Egypt

The Project

The Egyptian upheavals began in January 2011 and ended 18 days later when Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak stepped down.

In 2011, right after the upheavals, CSSP visited Egypt for the first time and conducted bilateral meetings with over 40 civil society and political representatives from parties, NGOs, revolutionary movements, religious groups, etc.

In 2012, this assessment led to a mediation project in major cities as well as Sinai which was aimed at strengthening Egyptian civil society. CSSP brought together decision-makers of diverse interest groups to jointly reflect on concepts and key issues during the transition, while at the same time strengthening their mediation and negotiation skills.

In 2013, CSSP—upon repeated invitation by the Egyptians—supported political and civil society representatives, parties, and organizations, all throughout the year, in developing their own projects and initiatives towards transformation. Through mediation, individual coaching, and an Egyptian mentoring program, CSSP provided the individuals with the networking and mediation skills needed to further advance their initiatives in an environment of political uncertainty and social change.

In 2014, CSSP promoted and supported the establishment of mediation in Egyptian society. We did so by building capacities for mediation (incl. the Training of Trainers Program) and raising awareness on the benefits of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. In this way, we sought to influence the democratic and economic development of Egypt by supporting the establishment of sustainable mediation structures.

At the same time, CSSP further considered promoting mediation at the local level in the areas of Kairo, Gharbeya (Tanta), and South Sinai (Dahab). CSSP works according to the principles of sustainability and local ownership. Thus, Egyptian mediators that go through the capacity building program are integrated in our engagement at the local level. The goal of the activities is to support mental and social change towards more participation and cooperative behavior among different stakeholders.