Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights held on Saturday, May 12, 2012 in cooperation with the Association of Women for Development at Badrasheen Center, in Giza Governorate, the fourth panel discussion about gaining the issue of decentralization. It aimed to raise awareness of decentralization and the social and political variables, as well as monitoring and discuss the problems of citizens associated with services and the role of local authorities for fighting and facing them.
The workshop comes within the framework of the activities of the citizen's voice project implemented in collaboration with the Foundation for the Future, which seeks to build the capacity of the parties to the local community to deal with the variables associated with decentralization so as to improve the quality of public services provided to citizens and to activate the work of popular control of local bodies.
In the seminar, more than 50 citizen "of all classes and ages and of different professions and trades took part. The seminar dealt with several issues related to the services provided by the executive departments of the Egyptian citizen, also addressed the seminar the rights and duties of citizens.
In the seminar, representatives of the leaders of local bodies in the executive departments, as well as leaders and citizens of targeted areas participated.
The workshop included an explanation of the speakers of the local system in Egypt and the problems that afflict their impact on the quality of public services provided to them, as well as demonstration of the idea of ​​decentralization and the importance and implementation mechanisms. It also addressed the problems experienced by citizens in the targeted areas.
The main problems raised by the participants during the interactions with the executive officials and leaders were the non-participation of women in political life because of customs and traditions.
Also the problem of neglect in schools in terms of culture, hygiene and deteriorating standards of poor living against high prices and no control over sellers, the problem of gas pipes and ration cards, the problem of hygiene and fees added to the water bill, leaking of students from education because of bad living conditions.
The seminar concluded its workshop by a word of director of Women's Association for Development in Badrasheen Center. She urged the audience to the actual work by the local government to solve problems in their community. She also called on women to move next to the man to claim the right to live a decent life.