by them. Muslims.

Many European officials have stated that Muslim refugees constitute a “threat to the demographic character and Christian identity in Europe,” and they warn of Muslims becoming the majority of the population in Europe if Muslim refugees continue to be received.

And they stress that: “Receiving Muslim refugees means providing fertile soil for carrying out possible terrorist attacks”. For example, the Ukrainian refugee, upon his arrival in Germany, the state directly grants him the right to work, and his children the right to education. The British government also granted Ukrainian refugees great facilities, and urged citizens to receive them in their homes in return for supporting them with monthly sums of money, while Muslim refugees are exposed to separation from Their families, living in camps, and being treated in a humiliating manner, and it has come to the point of assaults on them by the police deployed at the borders.

F- Employment racism

European countries are witnessing clear manifestations of racial discrimination against Muslims in the labor market, where many of them are deprived of various job opportunities despite the availability of the necessary qualifications and sufficient experience, which constitutes a violation of their rights and a failure to achieve justice and guarantee equal opportunities.

A research published on the Oxford University website in July 2022 stated that 65% of Muslim women who attach their photos in the hijab with a CV when applying for a job in the Netherlands and Spain are rejected without being invited for an interview.

Some reports indicate that a Muslim may face discrimination five times more than others when looking for a job in some European countries.

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-The Egyptian state has adopted a comprehensive concept of development based on the fact that the Egyptian citizen is the focus of development plans and the main engine for them, and then sought to improve the vital sectors that affect his life, such as health, education, social security and other sectors.

-President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to the village of Al-Abadia, affiliated to the Damanhour Center in Beheira, came to inaugurate and inspect a number of development and service projects within the village within the framework of the “Decent Life” initiative, which included the health unit, the Al-Abadia nursing home, the technological services complex, and the agricultural services complex.

-The President’s visit reflected the volume of the achievement of the “Decent Life” initiative in reality and the extent of its contribution to changing the way of life for more than half of Egypt’s population in the villages and rural areas of Egypt, to become one of the most prominent community initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life, reducing the average poverty rate in the targeted villages, and even It becomes the most important in the modern history of Egypt, as the initiative aimed to develop about 4,584 villages, whose population represents about 58% of the total population of the Arab Republic of Egypt, at a cost exceeding 500 billion pounds in its various stages, after its launch in 2019.

-This has not happened on the land of Egypt for decades because of its enormous cost and the weakness or lack of infrastructure in these places.

-It also led to the marginalization and deterioration of the conditions of the rural and Upper Egypt population, migration from these governorates and villages, a decline in the area of agricultural land, and consequently a decrease in the volume of crops – especially the strategic one – and the increase in the volume of importing agricultural crops from abroad and pressure on the state budget.

-The total number of projects implemented in Abadiah amounted to about 79 projects in all sectors, including 22 communications projects, 7 educational buildings projects, 8 electricity projects, 13 drinking water projects, 9 projects in the health sector, and 8 sanitation projects. And 3 youth and sports projects, and 2 irrigation projects. And a project in every sector (gas, social solidarity, government services complex, agricultural services complex, markets, ambulance point, fire station).

-The president’s visit carried many messages and answers to many questions, as Sisi was keen to answer all questions transparently and objectively during his dialogue with the people, leaders and youth of the lake. The most important messages are as follows:

1- The political leadership’s realization of the role of youth in achieving development: The president saluted and thanked the youth volunteers in the “Decent Life” initiative for the effort they made to help the villagers and change their lives for the better through the initiative’s projects.

2- Taking care of the most needy groups and the elderly: The President was keen to visit the “Abadiah Nursing Home”, and expressed his great happiness for being with them and making sure that all their needs were met, and he responded to the request of some to perform Hajj and Umrah.

3- Ensuring the completion of the process of digital transformation and mechanization of services: the President’s tour in the village of Al-Abadiyya included a visit to the Technology Services Complex, which includes the provision of notarization services, the Egyptian Post, Civil Status, and the local unit, while the complex provides more than 161 services, including some services that end on the same day.

4- The state’s determination to complete the health insurance system: the president made sure that his tour included the health unit of the village of Al-Abadiyya. There he listened to a detailed explanation from the director of the unit, who confirmed that it serves 37 thousand citizens and will be the first to join the comprehensive health insurance system.

5– Working to increase the agricultural area, purchasing agricultural crops at an appropriate and competitive price, and completing the implementation of “decent life” projects: The President called on the people of Al-Buhaira to preserve the agricultural lands that have soil suitable for agriculture and not to waste them by building on them.

6- National projects are a reality experienced by Egyptians: The President stressed that Egypt in all its governorates is witnessing a comprehensive development plan at all levels, as land reclamation projects included for example in all governorates of the Republic, including Sinai, despite the exorbitant cost.

7-Egypt is a big country and does not trade in refugee issues : the president explained in his open dialogue with the people of Beheira governorate that Egypt hosts 9 million refugees from a number of countries suffering from conditions of fighting and internal conflict, adding that this number is likely to increase with the continuation of the turbulent situation in Sudan, where Egypt has received over the past 7 weeks about 220 thousand Sudanese, stressing that Egypt is a large country and does not trade in refugee issues.

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