To celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the inception of parliamentary life in Egypt, the Embassy of Egypt in Washington, D.C. launched a new public advertising campaign that coincides with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s participation in the fourth Nuclear Security Summit.

The ads – which are displayed on tourist buses across Washington – honors parliament’s historic significance on Egypt’s public and political life while also drawing attention to Egypt’s progress toward accountable and effective governance. Earlier this year, and following successful elections across the country, Egypt convened the newly elected House of Representatives, the most empowered and diverse parliamentary body in Egyptian history. For example, women made extraordinary gains and now hold 89 seats in the House of Representatives, marking the highest percentage of female representation in parliament’s 150-year history. In 2012, the last time a parliament convened, only 1.8 percent of legislators were women. Today it is 15 percent. To mark this progress, the Embassy recently honored two of Parliament’s newest female members, the Honorable Dahlia Yousef and Dr. Marianne Azer, at an event celebrating International and Egyptian Women’s Day.  

The commemorative campaign was initially unveiled during Foreign Minister Shoukry’s visit to the U.S. in February and will be a year-long celebratory theme for the Embassy in Washington. During the inaugural event hosted at the Embassy, Minister Shoukry stressed that the campaign intends to present Egypt’s political development and progress to American society, with Ambassador Reda adding that the campaign is also designed to promote tourism to Egypt.

For more information on Egypt’s Parliament, see here.