Eritrea: Land ofCan-Do People!

ERI-NEWS

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

Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AU
and UNECA
Press Section
Vol 3. Issue 51

President Isaias Conducted a Working Visit to Qatar
23 March 2016
President Isaias Afwerki
conducted a three-day
working visit to the Stateof Qatar starting from the15th of March 2016.

Inside this issue:

Eritrea Taking
Part at the 60th2
Session of the UN
Commission on theStatus of Women

During the visit, President Isaias and the Emirof Qatar, Sheikh Tamim
Bin Hamad Al-Thani,
met at the State Palaceand discussed bilateral,
regional and international
issues of mutual interest.

Azel Meets 45% of
Eritrea’s Pharma- 4
ceutical Demand

A Side-Event on the Role of Eritrean Women in Development,
Gender Equality and Empowerment held in Geneva

Fred Hollows IOL
4Laboratory
Exporting State of
the Art Lenses

Contact Addresses:

A side-event on the role of Eritrean
women in development, gender equalityand empowerment was held at thePalais des Nations in Geneva, on 11March 2016, on the occasion of the 31stSession of the Human Rights Council.

ing and the efforts made to maintainthe achievements of the liberation
struggle in gender equality and empowerment. The event also highlighted
the successful development partnership
between the Government of Eritrea,
The presentations made at the event the UN country Team and the National
outlined the challenges of nation build- Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW).
Continued on page 2.

Vol 3. Issue 51, 23 March 2016

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

Page 2Eri-NewsA Side-Event on the Role of Eritrean Women …(Continued from page 1)
the realization of its mission as an organization representing women;• Expand partnerships, in particular the ongoing
partnership with the UN country team in Eritrea;• Create a platform to share Eritrea’s experiences
The participants gave their reflections and comments and achievements with neighboring and other African
and the event concluded with the following recom- countries;
mendations:• Mobilize more resources in support of Eritrea; and• Consolidate further the effort and achievement in • Conduct more side events on various issues towomen’s emancipation and empowerment;
reflect the Eritrean reality and its development• Empower the NUEW to expand and consolidateachievements and challenges.
The event also included a photographic exhibition anda video presentation depicting and chronicling theEritrean women and their role in Eritrean society,including during the armed struggle.

Eritrea Taking Part at the 60th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
The Delegation, through two statements it made atthe Session, shared Eritrea’s experience in the eradication of all forms of discrimination and violenceagainst women. Below are excerpts:

An Eritrean Delegation led by Ms. Tekea Tesfamichael, President of the National Union of Eritrean
Women (NUEW), is participating in the 60th sessionof the UN Commission on the Status of Womentaking place in New York, from 14-24 March 2016.

Role of the NUEW: The National Union of Eritrean
Women, a grassroots organization with more than
three hundred thousand members and offices all overthe county and outside has been at the forefront of
the efforts towards gender equality and the empowerment of women. (Continued on page 3)

Vol 3. Issue 51, 23 March 2016

Page 3Eri-News

Eritrea Taking Part at the 60th Session of the UN CSW (Continued from page 2)
Adhering to International Norms: Eritrea as asignatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all
Forms of Discrimination against Women and theConvention on the Right of the Child, has been
making strides through relentless efforts to combat
and eradicate violence against women and girls, andaddressing the conditions that contribute to such
violence.

Combating FGM: Awareness raising campaigns andlegal ban has contributed to its sharp decrease. Since
2007 FGM has been banned by law. The campaign
involved religious and community leaders, including
committees specifically created for this purpose. As aresult, the FGM that affected 95% of girls in 1995
today has dropped to 12% for ages 5 and under.

Combating Rape and Sexual Harassment: Rapeand sexual harassment against women are considered
immoral and intolerable acts in the Eritrean society.
Rape is a crime and a serious offence punishable withdefinite terms of imprisonment. The advocacy effortsof the NUEW has been geared towards combatingrape as well as ensuring that the victims are empowered enough to report acts of rape, and those who
commit the crime are held accountable. The advocacy activities also involve law enforcement agencies
in order to ensure the implementation of laws on rapecrimes. These campaigns have been critical inincreasing the reported cases of rape and in holding
the perpetuators of the crime responsible.

Ending Underage Marriage: One of the firstamendments made to the colonial codes after
independence in 1991 was amending the legal age ofmarriage from 15 to 18 years and prohibition offorced marriage. In cooperation with government
institutions and civil societies, the National Union ofEritrean Women and international partners conduct
extensive social and media campaigns. Building on
the success of these programs, the NUEW with theAU Commission, plans to launch in Eritrea the AU
Campaign to End Child Marriage in June 2016.

Vol 3. Issue 51, 23 March 2016

Page 4Eri-News

Azel Meets 45% of Eritrea’s Pharmaceutical Demand
Azel is currently producing 45% of the pharmaceutical products required in Eritrea thereby making
enormous contribution to the improvement of thehealth and wellbeing of the society.
The products of the company include, among others,antidiabetic, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and malarial medicines.

Azel Pharmaceutical Sh. Co. is jointly owned by theGovernment of Eritrea and the Jordanian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company (JPM). It was foundedin 2003 in the city of Keren to meet the demand for
quality pharmaceutical products.
The Company has the mission of producing, distributing and selling high quality essential drugs atcompetitive prices and in widening market coverage.

Fred Hollows IOL Laboratory Exporting State of the Art Lenses
The Fred Hollows IOL Laboratory was established in
Asmara in 1994 with the financial and technicalsupport provided by the Fred Hollows Foundation inAustralia with the express intention of providing highquality affordable intra-ocular lenses (IOLs) for use in
extra-capsular cataract extraction and lens replacement surgery.

the art IOLs produced by Fred Hollows Laboratory
have been used throughout the world and also beentasted by leading international authorities in ophthalmology.

The Laboratory is certified by Société Générale deSurveillance (SGS) for compliance with the highest
Since entering into commercial operations in 1995, Standards of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in
the Laboratory has exported millions of IOLs to manufacturing devices and is proud holder of quality
Asian, European and African countries. The state of certificates: ISO 13485, ISO 9001& MDD 93/42/EEC
and CE Mark from SGS.
Vol 3. Issue 51, 23 March 2016