Eritrea: Land ofCan-Do People!
(Yikealo! kikewn eyu

ERINEWSkemey zeykewn!)

Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AUand UNECAPress Section

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

Volume 1, Issue 23

Eritrea Participated in the EU-Horn of Africa Ministerial
Conference on Migration and Human Trafficking
A Delegation led by Mr. Osman
Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs ofEritrea, participated in the EU-Hornof Africa Ministerial Conference onMigration and Human Trafficking,held in Rome, Italy on 28 November
2014.

of UK and Norway. The discussions
focused on development and enhancing
cooperation in combating human trafficking.

The Conference was attended byrepresentatives of the 28 EU memberstates and 10 African states, namely
Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, South Sudan,
Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya,Libya, and Tunisia.

Eritrea Took Part in 2nd Africa-Turkey Summit

The Summit was attended by Heads
of State and Government as well as
representatives from 30 Africancountries, and President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
The Summit adopted a Declaration,

Inside this issue:Statement by H.E.
Mr. Osman Saleh, atthe EU-Horn ofAfrica MinisterialConference onMigration andHuman Trafficking

2Eritrean Delegation
Participated in the2
AU Specialized
Technical Committee
Meeting

During its stay in Rome, the Eritreandelegation held talks with Ms. Federica Mogherini, the EU Foreign Policy Chief; the Italian Minister forInternal Affairs and the country’s The full text of the Statement delivered
Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs; as at the Conference by Foreign Minister
well as the Vice Ministers for Justice Osman Saleh is available in page 2.

An Eritrean Delegation participatedin the 2nd Africa-Turkey Summit heldin Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from
19-21 November 2014, under thetheme ‘New Model of Partnership for
the Strengthening of Sustainable Development and Integration.’

01 December 2014

list of Major Priority Projects and anImplementation Plan. These projects
aim at promoting relations and cooperation in the domains of trade and investment; peace and security; culture, tourism and education; youth empowerment
and technology transfer; rural economy
and agriculture; and energy, ICT andtransport infrastructure.
Eritrea was represented at the Summitby Mr. Biniam Berhe, First Secretary inthe Permanent Mission of Eritrea to theAfrican Union and the UN Economic
Commission for Africa.

Vol 1. Issue 23, 01 December 2014

AUC Lauds Eritrea’s
Achievements inImproving Maternal 3
and Infant Health
Eritrean Delegation
Took Part in the 1st
Extraordinary
Session of the AU
CAMRMRD

3

Contact Addresses:
Tel: +251-116620052
Fax:+251-116620011
Email:eritreanaumission@
gmail.com
P.o.Box: 5527
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Eritrean Mission toAU& ECA@EritreaAU

Page 2Eri-NewsStatement by H.E. Mr. Osman Saleh,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea,at the EU-Horn of Africa Ministerial Conference on Migration and HumanTrafficking, Rome, 28 November 2014
Mr. Chairman,
Your Excellencies,

ronment that would provide opportunities forour young people to live and thrive in theirown country. We are engaged in a sustained
and promising effort to transform our economy and develop our human resources,
specially the education, health, skills, fortitude
and initiative of our youth. We have a specificprogram to bring tangible change in the livesof our people within three to five years, positive change which will also have a significant
impact on current migration patterns.

On behalf of the people and government of Eritrea, I
wish to thank the African Union, the EuropeanUnion and the Italian Presidency for taking thistimely initiative to address the critical issue ofmigration and the crime of human trafficking, which
is profoundly affecting millions of people andnations throughout the world.

I wish to make four main points and I will be very
brief.
1)

2)

3)

Eritrea has embarked on and is determined towork in, close and mutually beneficial,
partnership with regional countries to addressthe problems of irregular migration and thecrime of human trafficking. More broadly andimportantly, Eritrea is actively engaged inpromoting regional cooperation and integration, as a strategically-located, maritime country, it stands to gain from regional peace,stability and cooperation.

4)

Eritrea values its partnership with the European Union and is determined to work with
the EU and all European countries to tackle
irregular migration and human trafficking andto address their root causes. We call for an
urgent review of European migration policies
towards Eritreans, as they are, to say the least,
based on incorrect information, something thatis being increasingly acknowledged. Crucially, we call on the EU and all European
countries to increase their all-sided engagement and cooperation with Eritrea and theentire Horn of Africa region, in a partnership
focused on peace, security, trade and investment that will benefit both the region andEurope.

Conferences, like this one in Rome, as well as
those that preceded it and those to follow, areimportant to highlight the critical nature of theissue and to create a broader understanding
and a sense of urgency. Eritrea, however,wishes to focus on and stress the crucial needto take concrete measures and within specified
timeframes to make a positive difference forirregular migrants and victims of humantrafficking as well as address the legitimate
concerns of the countries of origin, transit andThose are my four points. Let me conclude bydestination.
thanking everyone present here today and reaffirmWe in Eritrea are determined, and are already ing that you will find in Eritrea an effective andtaking appropriate action, to develop thehugely constructive partner.
political, economic, social and cultural enviI thank you!
Vol 1. Issue 23, 01 December 2014

Page 3

Volume 1, Issue 23

Eritrean Delegation Participated in the AU Specialized Technical Committee Meeting
held in the Republic of Congo
An Eritrean delegation led by Ambassador
Araya Desta, Permanent Representative ofEritrea to the African Union and UN Economic
Commission for Africa, participated in the First
Session of the African Union Specialized
Technical Committee on Public Service, Local
Government, Urban Development and Decentralization, held from 24-26 November 2014 in
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
In accordance with the Decision of the AU
Assembly of Heads of State and Government,starting from the current year the numerous
sectoral Ministerial Conferences will bereplaced by 14 Specialized Technical Committees (STCs). The STC that held its meeting in
Brazzaville brings to its fold three sectoral
Ministerial Conferences.
The Eritrean delegation expressed its support tothe new arrangement stating that it will play asignificant role in reducing the number of meetings and related expenditures as well as in creating synergy within the various organs of theUnion.
The Meeting which was attended by Ministers
and Representatives from the Member States ofthe African Union adopted its Rules of Procedure and the Work Plan for 2015-2016.

AUC Lauds Eritrea’s Achievements in Improving Maternal and Infant Health
The AU Commissioner for Social Affairs,
Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, in a Statement hemade at the commemoration of the 4th Annual
CARMMA (Campaign on Accelerated Reduction ofMaternal, Newborn and Child Mortality in Africa)
Week held on 26 November 2014, at the AU Headquarters, identified Eritrea as one of the success stories in significantly reducing maternal and infantmortality rates.

The Commissioner stated that “Eritrea has witnessed a fall in its maternal death rate from 880
per 100,000 live births to 240; representing an
increase in the life chances of Eritrean mothers
and their babies.”
It is to be recalled that Eritrea has already achieved
the three health-related MDGs and is on-track on
the other goals.

Eritrean Delegation Took Part in the 1st Extraordinary Session of the AU
CAMRMRD held in Zambia and Zimbabwe
An Eritrean Delegation led by Ambassador SalihOmer, Ambassador of Eritrea to the Republic ofSouth Africa and SADC countries, participated inthe 1st Extraordinary Session of the AU Conferenceof Ministers Responsible for Mineral ResourcesDevelopment (CAMRMRD) held from 22-26 Nov-ember 2014, in Livingstone, Zambia and Victoria
Falls, Zimbabwe. The session focused on finding
appropriate solutions to the institutionalization andsustainability of the African Minerals Development
Centre (AMDC).

Vol 1. Issue 23, 01 December 2014