Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

List of issues in relation to the fifth periodic report of Egypt *

1.The State Party is invited to submit in writing the information requested below (preferably not exceeding 10,700 words) by 30 November 2026 .

A.General information

2.Please provide information on how the legislature was involved in the implementation of and follow-up to the previous concluding observations and in the development of the fifth periodic report.

3.Please provide further information on the steps taken to strengthen the national human rights institution institutionally and financially, to ensure its political independence in line with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), and to enable it to conduct unannounced visits to places of detention.

4.Please provide information on measures taken, and the impact thereof, to raise awareness among judges, prosecutors and lawyers of the economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in the Covenant and their justiciability.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 186), please provide concrete examples of cases where provisions of the Covenant have been invoked before the State Party’s Supreme Administrative Court of the Council of State, as well as before lower courts. Please elaborate on measures taken to ensure access to justice and remedies in civil court cases regarding economic, social and cultural rights,and to ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. Please also indicate whether the State Party intends to ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

5.Please provide information on any legal or legislative measures taken, and the impact thereof, to ensure that businesses, including foreign investors, exercise human rights due diligence in the conduct of their operations, including their supply chain, concerning human rights under the Covenant. Please provide information regarding any plans to adopt a national action plan for business and human rights.

6.Please provide information on measures taken by the State Party with regard to the mitigation of climate change, including specific measures, and the impact thereof, to meet the nationally determined contributions for reducing emissions that the State Party has set itself under the Paris Agreement. Please also provide information on the progress made in reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions and on targets that the State Party has set for further reductions.

7.With respect to climate change adaptation policies and measures, please provide information on the content, implementation and results of the National Climate Change Strategy, in particular:

(a)How the State Party assesses the impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, particularly for marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and groups, and the measures adopted following objective 2 of the National Climate Change Strategy, and their impact;

(b)Whether the National Climate Change Strategy contains a national adaptation plan, with an adequate allocation of all required resources, to address the impacts of climate change on, inter alia, economic, social and cultural rights;

(c)Specific measures taken to strengthen preparedness for and responses to natural disasters, and disaster risk reduction measures and measures taken to adopt a strategy to this end, with an adequate allocation of financial resources;

(d)Which institutions are tasked with the implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy and with the development and implementation of any measure relating to climate change adaptation and policies to address slow-onset impacts in different areas, such as agriculture, housing and health, and how coordination among the institutions responsible for disaster preparedness and management is ensured.

B.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1–5)

Maximum available resources (art. 2 (1))

8.Please provide updated information on the evolution of the following, covering the past 10 years:

(a)The proportion of the population living below the nationally defined poverty line;

(b)Levels of inequality, before and after taxes and transfers, if possible defined as the ratio between the total income of the richest 10% of the population and the total income of the poorest 40% and as the ratio between the assets owned by the richest 10% of the population and the assets owned by the poorest 50%;

(c)The economy, in particular through the annual variations of gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita and the level of public debt in proportion to GDP;

(d)The proportion of public revenue generated through taxes and as a percentage of GDP, the proportion of public revenue obtained through direct and indirect taxes, the corporate tax revenue rate and the percentage of total revenue generated from personal tax collected on the incomes of the richest 10 per cent of the population, as well as providing an evaluation of the amount of tax evasion and tax avoidance and the fiscal cost of the main tax benefits;

(e)Public expenditure as a percentage of GDP and, within total public expenditure, the proportion of the public budget allocated to social spending, including social security, food, water and sanitation, housing, health, education and culture;

(f)Compare the proportion of the budget allocated to social spending with other areas of public spending, and explain how budgetary allocations reflect the State Party’s obligation to use the maximum of its available resources for the realization of Covenant rights.

9.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 153), please provide information on the results of the legislative and institutional measures mentioned by the State Party in connection with combating corruption, such as the national anti-corruption strategy (2023–2030), as well as additional measures taken, and their impact, to ensure transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs and to provide effective protection for victims of corruption, their lawyers, anti-corruption activists, whistle-blowers and witnesses. Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 157), please also provide updated information on the cases filed with anti-corruption bodies in the past five years, particularly those brought against high-level officials, including the number of cases filed, investigated and prosecuted and the sentences handed down since 2022.

Non-discrimination (art. 2 (2))

10.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 21) and the constitutional ban on discrimination, please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to combat stigmatization, stereotypes and harmful practices concerning persons with disabilities, persons affected by HIV and AIDS, persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity, religious minorities, refugees and migrants, and other marginalized groups within the State Party. Please provide additional information about the steps taken to ensure the protection of minorities, including the rights of Baha’i people, and to guarantee their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights without any discrimination.

Equal rights of men and women (art. 3)

11.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 29), please provide information on the status of the implementation of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women (2016–2030). Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 31), please provide concrete information regarding efforts to close the gender gap, including on the effects of Act No. 219 of 2017 amending certain provisions of the Inheritance Act No. 77 of 1948, envisaging the application of sharia principles in matters relating to inheritance by males and females.

12.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 33), please provide statistical data on women in leadership positions in both the public and the private sectors.Please also provide information on measures taken, and the impact thereof, to increase the availability of free legal aid and counselling and for women and girls, including those in rural and remote areas and those belonging to disadvantaged and marginalized groups.

13.Also referring to the State Party’s report (para. 33), please provide information on the effects of awareness-raising campaigns regarding patriarchal attitudes and discriminatory stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society.

C.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6–15)

Right to work (art. 6)

14.Please provide information on the outcomes of the Upper Egypt Local Development Programme (2016–2021). Additionally, please provide data on the impact of the Investment Act on unemployment rates. Please also describe the effects of Egypt Vision 2030 on efforts to reduce employment in the informal sector. Furthermore, please provide information on underemployment and youth disengagement from the labour force, disaggregated by age and gender.

Right to just and favourable conditions of work (art. 7)

15.Please provide additional information on measures taken, and their effect, to ensure the right to just and favourable conditions of work, including how the minimum wage is determined and periodically adjusted, and whether it is sufficient to guarantee workers and their families an adequate standard of living, including whether its calculation is based on the actual cost of living, household size and inflation, and provide data on the level of compliance with the minimum wage in both the public and the private sectors.

16.Please describe the concrete measures adopted to improve working conditions, including in the informal economy, including occupational safety and health measures, working hours and access to labour inspections, and provide data on enforcement actions and on sanctions imposed in cases of violations. Please also explain the scope, reach and frequency of labour inspections and clarify which legal and policy steps are being taken to ensure that migrant workers are covered by core labour protections such as the minimum wage, social security and occupational health and safety. Please provide information regarding any intention to revise the Labour Law (Law No. 14 of 2025) to include legal protection of domestic workers.

Trade union rights (art. 8)

17.Please specify the measures taken to protect trade unionists and their offices from all forms of violence, and to ensure that the concrete application of article 76 of the 2014 Constitution and of the Trade Unions Act (Act No. 142 of 2019) is in line with the Covenant and relevant conventions ratified by the State Party in the areas of trade union rights and working conditions. Please also provide concrete, statistical information on the number of trade unions and their membership, covering a period of no less than the past five years, in both the public and the private sectors.

Right to social security (art. 9)

18.Please provide statistical data to inform the Committee about social security coverage and access in the State Party, disaggregated by age group, disability, sex, region, national origin, migrant status, refugee status, employment status and socioeconomic status. Please describe measures taken to ensure that social security benefits are sufficient to provide the recipients with an adequate standard of living. Please provide further details about the steps taken to expand the coverage of social security.

Protection of the family and children (art. 10)

19.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 73), please provide information on the status of the implementation of the Strategic Framework for Childhood and Motherhood 2018–2030, as well as concrete information regarding measures taken, and their impact, in relation to the Children’s Code’s envisaged increased protection for children against violence and abuse and from illegal labour.

Right to an adequate standard of living (art. 11)

20.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 5), please provide information on the status of the implementation of the “dignified life” project for the development of Egyptian rural villages. Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 82), please provide information on the status of the implementation of the New Delta Project.

21.Please provide updated statistical data, disaggregated by sex, age, geographic location (urban/rural), socioeconomic status, refugee status, migrant status, disability, ethnic origin and other relevant criteria, covering at least the past five years, on the prevalence of poverty and extreme poverty, including multidimensional poverty. Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 152), please provide information on the preliminary results of the 2023–2027 country partnership framework between Egypt and the World Bank Group, as well as on measures taken to reduce poverty and inequality, particularly among persons living in informal settlements, rural populations, women-headed households and persons with disabilities.

22.Please provide statistical data, disaggregated by sex, age, geographic location (urban/rural), socioeconomic status, refugee status, migrant status, ethnic origin and disability, covering at least the past five years, on the prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition, including child stunting and wasting. Please also provide additional information on measures taken to ensure access to adequate, affordable and nutritious food and to reduce food waste, and to provide water for all, including low-income households, rural populations and marginalized groups.

23.Referring to the State Party’s report (paras. 84–89) pertaining to the right to housing, please provide information on the following:

(a)The status of the implementation of Egypt Vision 2030, including statistical data, disaggregated by sex, age, geographic location (urban/rural), socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, refugee status, migrant status, disability and other relevant criteria, covering the past five years, on the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing – including access to affordable housing, homelessness, informal settlements, forced evictions, and access to basic services;

(b)The status of the implementation of the Real Estate Financing Act and the Social Housing and Real Estate Financing Subsidy Act, including their effects on housing;

(c)Measures taken, and their impact, to ensure affordability of housing, including social housing for low-income persons and families, as well as measures taken to address the gap between stagnant incomes and rising costs of housing;

(d)The measures taken to remedy the forced eviction of the population of North Sinai, including the demolition of homes without prior compensation. Please also describe steps taken by the State Party to ensure access to adequate alternative housing for the affected populations and to guarantee effective compensation.

Right to physical and mental health (art. 12)

24.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 91), please provide information on the current status of the implementation of the national health strategy for Egypt 2024–2030. Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 98), please provide updated information on the under-5 mortality rate. Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 99), please provide concrete information on the implementation of the Comprehensive Insurance Act (Act No. 2 of 2018), including on the current coverage of health insurance. Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 103), please provide updated information on the percentage of the rural population that has adequate sanitation.

Right to education (arts. 13 and 14)

25.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 105), please provide information on the current status of implementation of the strategic plan for the development of pre-university education (2014–2030). Please also provide information on the percentage of gross national product allocated to pre-university education, university education and scientific research. Additionally, referring to the State Party’s report (para. 180), please provide disaggregated information on the destination and use of public spending on education. Please also provide updated information on literacy rates and on school enrolment, completion and dropout, disaggregated by age group, disability, sex, region, national origin, migrant status, refugee status, employment status and socioeconomic status. Additionally, please provide information on the strategies adopted to prevent and address bullying and discrimination in pre-university education, and to prevent and address military use of force against schools.

Cultural rights (art. 15)

26.Referring to the State Party’s report (para. 132), please provide information on the current status of implementation of the strategy for higher education and scientific research, running until 2030, and the national strategy for science, technology and innovation, also running until 2030. Please also provide information on measures taken, and the impact thereof, to prevent destruction of Coptic property and churches. Please provide information on measures taken, and the impact thereof, to ensure that nomadic communities can practise their traditional way of life. Please also provide information on any envisaged legislative changes to formally recognize additional religions beyond the three Abrahamic religions, as well as on linguistic rights for linguistic and cultural minorities including Nubians, Amazigh and other communities.