Under the title “Towards Formulating a Legislative Agenda to Combat Corruption in Light of Egypt's 2030 Strategy ... Ideas and Visions” The Partners for Transparency Foundation held a high-level expert meeting on Wednesday, December 14, 2016, with the participation of a distinguished elite of parliament members from the side and leaders of concerned civil society organizations On the issue of combating corruption on the other hand, where an objective and constructive dialogue was conducted between the two parties on the legislative requirements and prioritizing the laws required to be implemented to enhance efforts to prevent and contain corruption.

Representative Magdy Malak, head of the Commission for Investigating the Corruption of Wheat Supplies, participated in the table, Representative Muhammad Abdullah Zain, the author of the proposed law establishing the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Representative Manal Maher Gemayel, member of the Parliament's Human Rights Committee.

Civil society organizations also participated: Professors Yasser Abdel-Gawad, Director of the Arab Law Office, Shehata Muhammad Shehata, Director of the Arab Center for Integrity, Saeed Abdel-Hafez, President of the Dialogue Forum Foundation, Hany Ibrahim, President of the Mashreq Foundation for Development and Population, Ayman Aqeel, President of Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights, Abd Al-Nasser Kandil Parliamentary Analyst, Hussein Metwally, a journalist writer specializing in corruption cases

The meeting discussed ideas and visions related to the package of legislation to be completed, and the attempt to prioritize these legislations, as well as the role assigned to each party in the process of harmonizing anti-corruption legislation and enhancing transparency with the requirements of implementing Egypt's 2030 sustainable development strategy.

Dr. Walaa Gad Al-Karim, Director General of Partners for Transparency, said at the beginning of the meeting that the meeting is gaining increasing importance in light of the continuous demands of civil society organizations for the necessity to develop the legal and institutional environment to combat corruption and achieve the goals of the Egypt 2030 strategy, and to support the efforts already made by some institutions. Oversight and parliamentary mechanisms, as well as translating the political discourse that focuses on combating corruption into specific procedures and practices based on a sufficient and deterrent package of laws. However, the parliamentary agenda is burdened with a huge set of legislations that are required to be completed in order to fulfill the constitutional entitlements and urgent developmental needs, thus providing a continuous dialogue platform. Effective civil society and parliament could lead to pushing for anti-corruption legislation to be a priority in arranging the parliamentary agenda during the next stage.

On their part, the deputies expressed the importance of the meeting because it provides an opportunity to communicate directly with representatives of civil society organizations that have long experience in legislative reform issues to combat corruption, and they agreed that there is already a big crisis in the current legislation, and this legislation may be the main cause of corruption and retreat. The rates of development and the complexity of the investment environment, pointing out that the laws on information circulation and the protection of whistleblowers and witnesses may be discussed soon, while there are proposals for laws to establish a national anti-corruption commission that will be discussed in the Committee for Proposals and Complaints.

Civil society representatives stressed the importance of bridging the current legislative gap by expediting the adoption of the two laws on information circulation and the protection of whistleblowers and witnesses, and at the same time making radical amendments to the articles of the penal code related to waste of public money and bribery, and considered these amendments a legislative priority for any serious efforts to combat Corruption.

Representatives of the parliament and the leaders of civil work, the participants, confirmed the request of the Partners for Transparency Foundation to organize another series of dialogue sessions between members of Parliament and civil society within the framework of the same issue, and the deputies declared their full welcome for any legislative proposals that will be presented through civil society organizations.