Egypt is undergoing through a democratic transition which will be a determinant in contemporary history. We cannot talk about integrated democracy without talking about the system of a new local administration supporting decentralization and transfer more powers to local units and accommodate full popular participation in local decision-making and real control of community on performance of the executive state . In this context, Maat Foundation for Peace, Development, and Human Rights held a workshop titled "Improving the system of local administration .... past of experiences and future of aspirations" on April 21, 22, 2012. 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 devices. In the workshop about (40) of the local administration leaders participated (heads of centers, neighborhoods and officials of the governorates) and officials of NGOs and media officers as well as a number of experts and professors of political science. The workshop was inaugurated by Mohamed Abdel Zaher, Secretary General of the local administration who noted in his speech to the injustice done to the local administration in Egypt and bear the errors and problems of other bodies and lack of coordination among themselves and corruption of legislation and its conflicting. He called for the representation of the local administration in the Constituent Assembly to the Constitution. The opening session included a speech of Mr. Ayman Okail, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Maat. He presented the activities of the foundation and the interest in decentralization and good local governance. He also presented the background for the workshop. Three papers of work were presented during the conference. The first was presented by Dr. Nihal El-Magharbel, head of the development of the local administration where the Ministry of Local Development addressed the ministry's efforts in support of decentralization and the empowerment of local units and improve the system of local administration in Egypt. The second paper was presented by Prof. Dr. Raafat Fouda, professor of Public Law, Faculty of Law, Cairo University. It dealt with a presentation of a proposed strategy to develop a system of local administration, including six axes of an integrated, coordinated and clearly specified relationship between the authorities at local and central levels The third paper was presented by Prof. Dr. Ali Sawi, professor of political science at Cairo University, entitled "Development of Local Administration in Egypt - the political and human rights vision ". The paper included a discussion of the feasibility of amending the law of local administration and a proposed strategy to reform the system of local administration based on four axes. The most important is the new vision in the constitution and amending the current law and to prepare for local councils and the organization of effective mechanisms and tools for community control. The workshop included a presentation to the efforts of organizations of civil society in support of decentralization through the interactions of Al-Nahda Rural Society officials in Menoufia and rural local administration official of Freedom and Justice Part in Cairo and Al Midan movement. The workshop underwent through important interactions with participants in order to present different perspectives on the issues. Most interactions have focused on the need to expand the powers of local units and the provision of adequate resources to implement projects that meet the needs of citizens as well as providing opportunities for rehabilitation of the local leaders of both the executive and the popular. The workshop has concluded to a group of recommendations including the need to allocate a separate section of the local administration in the new constitution, changing the law of local administration in the form that corresponds with what is contained in the working papers presented to give full powers to local government units and enables them to their financial resources and management of public service facilities in addition to the need to intensify public awareness activities related to decentralization and the reform of the requirements of the local system.

To view the working papers, please visit the link

https://maatpeace.org/node/3750
https://maatpeace.org/node/3751
https://maatpeace.org/node/3752
https://maatpeace.org/node/3753