UN experts: Egypt hinders civil society role in COP27

CAIRO (AP) — A group of United Nations-backed experts have criticized the Egyptian government for imposing a wave of restrictions that jeopardize “safety and full participation” at COP27. Egypt’s poor human rights record has come under renewed international scrutiny ahead of it hosting the international summit on the Red Sea coast. U.N. human rights experts levied specific concerns at the Egyptian government’s management of the summit in a statement published on Friday. Among their main issues were a lack of transparency over the accreditation for Egyptian NGOs, visa delays and restrictions over gatherings and protests. Since taking office in 2013, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s government has silenced dissent and clamped down on independent organizations.