Strategic Plan

The Egyptian Union for Young Human

Rights Organizations

Prepared by:
Mohammed Ali

Executive Director For The Egyptian Union

General Coordinator For The Technological Center for Human Rights

2010
2015
YON Strategic action plan

- Subjects Page

* Introduction 3

* Strategic work model 4

* The Egyptian Union of Young Human Rights Organizations "vision, objectives ..." 5

* The plan "areas of work, working committees, indicators of success" 7

* Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats 8

* Gap Analysis 9

2
Introduction:

The evolution of the Human Rights Civil Society (and the activation of its components being
organizations, associations or persons) was shaped by the historical reality and political climate
leading to public trend and societal momentum that have been deepened over 25 years of fatiguing
work to defend and still the values, principles and rights of humanity.

Given the fact that this momentum is by nature comparable and approachable, it is a must to deepen its
motives and evaluate its results. The said momentum has resulted in a generation who fully
comprehends these values, raises the slogan of change and claims its inherent rights under what is
commonly known as Human Rights Movement.

The methodology of the civil society components, being positive or negative, was one of the most
important reasons that instigated this generation to shoulder the aspired role as one of the cornerstone
in the course of strife and work to advocate human rights.

In September 2009 a group of the Human Rights Movement youth has met representing a host of
leading human rights organizations and activists who agreed together to continue the path of human
rights movement by establishing the first federation that comprises a number of new organizations -
emerging youth organizations - titled "The Egyptian Union for Young Human Rights
Organizations" "Young Organizations Network" (YON).
Though this federation is established since four months only, yet it enjoys a lot of comfort and
acceptance among human rights circles being international, regional or local.

Such comfort and acceptance laid more serious responsibilities over the members and founders of this
federation to go ahead in their successful march based on firm and decisive stances. as a result, the
federation announces its strategy and action plans including the answers to all the questions that have
been raised concerning the federation and its aspired objectives.

Only four months after the establishment of the Egyptian Union for Youth Human Rights
Organizations, its predetermined plan went through a formulation process that stressed the basics
contained in the vision of the federation and its members in the form of Strategic action plan that is
flexible and based on scientific principles, which makes it unique, significant and imperative in this
blessed march, at least from our point of view.

This introduction is followed by a comprehensive vision on the federation strategy in the light of the
following details: The strategic vision of the Federation that explains the basics, Values and
methodology behind the establishment of the Union, Its objectives and explanation of its regulations.
Moreover, the following narrative will tackle the basic areas of work and the implementing units. For
scientific reasons, the facts relevant to the indicators of the plan must be announced while highlighting
the obstacles that might hinder the success of this plan in accordance with an informed model of
strategic action plan.

Mohammed Ali
Executive Director
The Egyptian Union for Young Human Rights Organizations
“Young Organizations Network” (YON)

3
Strategic action plan model

The development of this Strategic action plan relied on (Pfieffer) Model. It is one of the most effective
Strategic action planning models, both in strategic planning for non-profit institutions or for profit
institutions. This model combines several elements that are intertwined together to develop an effective
regulatory scheme, through a clear vision of the Foundation or the Organization, which, as shown in
the following format:

YON Vision

YON
Fields of Work
Future vision

Strategic Units The Plan

Success Indicators

Gap Analysis
S. W. O. T

According to this model, the following points will be detailed:

Firstly: The Union’s vision and its future goals.

Secondly: The future vision.
Thirdly: The plan "the Union’s work fields, the strategic work units, indicators of success."
Fourthly: Study of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Fifthly: Gap Analysis.

4
The Egyptian Union of Young Human Rights Organizations "The vision, the objectives
and the organizational structure."

The vision:
In light of the prevailing global political climate and the legislative environment restricting many of the
rights and freedoms in addition to the conduct of the executive branch that dominates all aspects of
public life and within poor economic and social, cultural conditions and anti-culture of human rights,
comes the Union’s vision to stress the determination of its members - without exception - to promote
and support social and the jurist mobility that strengthen all civil, political, economic and social rights
development. Furthermore, participation in building an active civil society its pillar is the promising
generation of young organizations, institutions and associations interested of human rights under the
framework of fruitful cooperation and within an integrated system to support the right to create and
configure organizations.
Worth mentioning that the Union and its members adopt a positive concept of cooperation and
partnership among its members or between the Union and all local, regional and international human
rights organizations without any restrictions or exceptions. Further more, it adheres to the principle of
universality of human rights and values and humanitarian principles contained in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and international conventions.
In addition, the Union established its vision of administration on the concept of collective institutional
administration, thereby rejecting the prevailing concepts, which are based on personalization and
individual. That vision is based on the will of the group and the devolution of power in a space of
freedom, democracy and non-discrimination as to race, color, sex or belief. Moreover, the Union
emphasizes the independence of its members without any interference in the internal affairs of its
members.the Union made of the young people and new organizations the foundation for the building of
its structure, aspiring in developing and building of an entire generation of activists and actors, and
cooperating with a number of prominent human rights organizations to achieve useful and beneficial
communication between generations.

Objectives:
The Union’s objectives were identified according to its vision, as follows:

1. Foster a culture of human rights, democracy and anti-discrimination.

2. Promote and support young Institutions to develop their own resources and to improve their
performance.
3. Build a developed technological structure that contributes in supporting the capabilities of
civil society organizations
4. Assist young institutions in identifying the objectives and areas of work, in addition to help
them to overcome the problems emerged at the beginning of work.
5. Strengthen the relationship with the institutions of civil society in addition to enhance
networking, coordination and cooperation between them.
6. Support and develop the capacity of young leaders in senior and junior human rights
organizations.
7. Undertake and disseminate related researches and studies.

Organizational Structure:
The Union established its organizational structure, in accordance with its internal regulation, on four
bodies, namely:

 The constituent body, which includes a number of the four Centers’ members establishing
the Union.
 General Assembly, which comprising all members of the Union’s organizations.
 Board of Directors.
 Executive Board.

In addition to the honorary membership of the Union, this includes a number of local, regional and
international organizations as consultant members,

5
The Future vision:

Networking and increasing the number of members:

The Union’s philosophy is based on networking and cooperation between organizations, aiming to
strengthen the performance of the civil society organizations and to promote their expected role to
support the human rights system. Thus, it is necessary to include an activity that aims to increase the
Union’s members in addition to networking and cooperation among them as an imperative feature
among the priorities of the Union during the coming period.

Complete organizational structure:

Despite the completion of the structure of the four principal organs of the Union, it is necessary during
the coming period to build an organizational structure that includes contact persons at every
governorate as representatives or commissioners of Union's to manage its activities in all the Egyptian
governorates. As well as building appropriate structure for the Legal Aid activity that includes a
number of selected jurists in all governorates, as a result of the Union’s vision that extend to include all
governorates of the Republic.

Lunch campaigns and related activities:

The issue of human rights is the chief concern of all members of the Union. Therefore, it is necessary
that the Union and its member to adopt a number of activities and events in furtherance of that concern,
all within the framework of cooperation, joint planning and coordination.

Work on supporting the Union's human and material resources:

Of course, the provision of appropriate resources to the various activities of the Union comes in the
heart of its concerns; to ensure the achievement of its objectives and its sustainability. The founders of
the Union have agreed to the principle of activity initiation - any activity - and then look for resources
to complete this activity, especially that the Union has an agenda, which seeks actively to implement it.

Work on establishing the central headquarters and the regional headquarters:

This is combined with the scenario for completing the structure of the Union in all the Egyptian
governorates, and in accordance with its Regulation, the central headquarters of the Union will be in
the capital.

Complete Networking and

organizational increasing the number
structure of members

The Future vision

Lunch campaigns and

Providing material related activities:
and human support

Establish the central

headquarters and the
regional headquarters

6
The plan "the Union’s work fields, the strategic work units, indicators of success."

The following table lists a full vision on the areas to be adopted by the Union through its strategic
action plan based upon its vision and its own nature. As well as identifying the strategic work units that
will carry out the action plan, according to specific areas, in addition, the indicators of success for those
areas will be mentioned.

Work fields Strategic work Indicators of success Duration

committees (by year)
1 2 3 4 5
- Increase in the members of the Union’s Note 1
Networking and General Assembly, on average of 100% or
increasing the number more each year.
of members - Increase in the number of consultants
member "honorary members" locally,
regionally and internationally in accordance
with progressive rates.
- The availability of a number or a number of
members at every governorate, as minimum of
29 organizations representing all governorates.

Membership
and Public
- Appoint 29 representatives from all the
Relations
Completion of the Egyptian governorates.
Committee
organizational structure - Establish the Legal Assistance Unit to cover
all the Egyptian governorates.

- Adoption of an annual campaign to cover

Adoption of campaigns one of the human rights issues in Egypt or
and activities more.
- Completion of the activities and events that
the Union started its implementation already.
- Creation of new tools and mechanisms for
the design and the implementation Union’s
programs.
- Adoption of bilateral and collective
initiatives between the Union members, to
Project implement about 4 - 10 projects annually.
Committee - Prepare an annual report on human rights and
other periodic reports
Provide material support for all projects
Support the Union’s submitted by the Union’s members and other
martial and human projects related to the Union, on the average of
resources 60%.
Provide needed staff for all units and sections
International of the Executive.
Relations Provide a number of volunteers and increase
Committee the proportions of volunteer participants as by
50% annually.
Provide services and equipment necessary for
the work in the various Union headquarters

- Providing and setting up the central Union’s Note

Establish the central Public headquarters in Cairo. 2
headquarters and other Relations - Provide special headquarters in the
regional headquarters Committee & governorates or provide a place to host the
Projects Union in each governorate.
Committee

Note 1: The Union’s Rules of Procedure put a perception on the number of units, and it is necessary to develop new units needed
to the work.

Note 2: An illustrative paper will be issued soon on the units, committees and the conduct of internal work in addition to the
completion of the regulatory body, I will prepared it following to the completion of the first meeting of the Union’s General
Assembly.

7
Study of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

Note: in this analysis, we used the SWOT analysis, which is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture

The Union’s Rules of Procedure identified the objectives adopted by it as follows:

1. Foster a culture of human rights, democracy and anti-discrimination.

2. Promote and support young Institutions to develop their own resources and to improve their
performance.
3. Build a developed technological structure that contributes in supporting the capabilities of
civil society organizations
4. Assist young institutions in identifying the objectives and areas of work, in addition to help
them to overcome the problems emerged at the beginning of work.
5. Strengthen the relationship with the institutions of civil society in addition to enhance
networking, coordination and cooperation between them.
6. Support and develop the capacity of young leaders in senior and junior human rights
organizations.
7. Undertake and disseminate related researches and studies.

According to the objectives mentioned by the Rules of Procedure and based on the “SWOT analysis”
principles of the Union’s coefficients, we can develop the following conception to analyze the strengths
and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the “Egyptian Union of Young Human Rights
Organizations” during the period proposed for the strategic outline, which is 5 years starting from the
date of approval of the action plan in the first meeting the Union’s General Assembly held on January
11th 2009. They are as follows:

Strategies for internal strategic coefficients to the Egyptian Union (strength, weakness)

Strength coefficients Weight Estimate The amount

The abundance of distinctive and diverse experiences 0.10 4 0.40
The first qualitative union in accordance with this perception 0.20 5 1.00
The Ability to innovate 0.05 5 0.25
The ability to implement 0.10 4 0.40
Consistency of the Union’s approaches with the prevailing concept of partnership 0.20 5 1.00
Unique internal and external communications 0.05 4 0.20
Institutional readiness and flexibility 0.15 5 0.75
Abundant number of member organizations 0.15 3
Total 4.45
Weakness coefficients Weight Estimate The amount
Difficulty to obtain fund for projects 0.15 4 0.60
Limited external financing 0.20 3 0.60
Difficulty of the members’ meetings and communications 0.15 2 0.30
Unavailability of a headquarter for the Union 0.10 3 0.30
The absence of specific strategies for the priorities of the Union 0.10 4 0.40
Performance bureaucratically and the length of the implementation period 0.15 5 0.75
The absence of collective action principles in some individuals (Personalization) 0.05 2 0.10
The absence of the Accountability idea. 0.10 2 0.20
Total 3.25

Total of strength coefficients, "the Union’s strength" = 4.45

Total of weakness coefficients "the Union’s weakness" = 3.25

8
Strategies of external strategic coefficients of the Union (opportunities, risks)

Opportunities coefficients Weight Estimate The amount

The need for genuine partnerships between organizations 0.45 4 1.80
The need to a strong legal front 0.30 3 0.90
The need for new and renewed ideas 0.25 5 1.25
Total 3.95
Threats coefficients Weight Estimate The amount
Domestic legislations are restricting freedom of association 0.15 4 0.60
The executive authorities narrowing the legal work 0.20 3 0.60
Weakness of institutional structure of the members 0.15 2 0.30
Difficult to maintain the excellent expertise 0.10 3 0.30
Some of the organizations are against the partnership system 0.10 4 0.40
Different views and ideologies among the members 0.15 5 0.75
The absence of items of collective action in some people 0.05 2 0.10
The absence of the idea of the evaluation 0.10 2 0.20
Total 3.25

Total of the opportunities coefficients, = 3.95

Total of threats coefficients, = 3.25

Quartet Analysis Matrix (SWOT)

Internal strength (S) Internal weakness (W)

Strengths and opportunities (S.O) Weaknesses and opportunities (W.O)

External opportunities (magnified . magnified) Exploitation
of strength coefficients in favor of
exploiting the opportunities
Strength and Threats (S.T)
External threats (magnified . minimized)
Exploitation of strength coefficient
to avoid the threats
(minimized . magnified) to reduce the
weakness coefficient and increase
opportunities
(Mini-mini) strategy to
Weakness and Threats (W.T)
(Minimized. minimized) Weakness
coefficients reducing strategy and avoiding
threats