Egypt’s Transition to Democracy: A Foundation’s Perspective and Support
The historic events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria have the potential to transform both the Arab world and regional dynamics across the Middle East. Like the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Soviet tyranny over 20 years ago, the rise of citizen-driven political change in the volatile and geo-strategically vital Middle East has profound implications that are reverberating across the globe.
The success of Egypt’s transition to democracy and more broadly shared prosperity is likely to be the linchpin of more extensive progress in the region. Egypt is the most populous Arab country, has the largest and most globally integrated economy, and has a peace treaty with Israel. There is great potential that the events in Egypt can usher in a period of economic and social progress in the Middle East, but the hard work in Egypt is just beginning. The time between now and the first free parliamentary elections in Egypt’s history is a critical period and there are urgent and careful steps that Egyptians must take to guarantee that rule of law, freedom of expression, tolerance, shared prosperity, and equal opportunity characterize the post-Mubarak transition. As daily news reports from Egypt make clear, it is essential that international donors looking to support the transition process move quickly to support Egypt-led efforts as their citizens lay the cornerstones of their new democracy.
Given its history, depth of experience, and current capabilities, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund is well positioned to help support this historic transition. The RBF has long been distinguished by its nimbleness and ability to respond quickly to urgent needs and opportunities. In addition, our staff and board of trustees have a wealth of experience working in transitional societies, from Eastern Europe to South Africa to our current grantmaking in the Western Balkans. In April, I returned from a trip to Cairo persuaded that there is significant opportunity for the RBF to help support Egyptian-designed and Egyptian-led initiatives in this profoundly important and difficult time. With the endorsement of our board, we are supporting targeted grantmaking designed to help Egyptians prepare for elections and the development of a democratic political culture.
Over the last few months, our staff have met—and been in close conversation—with a diverse cross section of Egyptian leaders, including political activists, youth leaders, women’s rights and human rights organizations, journalists, business leaders, academics, and representatives of the international community. As free elections draw nearer, these leaders are working to help their fellow citizens prepare to participate in the democratic process, many for the first time in their lives. With their guidance, we are identifying a number of potential partners working on issues of civic education, human rights and women’s rights, economic policy, and the development of independent media. Our focus is on projects that take into account both the immediate and longer term needs of Egyptian civil society. One thing is clear: the process of building a vibrant, prosperous democratic society in Egypt will be difficult and long and donors need to be prepared to weather ups and downs and remain engaged.
Our Egypt-related grantmaking will remain limited as we continue to explore opportunities and learn about the best ways in which our resources and expertise can be useful to the Egyptian people. As such, we are not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time. We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress and the courageous work of our grantees.
While we are not accepting proposals at this time for the Egypt initiative, we welcome your comments and questions. You may contact us at grantsmgmt [at] rbf [dot] org.