The interview with Ambassador Mona Omar was held at the Diplomatic Club, in Cairo on 7^th July; the discussion was fully recorded with the Ambassador’s permission.  This text was presented to Ambassador Mona Omar on July 21, 2019. The Ambassador had no objections to publishing this text.

Ambassador Mona Omar is a public figure in the field of women rights and a regionally renowned career diplomat, with extensive experience representing and coordinating issues of strategic interest on the international, regional and national levels. Former-Assistant to Foreign Minister of African Affairs and African Union Affairs, previously Egypt’s Ambassador to South Africa and Ambassador to Denmark, previously Egypt’s Ambassador to South Africa and Ambassador to Denmark. Her support for CAWU, began after a lecture by Cornelis Hulsman at the University of Copenhagen in 2004 after which she sent the following encouraging words: “What I admired in your lecture and work is that you do not avoid discussing sensitive issues but do this with an admirable independence, not being afraid to criticize whoever you believe did not present accurate information. I have presented a report about your work to the Minster of Foreign Affairs who had responded with great admiration for your noble work.”. Mona Omar is the Former- Secretary General of the National Council for Women (2014-2015) that is an independent institution, established in 2000 to advance the status of Women in Egypt through proposing matters of public policy on the development and empowerment of women; monitoring and evaluating the implementation of women-related policies; advising on draft laws and decisions pertaining to women prior to their submission to the competent authority; recommending draft laws and decisions on the advancement of women, and designing national programs and plans aiming at ensuring gender equality and women empowerment in Egypt.