IFMSA-Egypt Proposal AM 2012

Abu Simbel Temple, at Night, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Egypt

IFMSA-Egypt Proposal for hosting IFMSA August Meeting 2012

AM 2012, Hurghada, Egypt From August 1st (Pre-GA Arrival) till August 11th

Where History meets Future

Table of Contents Introduction 3 Welcome Message 4 Vote Egypt!

5 IFMSA & IPSF!

AM2012 Egypt 7 Venue & Accommodation 8 Green GA 9 Pre-GA 10 Theme event

Logistics 12 Visa information 13 Transportation

Finances 15 Registration and Budget

Let’s talk some fun 18 Social Program and Post GA tours 19 Ramadan

Our Back-up 21 Patron 22 Official Support Letters 29 Confirmed Partners and contracts 30 Potential Partners

Egypt ... Safe and Sound 33 Safety and the Revolution

2

Welcome Message Welcome to Egypt, where history meets the future

Dear IFMSA friends, With great honor we present to you our candidature to host the IFMSA August Meeting 2012.

I can’t describe to you how proud I am of the IFMSA-Egypt members who made it possible to present this bid to you in such a short period.

IFMSA-Egypt, an organization founded 43 years ago, has a broad history of organizing IFMSA events: the AM in 1980, the Exchange Meeting (later called March Meeting) in 1996, the AM in 1998, the EMR1/AM in 2005 and most recently the EMR5 in 2009.

All events that marked the IFMSA history demonstrate the experience our organization has gained in the past years.

Our organization represents more than 80,000 medical students, of which 2,500 active members in 19 Local Committees representing all Egyptian Universities, running 10,000 exchanges in the past years and organizing over 100 local and 20 national projects each year.

Our National GAs have a capacity of 300350 attendants each meeting, of which we organize 4 annually at different locations in Egypt in addition to the annual IFMSAEgypt Winter Camp.

These meetings are organized by different OCs each time giving a large capacity of experienced members nation-wide and a solid foundation to support our NMO’s major events.

Egypt is a country with an ancient history of 7,000 years being one of the oldest civilizations in the world. With a magnificent terrain and wide array of harbored civilizations throughout its history such as the Pharaohs, Romans, Greeks and Arabs, our country offers the world many different kinds of attractions. Thus, a country that has a lot of experience in tourism and a rich history knows what to offer and has the capacity for a meeting like an IFMSA General Assembly.

It would be our honor to welcome back all our friends from the IFMSA to our beloved country. Organizing a GA means giving something back to the IFMSA, enabling us to organize our events, connect to other NMOs, and developing friendships that last for a lifetime.

Let us show you what our country has to offer for the environment of this event and what our organization has to offer for the content of this meeting.

We are looking forward to welcome you all to Egypt in August!

Kind regards, Sherif Abolfotouh IFMSA-Egypt President 2011-2012

3

Vote Egypt!

To Host August Meeting 2012.

A wonderful Host City, a luxurious Accommodation and Venue, a fantabulous Social Program, and an experienced , enthusiastic dedicated Organizing Committee, working hard to make your GA an unforgettable memory. Yes, the Egyptian bid has it all!

IFMSA-Egypt Capacity: Having 19 Local Committees representing more than 80,000 Medical Students, with 4 National General Assembly Meetings a year, where we have about 350 Participants per GA! A little bit more than one third of the Total Number of Participants in the largest IFMSA General Assembly Meeting ever IFMSA-Egypt experience: When it comes to Egypt you always think about History.. And Yes! IFMSA – Egypt with over 40 years of membership experience in IFMSA has successfully hosted three August meetings in 1980,1998 and most recently in 2005. And to ensure continuity we are currently gaining insight and experience from our Alumni who comprised the OC in AM05!

Financially Independent GA: We are working under a tight time line and we know it! We are very realistic about our ability to raise funds in this short time and are not relying majorly on fundraising, especially that we sincerely abide by IFMSA guidelines for Pharma-Free GAs. Our budget is both realistic and achievable without affecting the high GA standards you would all expect in Egypt!

Egypt: Located in the northeast of the African Continent, on the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, at a crossroad between Africa, Asia and Europe, makes it very easy to get to Egypt when it is compared to other different countries. And the great weather, the perfect sun and sea makes it really difficult to leave Egypt!

Hurghada: Marvelous Sunshine, incredibly beautiful coral reefs, a lot of exciting attractions in a relaxed atmosphere and a city known as one of the top-three Diving Destinations on the planet, where you can enjoy beach fun, water sports and clubbing, in addition to other options to enjoy your stay in Hurghada! And please expect sunny warm days and pretty cool nights.

[ ][ The Red-Sea Town of Hurghada is one of the most beautiful sea side destinations for anyone seeking a break from the busy life of Cairo. Nowadays with everything that is going on in Egypt, Hurghada is the perfect place to be, with its own international Airport, all you have to do is take a plane, and you are there safe and sound.

4

]

The Post GA tours are planned to take place in Cairo, Red Sea and cities that house 2/3 of the monuments of the world; Luxor and Aswan where we’ve made sure each and every step has been carefully thought of.

IFMSA & IPSF! It’s Time to Work Together!

It is well known that the 58th IPSF World Congress will be taking place in the same City and on the same time of our AM 2012. And we have already contacted the EPSF (Egyptian Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation) to decide on how to facilitate such collaboration between both federations and we are ready to organize that upon the approval of the 2 Federations.

IFMSA has often called for collaboration with IPSF and we offer IFMSA the perfect opportunity for truly bridging the gap and possibly hold a joint event with our fellow pharmaceutical students, an event which shall definitely go down in history!

[ ]

]

IPSF is the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation,. The federation now represents around 350,000 pharmacy students and recent graduates in 84 countries worldwide. IPSF holds official relations with the world health organization (WHO) and operational relations with the united national educational-scientific and culture organization (UNESCO). IPSF also works in close collaboration with the international pharmaceutical federation (FIP).

5

AM2012 Egypt Venue & Accommodation | Green GA | Pre-GA | Theme Event

6

Venue & Accommodation IFMSA-Egypt OC is proud to announce that we’ll be having TIA Heights Makadi Bay Resort - Hurghada as our Accommodation and Venue With an “All-Inclusive Deal”.

It is just 20 minute drive from Hurghada International Airport.

The capacity of the Resort is 1062 Guest Rooms each having: individual controlled air conditioning system, international dial phone & voice mail, mini-bar, hair dryer, safe box, private bathroom, private balcony and a remote control satellite TV. You will be sleeping in spacious rooms each holding 2, or 3 persons with the vast majority of participants lodged in twin and triple rooms.

In TIA Heights Makadi Bay Resort you will be able to enjoy a wide range of facilities such as a dive center with certified instructors, a private marina, windsurfing, snorkeling, beach volley ball, 4 tennis courts, a mini-golf course, a shopping arcade, a health club, a well-equipped gymnasium and the largest swimming pool in the Middle East (6400 m2).

Sessions, SWGs, Trainings, Meetings & Plenaries will be held in 12 air conditioned meeting rooms with movable chairs and supplied with AV-equipment and wireless internet access.

We can offer, the main meeting Rooms, in a non-Air Conditioned tent on the beach, so that while you are working you will be able to combine business and pleasure, while being environmentally responsible.

Through our “All-Inclusive” Deal we will be able to serve wide variety of Food including Halal and Vegetarian Food. However, we advise you to try our Egyptian Traditional Food especially that we’ll be in Ramadan. Also, the OC is totally aware and will be ready for the food requirements for all Muslims as regards the timing and the type of food served.

It is worth noting that having the same place as our accommodation and venue with the capacity to accommodate all the IFMSA Delegates will ensure having a productive General Assembly Meeting.

7

Green GA! The Earth Is What We All Have In Common Being responsible is a part of our spirit in IFMSA! And that’s why we –IFMSAEgypt- decided to do our best to work on a Green GA and set some realistic sustainable goals, so we can achieve them successfully:

A green hosting city: • Hurghada is part of the red sea governorate, which is the only governorate in Egypt that applies environment friendly laws and legislations to ensure a safe environment to one of the world’s most famous reserves! This can be seen in cars controls, no use of plastic bags at super markets , etc..

A Green Way to communicate information to our participants: • All the documents shall be provided in an electronic version, unless specified otherwise from the NMOs’ Presidents or the TO. • If we’ll have to print any documents, we’ll print double-sided papers.

Reduce the Generated waste during the event: • Using reusable dinnerware.

• Separate collection of different waste fractions.

• All the Green Areas in the all-around the resort are irrigated by recycled water.

8

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: • We’ll be organizing group transits between the Airport(s) and the GA, Pre GA & Post GA venues on both the Arrival & Departure Days.

• No transportation shall be used between the Accommodation and the Venue. It is one hotel and an enjoyable walking distance.

• We can provide Main Meeting Rooms in the open air saving ACs Catering: • If agreed upon from the NMOs’ Presidents, we’ll be organizing a Vegetarian Day And finally, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -- Margaret Mead

Pre-GA From August 1st till August 5th A well-organized Pre-GA is a pillar for a productive successful GA. That’s why our OC have exerted all the efforts to ensure a Pre-GA with the quality that meets all the participants’ expectations. The Pre-GA shall last from 1st to 5th August, provided that the 1st of August is the Arrival Day and the 5th is the opening ceremony of the GA. The Venue & Accommodation for the PreGA will be TIA Heights Makadi Bay Resort –Hurghada; the same venue & accommodation for the GA. And our OC will be ready to host up to 10 Parallel Workshops with the over all capacity of 400 participants with the maximum Registration Fees of 160 Euros per person “All - Inclusive”.

Pre-GA participants will be sleeping in double and triple rooms including individual controlled air conditioning system, international dial phone & voice mail, mini-bar, hair dryer, safe box, private bathroom, private balcony and a remote control satellite TV. 10 air-conditioned Meeting rooms are available for the PreGA with movable chairs and supplied with AV-equipment and wireless internet access. Also it is available to have sessions on the beach on the open air.

On the 5th of August our OC will be planning a Sea Cruise for the Pre-GA participants so they can enjoy the marvellous Red Sea and the shiny sun before the Opening ceremony of the GA. As regards the Transportation, the OC will be providing Transportation to the Pre-GA Venue from Cairo International Airport & Hurghada International Airport. And they will be ready to offer you transportation from other Egyptian International Airports upon prior request.

9

Healthcare in Resource poor settings between what is Necessary and what is Available Theme Proposal from the OC The OC has chosen the Theme of “Health Care in Resource poor settings - between what’s Necessary and what’s Available” after reviewing present literature and having live discussions with key Professors and Doctors.

It is known that there are different challenges facing Health Care in the Resource poor settings, with competing priorities and scarcity of resources being a main challenge. Difficult decisions need to be made and prioritization is a must. We may not have the time to tackle the issue as a whole; however, we believe that we will be tackling one of the most important challenges.

Key facts such as that the Hospital Bed Density is 2.1 beds /1,000 Population and 0.3 beds /1,000 Population in Egypt and Senegal respectively according to www.globalhealthpolicy.org , and when Doctors often need to discharge a patient whom they believe that he/she seriously needs admission because there are no available beds putting into consideration the series of unfortunate events he/she may pass through as a result of a poor resources-driven-decision.

As Medical Students and Future Physicians we are taught how to prioritize and in allocation of medical priorities certain compromises are required. But when you start to prioritize and consequently compromise because of the limited resources that exist where you are, needless to mention that sometimes those

10

limited resources are already inappropriate to the whole situation, so there is a dire need to particularize your main problem which is Lack of Healthcare Systems Infrastructure in Developing Countries.

Nevertheless, this topic is not exclusively related to Developing Countries, since it will also shed the light on aid effectiveness and resource planning by more developed countries which work towards providing health related assistance to their less developed counterparts. Initiatives which need to be guided by evidence and having a more sustainable vision.

Coming from the global health vision IFMSA seeks to endorse as we are used to “Think Globally, Act Locally” it is our role to start thinking about this challenge worldwide and then decide on individual’s role and have an influence to address such a huge problem.

So IFMSA-Egypt AM 2012 OC pledges to utilize this year’s theme event not only to lectures and interactive events but to give the opportunity to delegates to actively participate in forging recommendations on behalf of IFMSA to share with partners , governments and the international donor community through international portals and forums , using participatory and inclusive policy papers which can be furthered to developing a global medical student movement strategy fostering IFMSA’s role within the international development community on this issue.

Logistics Visa Information | Transportation

11

Visa information Welcoming all of you in the land of wonders General Assembly Meeting participants are required to be in possession of an Entry visa which shall be obtained from Egyptian Diplomatic and Consular Missions in their countries of domicile or from the Entry Visa Department at the Travel Documents, Immigration and Nationality Administration.

Normally, a visa application can take about 7 – 15 days, but in some cases it may take up to 4 weeks. So, it is advisable that you apply before departure by 4 weeks.

Since we are looking forward to welcoming delegations from all the IFMSA NMOs, we managed to get the Egyptian Authorities on External & Internal Affairs involved, so that they will be facilitating the visa-issuing process.

After the Registration and the Approval by the respective NMO President, All IFMSA delegates for the AM 2012 will receive an official Invitation Letter to facilitate the Visa Application Process. Also it is worth noting that there will be a “Visa Coordinator” Member in the OC who is responsible of providing all the registered delegates with all the information and assistance they will need in order to apply and issue the visa.

Group A: Citizens of the following countries are required to be in possession of a pre-arrival visa: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Burundi, China, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, The Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Taiwan, Tatarstan, Thailand, Tunisia & Turkey.

Group C: Citizens of the following countries may enter Egypt for a period of no longer than three months without making a visa application: Bahrain, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates & Yemen.

[ ]

Group B: Citizens of the following countries are allowed to apply for Visa upon Arrival: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kyrgystan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America & Venezuela.

12

- 60% of people are allowed to apply for visa upon arrival - 9% doesn’t even need a visa - only 31% will need to apply for visa before coming

Transportation Getting to the venue :)

We are there for you: Our budget is designed to offer transportation Free Of Charge on the arrival day of the Pre GA (August 1st, 2012), the arrival day of the GA (August 5th, 2012) and the departure day of the GA (August 11th, 2012), from and to Hurghada International Airport & Cairo International Airport, every 30 – 60 minutes according to the flow of arrivals.

Additionally the OC will be ready to provide transportation from and to other Egyptian International Airports upon prior request.

Hurghada International Airport: Hurghada international airport receives more than 30 flights per day from more than 40 international Airlines for more information: Phone: +20 653442 831 Web: www.hurghada-airport.co.uk/ Additionally you can use Cairo international airport: Receives more than 170 flight per day from more than 40 international Airlines.

For more information: Phone: Terminal one: +20 2 265 33 08 Terminal two: +20 2 268 42 48 Web: www.cairo-airport.com More information about transportation will be provided to the attendants according to their arrival details.

Airlines that fly to Cairo International airport: Aeroflot airlines, Aegean Airlines,Afriqiyah Airways, Air Algerie, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Al Buraq, British Airways, BMI, Czech Airlines, Egypt Air,El-Al Israel Airlines, Emirates Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Hainan Airline, Iberia Airlines, Iraqi Airways, Jazeera Airways, Jet Air Fly, Kenya Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Kuwait Airways , Libyan Airways, LOTPolish Airlines, Meridiana, MEA Airlines, Lufthansa, Olympic Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Morocco, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Singapore Airline,Sudan Airways, Swiss Air, Syrian Arab Airlines, Tarom Romanian Air Trans, Tunis Air , Turkish Airlines INC, Yemenia Airways

13

Finances Registration and Budget

14

Hieroglyphic Inscriptions, Philae Temple, Aswan, Egypt

Registration and Budget Financially optimized Registration: IFMSA-Egypt OC believes that developing a smooth registration process is the key to having a successful GA. Especially when it comes to a GA that is fully prepared in only 4 months. That’s why we decided to use a trustful registration system which was used before by IMCC – Denmark in the last AM. Contacting IMCC – Denmark, they’ve ensured the ability to modify their own system and deliver it to our team, if we managed to get your trust to organize this AM. The registration system shall be available within a reasonable period before the Early Registration opens to run a pilot test for all possible bugs.

Having decided to use this system doesn’t mean we will not be able to develop our own but we know as many NMOs that the registration process can be a pain, and having a well-tested system in place is a great asset.

Budget: Organizing a GA in 4 months is not an easy task, yet not an impossible one in a country like Egypt. That is why we worked on a solid budget with minimum fundraising efforts to bring all our plans to reality.

Fundraising in the last few months before an event is not an extra ordinary thing in the whole region and particularly in Egypt. Yet, we ensure the NMOs that we will be able to deliver a FULL IFMSA GA without any fundraising efforts in the worst case scenario.

Meanwhile, we understand that we can’t compromise our integrity as medical students by fundraising from pharmaceutical companies and we ensure you that all our potential sponsors and donors will be “Pharma-Free”.

We’ve been in Contact with several Institutions and Universities in Egypt and we’ve already received confirmations from 9 Universities in Egypt to sponsor an amount of our budget. In addition we’ve received a preliminary agreement from the national council of youth to sponsor our Transportation added to another initial agreement with Etisalat - Egypt (a mobile network operator in Egypt) to provide free SIM Cards for all delegates and sponsor 5-20 % from our budget and another agreement with the Egyptian

Tourism Authorities to sponsor all printings needed for the AM. We’re being very careful while using any terms in this application in order not to influence the decision of the NMOs by any plans that are yet not confirmed. Provided that we get your support to host this AM, we’ll be updating you regularly about the progress of the GA and the updates we’ve reached so far.

Registration fees: IFMSA-Egypt OC believes that the aim of the IFMSA GA is to connect as many medical students as possible and hence, we tried our best to minimize the registration fees, specially the early registration fees to ensure good representation of all NMOs.

NMO Category

early reg. fees

late reg. fees

A&B 100 295 C&D 180 + 10 TAF 350 + 10 TAF E&F 230 + 25 TAF 410 + 25 TAF Alumni late registration of their respective NMO Externals 450 Observers 450 Pre-GA 160 all fees are in Euro.

Registration time line: -Early registration:

- Opens: 25 April 2012

- Closes: 20 May 2012 - Late Registration:

- Opens: 20 May 2012

- Closes: 12 June 2012 - Deadline for cancellation: 30 June 2012 - Deadline for Substitution: 15 July 2012

15

Registration and Budget Financially optimized

Minumum Budget: (640 attendants) Expenses

Income

Full Board Accomodation inc. Venue Transportation Logistics Social Program Administration, Audit and Evaluation Reserve Total

10,000.00 EUR 162,354.3

Income

Income

Registration Fees Fundraising Total

154,000.00 8,400 EUR 162,354.3

126,000.00 8,607.59 10,911.39 3,227.85 3,607.59

Description Accommodation for 700 persons including OC and IFMSA TO/EB Transportation all over the GA

for administrative processes and financial auditing

Description 640 persons registered

Maximum Budget: (840 attendants) Expenses

16

Income

Full Board Accomodation inc. Venue Transportation Logistics Social Program Administration, Audit and Evaluation Reserve Total

10,000.00 EUR 200,886.08

Income

Income

Registration Fees Fundraising Total

193,000.00 8,000 EUR 201,000.00

16,2000 11,139.24 10,911.39 3,227.85 3,607.59

Description Accommodation for 900 persons including OC and IFMSA TO/EB Transportation all over the GA

for administrative processes and financial auditing

Description 840 persons registered

The River Nile, At Night, Cairo, Egypt

Let’s talk some fun Social Program and Post GA | Ramadan

17

Social Program and Post GA tours Social Program In addition to the traditional social program of the IFMSA including the National Food & Drinks Party (NFDP), Color Party, Cultural Night & both the Opening & Closing Ceremonies, IFMSA – Egypt is planning to organize a night where you can enjoy the nightlife in Hurghada’s Famous Clubs, and a Beduin Night Party, as well.

Post GA tours: The OC is enthusiastically preparing 3 Post GA tours in three different Cities in Egypt where you’ll have the option to choose between a tour in Luxor & Aswan where you can visit the World’s Greatest Open AirMuseum; from the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of Kings and the Majestic Temple complexes of Karnak and to the exciting Nile Cruises in Luxor. And you can sail to the Temple of Philae and know more about the Nubian Culture in addition to the ancient Egyptian history, as well.

Also you can join the Post GA tour which will be exploring the Red Sea and its magnificent coral reefs, where you can practice diving, snorkeling and many other water activities.

And the third option is to head to Cairo so you can visit the Giza Pyramids & Sphinx, and you can get to see thousands of ancient artifacts in the Egyptian Museum, and enjoy the stunning view over the majestic Nile, in addition to the Islamic and Coptic sights in Cairo.

18

Ramadan an Egyptian Experience

“If you haven’t seen Ramadan celebrated in Egypt, then you haven’t seen celebrations!”

For all of you Lucky IFMSA friends worldwide, August this year will coincide with the holy month of Ramadan!

Ramadan is the holy month of fasting where Muslims don’t eat or drink starting from dawn till sunset. Although Muslims around the world perform the same religious rituals in the same way, the festive atmosphere, social events and post sunset celebrations are quite different than any other Muslim country.

One might think that travelling to Egypt during the holy month of fasting might not be enjoyable, mainly because they feel that food and drinks are not available. Quite the contrary! During Ramadan in Egypt you can enjoy the most delicious plates ever made and the best drinks you would ever taste!

Even plates which are not available in other time of the year!

Though 80% of Egypt’s population are Muslims, we-Egyptians- do understand that majority of our visitors do not follow Islam.

We do not expect our visitors to fast during the daylight. Most of the restaurants and cafes serve food all day; and evening meals, a.k.a. Iftar, are particularly yummy. All types of food might be available for this meal; however you don’t want to miss the traditional deserts of this month which includes Konafa,

Khushaf, Qatayef and Qamar El-din.

Ramadan is not only about food. It is considered as a month-long festival and by far the most joyful month of the whole year. There are lights and special lanterns called “Fanoos” strung up throughout the towns and cities and everywhere you go you’ll be offered good wishes.

All through the night, people enjoy the festive mood with various activities; the streets are rarely empty and many stay up till the early morning hours. Cultural centres and galleries all over the country hold various performances celebrating the Egyptian heritage through Sufi dancing, Tanoura, oriental music concerts, craft bazars and much much more…

Believe me; you don’t want to miss the Great Ramadanian Spirit! Your stay in Egypt during this month will be quite unique. We guarantee that!

19

Our Back-up Patron | Official support letters | Confirmed Partners | Potential Partners 20

Patron Official Support to ensure Best Quality

Minister of Higher Education 21

Official Support Letters They support our bid

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Confirmed Partners and Contracts Yes! We are ready

29

Potential Partners Just pending your vote

A Preliminary deal was reached with EgyptAir to be the official carrier for the GA, offering discount for group and individual bookings.

We are just waiting for the vote to be over to finalize this deal.

Etisalat - Egypt is one of the 3 mobile network operators in Egypt and we reached an agreement with them to provide a free SIM Cards for each delegate.

Additionally they showed interest in sponsor ing 5-20 % from our budget and we are planning to follow up on that deal once the vote is done.

30

Media Partners TeesStuff and Kelmetna (which means “our word” in Arabic) are the 2 leading youth magazines in Egypt, they are written and produced by youth.

Lately we’ve met with the editors of both magazines and they are interested in covering the whole event.

ONtv is a relatively new TV Channel. With its mission “to inform and empower Egyptians by providin them with information without bias or censorship”they showed great interest in covering the whole event since the early beggining and preparations.

31

Egypt ... Safe and Sound

32

Cairo Streets At Night, Cairo, Egypt

Safety and the Revolution Egypt as it used to be ... Safe and Sound

For many years, Egypt has been known to be one of the safest countries in the world.

So does this change after the 2011 Egyptian revolution?

The answer is Yes, and No. The situation right now in Egypt is pretty much like the situation in any other city in the world. Egyptians are having a very normal life, Cairo is safe nowadays; yet like any other city, burglars steal and police catch them. The normal daylife on-goings….

What this means with the revolution is that the police and the armed forces are doing even more extra work to keep things safe in Cairo.

Hurghada however represents a special case since it is a place where people go to take a break at the sea shore so; it was not affected by the revolution even in the 18 days of the revolution!

The Red-Sea Town of Hurghada is one of the most beautiful sea side destinations for anyone seeking a break from the busy life of Cairo. Nowadays with everything that is going on in Egypt, Hurghada is the perfect place to be, with its own international Airport, all you have to do is take a plane, and you are there safe and sound.

All our events and exchanges have special security measures like any international event in the country , an additional comfort and all assistants are offered. Egypt is a touristic country and the government is paying great attention to attracting tourists and making their stay as safe and enjoyable as possible.

A GA Meeting is an organizational feet, for both logistical and security issues. Egypt has been successful before in organizing one, this time we are doubling our efforts to make sure everything goes according the plan. The plan has worked before and will work again in August. Not so far ago, last January Cairo, hosted its 43 International book fair, with representatives from countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Italy, Spain, Britain, Turkey, Germany, Denmark, Poland, India, and the Unites States, selling books and representing their countries. We think that if Egypt can hast such an event which took place during the first anniversary of the revolution. We think it would be safe to say that we can host a GA. We’re looking forward to seeing you all in Hurghada next August. Visit Egypt and see for yourself how safe the situation is!

The Pre GA venue and the GA venue were selected among the cities that are wellrenowned worldwide for their safety status.

The Post GA tours are planned to take place in Cairo, Red Sea and cities that house 2/3 of the monuments of the world; Luxor and Aswan where we’ve made sure each and every step has been carefully thought of.

33

Wish we’ll get your trust