Al-Mawred al-Thaqafy announces freeze on all activities

New NGO law will be passed by Egypt's next parliament: FM official
While the Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy), issued a press release announcing a freeze on all of its activities on Sunday 9 November; it will continue working with its coordinators in other Arab countries.
The press release stresses that since its foundation in 2004, the Culture Resource had supported the independent cultural sector in countries of the Arab region, through its various programs. Culture Resource will continue to play this role on the regional level, with the aims of supporting young Arab artists/writers and their artistic freedom and helping them present and promote their work within the region.
Culture Resource will also continue its work on developing cultural policy, monitoring cultural work environment, providing poor and marginalised communities with outreach access to culture activities and training young cultural managers on how to set up cultural projects where they live. It will also continue to play its role in capacity building of cultural operators, through organising cultural management workshops.
The Culture Resource did not provide clear reasons behind this decision, however the announcement comes at a time when a new NGO law is being drafted.
Civil groups in Egypt say that a new draft law governing NGOs is unconstitutional – and designed to hamper groups that serve as watchdogs or spark criticism.
Many cultural institutions operating as NGOs are expected to be directly affected by the same law.
Source: Ahram Online