March 3 — Cairo: Egypt’s House of Representatives has approved a new composition of the National Council for Human Rights, appointing veteran diplomat Ahmed Ehab as its chairman.
Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, head of the El-Sadat Association for Social Development and Welfare, was appointed vice chairman. The council, which consists of 25 members, is responsible for monitoring human rights conditions, receiving public complaints, recommending legislative reforms, and engaging with international human rights institutions.
Founded in 2003, the National Council for Human Rights maintained its “A” status accreditation in November 2025 from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, confirming that it meets United Nations standards for independence and effectiveness.
The newly formed council includes representatives from media organizations, civil society groups, academic institutions, and legal sectors. Among the appointed members are Ezzat Ibrahim, editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Weekly; Wafaa Binyamin of Caritas Egypt; Samira Louka from the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services; Ayman Abdel Wahab of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies; Alaa Shalaby of the Arab Organization for Human Rights; Ayman Aqeel of the Maat Foundation; and Ahmed Bakry from the Egypt Foundation for Refugee Rights, along with other specialists in public policy and human rights.
Ehab previously served as Egypt’s ambassador to Morocco and as the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva. He also held the positions of secretary-general of the Supreme Permanent Committee for Human Rights and assistant foreign minister for human rights.
He succeeds Mahmoud Karem, who led the council after the resignation of Moushira Khattab in June 2025.
