Eritrea: Land ofCan-Do People!

ERI-NEWS

National Service: A toolfor EconomicDevelopment, NationalCohesion and theDefence of Sovereignty

Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AU
and UNECA
Press Section
Eritrea’s Top Priority isEnsuring the Welfare and Dignity of its People
In a Statement delivered to the 3rd
Committee of the UN General Assembly, on 27 October 2016, Mr. Yemane
Ghebreab, Advisor to the President,
reiterated that as a nation born in thestruggle for human rights, Eritrea’s toppriority remains ensuring the welfareand dignity of its people. The text of hisstatement is as follows:
Eritrea sees little value in entering into insult to Africa, which has made its
a polemic with the Special Rappor- firm views on the institution very clear.
teur. We prefer an altogether different and positive approach. We wish Eritrea strongly believes that the mostto explain our situation, point to our appropriate international forum for themodest achievements, describe our discussion of human rights on the basis
challenges, elaborate on our pro- of universality and equality is thegrams, reaffirm our responsibility Human Rights Council. Like most UNand commitment, emphasize the member states and almost all developimportance of solidarity and express ing countries, we oppose doubleour readiness for constructive standards as well as selective, politiengagement and cooperation.
cally-motivated, country-specific approaches that reject dialogue and coopWe wish to remind this important gath- eration in favour of confrontation andering that the Commission of Inquiry escalation. If it weren’t for these shortdoes not exist as its mandate was termi- sighted and ultimately counternated at the 31st session of the Human productive approaches, whose first
Rights Council last July in Geneva. The casualty is human rights, Eritrea would
Council had considered its report, took not be on the agenda today.
note of it and decided to reject its key
recommendations, which included as- Eritrea, as it will keep stressing, is a
tonishingly sending yet another African nation born in the struggle forcountry, Eritrea, to the International human rights. Its number one priorCriminal Court, which is not only ity remains ensuring the welfare andunwarranted for Eritrea, but is a grossdignity of its people. (Cont. on page 2)

Vol 3. Issue 57, 07 November 2016

Vol 3. Issue 57
07 November 2016
Inside this issue:
Upholding andProtecting theRights and Welfareof Children
3
Central to Eritrea’sDevelopment
AgendaEritrea and UNDP
Organized a Side
Event on‘Mainstreaming
Human Rights
throughPartnership’4

AU Recognizes
Eritrea’s Achieve- 5ments in Improving
Maternal and Child
HealthContact Addresses:
Tel: +251-116620052
Fax:+251-116620011
Email:eritreanaumission@
gmail.com
P.o.Box: 5527
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Eritrean Mission toAU& ECA@EritreaAUPage 2

Eri-News

Eritrea’s Top Priority is Ensuring the Welfare and Dignity of its People…
(Contd. from page 1)
Eritrea is a safe, peaceful, stable nation withremarkable harmony among its diverse population. Its evolving political system, which has
suffered some setbacks, is based on citizenship. It
seeks to foster the broadest participation of its
citizens, at home and abroad, at all levels and in allaffairs of the nation. It is working to build a justicesystem, based on a body of laws, including thesupreme law of the land, at the center of which isbroad popular participation, including equitableparticipation of women, in the form of locally elected
community courts.
Eritrea is committed to development, sustained,sustainable and equitable development which
supports the material, social and cultural aspirations of the people, and in particular the youth.
After years of difficulty, the basis for broad-based
growth is being laid lesson by lesson, brick by brickand institution by institution. As many who have partnered with Eritrea will confirm, it makes judiciousand effective use of available resources.

We are providing free and universal education up-to
the tertiary level, strides have been made in health,women’s and children’s rights are protected. The policies of citizenship, unity in diversity and prioritizing
disadvantaged areas and sections of the population
have strengthened national cohesion and solidarity.
Eritreans also enjoy many civic and political rights
and have access to information.
Yet, as Eritrea is first to stress, our achievements aremodest, fall far short of our aspirations; and we havea long way to go. We are never complacent. We aredetermined to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals ahead of schedule, build a nation
worthy of the heavy sacrifices made to bring it toexistence and contribute to a peaceful, cooperativeand integrated Horn of Africa region.
As Eritrea carries on with its national agenda, it welcomes and encourages solidarity and partnerships. It
is keen to shoulder its international obligations in theareas of peace, development and human rights. It is awilling and proud participant in the Universal Review
Process. It is cooperating effectively with the United
Nations, UN human rights bodies and other partnersto implement the recommendations it has accepted. It
is a critical, but also effective participant in the fightagainst human trafficking and for effective solutions
for irregular migration.

Eritrea is an independent, constructive, active andconsciously modest regional and global actor. We
are strong believers in solidarity between nations andpeoples as well as in genuine and mutually-beneficialpartnerships. We favor dialogue, engagement andcooperation. Unfortunately, the policy of seeking toisolate and undermine Eritrea has limited our role. It
has also deprived the Horn of Africa of the positive You are well aware that over six decades, Eritrea has
been treated most unfairly by the United Nations andcontribution we would have been able to make.
the international system. The continued occupation ofNational ownership and national responsibility are our sovereign territory has been met with deafening
the pillars of the Eritrean approach to nation silence and detrimental inaction. Sanctions against
building. We first look to ourselves, mobilize our Eritrea continue although everyone agrees that there
own human and financial resources and only then is no case and no justification. Eritrea is singled out
seek friends and partners. This approach also applies for attacks on human rights when the grossest violato the important issue of human rights.
tions of others are glossed over.
Despite hostility and challenges, Eritrea is working
steadfastly to advance the political, civic, economic, social and cultural rights of its people. The
length and quality of life of Eritreans have improved.

Yet, Eritrea does not seek favored treatment. Itseeks fairness. It asks for a level playing field.
More importantly, it encourages mutual solidarityand support.

Vol 3. Issue 57, 07 November 2016

Page 3Eri-News

Upholding and Protecting the Rights and Welfare of Children
Central to Eritrea’s Development Agenda
The Government of the State ofEritrea (GSoE) presented its progress report on the implementation of the African Charter on
the Rights and Welfare of theChild at the 28th Ordinary
Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights andWelfareoftheChild(ACERWC) held in Banjul, the Islamic Republic of Government in the community based reunification oforphans with their extended families, assistancethe Gambia, on October 25, 2016.
provided to vulnerable children in combating
The report illustrated the legal and institutional streetism, adoption, provision of care for children
frameworks, policies, and programs that have with disabilities, the reduction of child marriages andbeen put in place to ensure the rights and welfare in supporting families of martyrs as well as HIV/of the child in Eritrea. It further highlighted the AIDS affected individuals. In the awareness raisingstatus of program implementation, coordination and and sensitization programs, the Convention on themonitoring at the national, regional and sub-regional Rights of the Child was translated into Eritreanlevels.
languages to ensure wide appreciation of the rights
guaranteed therein.
On health issues, the delegation pointed out Eritrea’s
success in achieving the health related MDGs, curbing harmful traditional practices such as FGM, andcontrolling HIV/AIDs, malaria and tuberculosis.
Furthermore, the delegation provided briefing on theIn its opening remarks, the Eritrean delegation shed Eritrean health system and the priorities given to malight on the concrete steps, success stories, challenges ternal and child health.
and future prospects. The delegation emphasizedthat much progress has been achieved in promot- In the sphere of education, the delegation undering Children’s Rights and Welfare, in spite of the scored the substantial increase in equitable access tocontinued occupation of sovereign Eritrean terri- education all the way from the pre-school to the tertitories, the unfair and unjust UNSC sanctions and ary level, as well as the big increase in the national
other constraints. It was also stated that the GoSE literacy rate.
takes the rights and welfare of the child as one of
the central pillars of its development agenda. The In the interactive dialogue, the Eritrean delegationdelegation further noted that the newly issued Codes responded to the questions and addressed theincorporate new concepts and provisions that uphold concerns of the members of the ACERWC.
the best interest of the child, in line with regional andIn conclusion, the delegation reassured the Committee
international standards.
that the GoSE has no greater agenda than upholdIn the social and child protection domain, the dele- ing the best interest of Eritrean Children indischarging its responsibility.
gation underlined the notable achievements of theVol 3. Issue 57, 07 November 2016

Page 4Eri-NewsEritrea and UNDP Organized a Side Event on‘Mainstreaming Human Rights through Partnership’
The Permanent Mission of Eritrea to the United
Nations in collaboration with UNDP Eritrea organized a side event, titled: “Mainstreaming HumanRights through Partnership”, on 25 October 2016 atthe United Nations in New York. This is the third
joint event sponsored by the Eritrean Mission to theUN and the UN Eritrea Country Team.

Mrs. Senait Lijam in her presentation, “Eritrea’s strategy in the Promotion of Human Rights”, elaborated
Eritrea’s views and activities in the promotion andprotection of human rights. She stated that “as a country that emerged out of a long and difficult struggle
for human rights, the promotion of human rights has
been the linchpin for the policies of the Eritrean government”.

Mrs. Lijam said that while Eritrea continues to takeits own initiatives to protect and promote humanrights, it is engaging and co-operating with various
international organizations and countries, including:
UN Agencies in Eritrea, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Office on
Drug and Crime, African Commission for Human andPeoples Rights, European Union and European countries, South-South cooperation. She concluded bystating that the cooperation agreement with the UN
Country Team on the implementation of UPR also
The event was chaired by Mr. Amanuel Giorgio, offers a platform for cooperation and partnerships
Charge d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Eritrea to with any country or organization.
the United Nations and Ms. Christine Umutoni, UN
Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Eritrea.
Mr. Yemane Ghebreab, Advisor to the President ofEritrea, Ms. Senait Lijam, representing the National
Union of Eritrean Women and member of the UPR
implementation Coordinating body and Dr. Mansoor
Mirza, UN Policy Specialist in Eritrea as well as key
stakeholders were present at the side event.
In his opening statement, Mr. Amanuel Girogio statedthat while Eritrea has registered its concerns anddisappointments on numerous occasions on states thatchoose to dwell on double standards, several states
have begun to engage Eritrea on concrete sets ofactions that embody cooperative approach to therespect of human rights. He announced that Eritrea
had signed the UN Eritrea Partnership Program document on the implementation of the Universal Period
Review and Human Rights; and he further noted thatthe document has been mainstreamed into the Strategic Partnership Cooperation Framework between
Eritrea and the UN.

Dr. Mansoor Mirza, UN Eritrea Policy Specialist in
his presentation, “UN Programme to Support theGovernment of the State of Eritrea (GoSE) on Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review and
Human Rights Mainstreaming”, provided an overview of its programs in Eritrea. He stated that thecooperation agreement aims at accelerating progressin the implementation of UPR recommendations andensuring timely reporting requirements. (Contd. onpage 5)

Vol 3. Issue 57, 07 November 2016

Page 5Eri-NewsEritrea and UNDP Organized a Side Event … (Cond. from page 4)
He stated that Human Rights Working Group and a
UPR Coordinating Body consisting of relevant ministries, government bodies and national civic associations have been established. The GoSE has also produced 2 key documents on UPR and human rights
mainstreaming – Plan of Action 2016-2017 andFramework for Action 2015-2018. In conclusion, hestated that the project represents a significant opportunity to support vital human rights work in Eritrea andthat GoSE remain committed to the UPR process andstrengthening human rights in Eritrea
Ms. Chrisitne Umutoni said that the partnership
between Eritrea and the UN continues to grow. She
stated the driving energy for the UN in Eritrea is thecommitment of the government to engage and the“value for money” for its projects. She explained
although the UN receives not so large amount of
resources for its programs, Eritrea has been able toachieve health related Millennium Development
Goals and was on track to meet the rest. She added “ifyou spend money for vaccine you get 100 percent
coverage.”
Mr. Yemane Ghebreab, in his concluding remarks
said that after a very challenging two decades, thepeople and government of Eritrea are, “more hopeful,
more optimistic, but never complacent”, and “notsatisfied with where we are, and the very little that wehave achieved, we aspire for more”. Mr. Yemane
Ghebreab said Eritrea’s peace, stability and the population's ethnic and religious harmony cannot be taken
for granted, and that Eritrea wants to rely on its own
resources first, but needs to be supported in its development efforts. Eritrea calls for level playing fieldand continued solidarity in its endeavor to meet theaspirations of its people.

AU Recognizes Eritrea’s Achievements in Improving Maternal and Child Health
The African Union recognized Eritrea as one of thesuccess stories in achieving the health-related MDGs
and the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction ofMaternal, Newborn and Child Mortality in Africa(CARMMA). Eritrea launched CARMMA at thenational level in 2010, soon after the campaign was
launched at the continental level.

Vol 3. Issue 57, 07 November 2016