:PROPERTIES:
:ID:       2fa753af-d8b1-4ef0-b7bb-ee951aac3106
:END:
#+TITLE: The Egypt Foundation
#+FILETAGS: @personal
#+SUBTITLE: Policy, Support and Advocacy for a democratic dynamic in Egypt
#+AUTHOR: Amr Ghabreia

* Egypt Foundation
** TODO [#A] [0/8] Concept
:LOGBOOK:
- State "TODO"       from ""           [2019-03-22 Fri]
:END:

*** TODO [#A] Context
**** [the root cause: The political is a reflection of the socio-economic]

The social upheaval in Egypt since 2011 has a deeper set of causes than often quoted. Lack of good governance and transparency, rampant poverty, identity politics, and poor fiscal management are a reflection of social, economic and environmental problems. Soil erosion and degradation, depletion of water sources, and the end to cheap fossil fuel energies are some of those. An Increasingly stressed society living off increasingly stressed resources led to an unprecedented authoritarianism trying to slow down the inevitable decline, and itself causing an unprecedented decrease in rule of law and in institutional breakdown. The political is a reflection of the socio-economic. Egypt is a massive and looming humanitarian crisis to dwarf the current ones in other Arab Spring countries.

**** [how it translates politically]

Transition towards democracy and social empowerment in the Arab Spring societies is being challenged by the old binary. Traditional authoritarianism and Islamism are, in different ways and at different costs, dominating the dynamics in contained Tunisia, repressed Egypt, and the civil wars of Syria, Libya and Yemen. The uprisings of 2011 onwards could be eventually seen as the first stage in a longer-term transition towards freedom and sustainability, one that has, so far, dislodged a stagnant situation but has not offered a realistic path
towards stability.

**** [where we are in this picture]

Democrats in Egypt have so far failed to present an informed description of the current problem, a comprehensive vision for a solution, a detailed destination, and a path leading there. This is partly due to the extremely difficult conditions in which the democratic civil society in Egypt operates. However, a large part of this failure lies with the civil society itself. Not enough time or effort has been invested in learning about the underlying problems, envisioning a stable future, building a practical road towards it, and creating consensus around it vis-a-vis the two undemocratic powers.

*** TODO [#A] Goals and Objectives
**** Goal: To *build* a policy body that removes the barriers in front of a democratic dynamic in Egypt, *support* its adoption with the democratic-leaning civil society, and *advocate* that new movement as the seed of a viable democratic dynamic that can *stabilise Egypt and support the emergence of a sustainable future.*
**** Objectives:

This can be expanded to a set of objectives, mainly in three groups:

***** Build:

1. an understanding of the current situation;
2. a policy goal; and
3. an action plan to get from here to there.

Build are objectives with us as its audience.

***** *Support*: via a small-contributions supporters model,

1. sustain the organisation's policy work and progressively support and grow in Egypt;
2. a forum to increase buy-in of the organisation's policy body;
3. a legal aid operation;
4. an independent media operation;
5. a relief organisation; and
6. two test sites developing a more sustainable urban neighbourhood and a regenerative rural economy suitable for arid and hyper-arid climates.

Support are objectives with our fellow travellers as its audience

***** Advocate:

1. As the body of policy integrates and gains buy-in, present the alternative as a potential stabalising social power;
2. strategically litigate in Egypt; and
3. opportunistically use universal jurisdiction litigation.

Advocate are objectives with other stakeholders as its audience

*** TODO [#A] Outputs

- A knowledge base hosted as a semantic wiki
- Two policy paper each quarter, covering the following areas:
  - constitutional: parliamentary democracy, independent commissions
  - administrative divisions
  - elections reform: election system, districts, campaign funding
  - private legal persons reform: companies, charities & cooperatives,
    political parties
  - criminal justice system
  - public finance
  - civil-military relations
  - administrative reform
  - economy: industry, trade, tourism
  - environment and sustainability: agriculture and food production,
    water, energy
  - transportation and telecommunications
  - social welfare
  - education
  - health
  - culture, media, youth, sports, and antiquities
  - monetary policy
  - foreign policy
- Policy workshops on each policy area
- Fund raising activities
- Universal jurisdiction lawsuits

*** TODO [#A] Activities and duration

1. Green paper, debated and further developed by a wide circle of democrats [this is a wider group of fellow travellers who have been active in previous years. Purpose of involving this group is to 1) create consensus and ownership, 2) reduce resistance, 3) reduce potential harm by fellow travellers.
2. White paper, first iteration, always open for improvement.
3. Public advocacy, campaigning and fund raising using the created momentum around specific policies.

*** TODO [#A] Beneficiaries and impacts
*** TODO [#A] Project management
**** TODO [#A] Board of Trustees [0/0]

Initially five, preferably covering Europe UK, US and with two women at minimum

| Ezzedine Choukri Fishere | Chair     |
| Manal Fouad              | Treasurer |
| Amira Maaty              | Secretary |
| Amr Gharbeia             | Member    |

**** TODO Advisory Board

The Advisory Board brings to EF expertise and connections. Members make a valuable addition to EF's immediate resources. In return, members of the Advisory Board are able to be in direct contact with all EF staff for comments, suggestions and guidance.

**** NEXT Brainstorm
***** Europe [3/12]

- [ ] Abdel-Karim Mardini
- [X] Ahmad Gharbeia
- [ ] Fady Awad
- [ ] Chaimaa Hassabo
- [ ] Mariam Kirollos
- [X] Yahia Shawkat
- [X] Ahmed Ragab
- [ ] Ashraf Hussein
- [ ] Youssef El Chazli
- [ ] Ebaa El-Tamami
- [ ] Amr Waked

***** North America [11/17]

- [X] Khaled Fahmy
- [X] Ezzedine Choukri Fischere
- [X] Manal Fouad
- [X] Amr Hamzawi
- [X] Amira Maati
- [X] Belal Fadl
- [ ] Bassem Youssef
- [ ] Ahmed Ghappour
- [X] Nancy Okail
- [ ] Tarek Fahim
- [X] Abdelrahman Mansour
- [ ] Sara Elsayed
- [X] Hesham Sallam
- [ ] Alex Shalaby
- [ ] Khaled Abolnaga
- [X] Mai El-Saadany
- [X] Ramy Yaacoub

***** UK [0/4]

- [ ] Khalid Abdalla
- [ ] Mohamed Morsi
- [ ] Muhab Wahby
- [ ] Ahmed Ezzat

***** Lebanon [0/3]

- [ ] Basma Elhussseini
- [ ] Khaled Mansour
- [ ] Dina Elkhawaga

***** Egypt [5/23]

- [ ] Osama Diab
- [X] Ziad Bahaa Eldin
- [X] Gasser Abdel-Razek
- [ ] Lina Atallah
- [ ] Mohamed El Mongy
- [ ] Mostafa Hussein
- [ ] Salma El Tarzi
- [ ] Soha Abdelaty
- [X] Ahmad Abdalla
- [ ] Ahmed Hussein
- [ ] Alfred Raouf
- [ ] Amr Shalakny
- [ ] Bassem Khalifa
- [ ] Dina Iskander
- [ ] Dina Makram-Ebeid
- [X] Hoda Sadda
- [ ] Mostafa Youssef
- [ ] Reem Labib
- [X] Reem Saad
- [ ] Salam Yousry
- [ ] Karima Khalil
- [ ] Nadia Kamel
- [ ] Hala Galal

We are writing you today to have an organised conversation that we most if not all of us in this thread have been meaning to have for quite some time now, namely articulating a clear vision of what we want and what we need for building a new dynamic for egypt, one that is genuinely democratic, offering hope and answers, and able to survive and grow in the current difficult context.

For the purpose of getting warmed up, nancy and i think it would be suitable to start working on a positive definion of what is 'us', apart from negative definitions of being against one type of authoritarianism or another. this is merely a suggestion and at that one we are sure there is little disagreement about it among this initial group beyond the effort of articulating the language.

We recognize that all of are busy, therfore we are happy to take on the coordination of this little endeavour. at this early stage, we are not asking for anything but a show of hands to indicate interest and an hour or so of your time at a date in the near future.

**** TODO [#A] Staff

In the first year, initial staffing covering the following areas
 - Policy
 - Support
 - Advocacy
 - Universal Jurisdiction litigation
 - Administration and Finance
 - Fundraising
 - Campaigning and Constituency Relationship Management

***** Executive Director
***** Managing/Legal Project Director
***** Legal Associate
***** Administration Associate
***** IT Consultant
*** TODO [#A] Budget
**** Staff
**** Operations
*** TODO [#A] Contacts

The Egypt Foundation Fellowship, Broadway Market, London

** TODO [#A] Create Charity Identity

Logo: Maat and Thoth

