Discussion forum hosted on strengthening partnership among development partners of Eritrea

By Eritrea Embassy Media

On Monday 6 February 2017, , Ms. Christine Umutoni, the UN Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative in Eritrea, on a visit to the UK, led a discussion forum hosted by the Embassy of the State of Eritrea to the United Kingdom & Ireland under the theme "Delivering Together for Eritrea’s Development & Self-Reliance".

Ms. Umutoni shared her experiences and observations about working with the people and Government of the state of Eritrea in its development policies.

Mr. Yared Tesfay, Director of Media Affairs, of the Embassy, facilitator for the briefing session said the purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the existing partnership among development partners of Eritrea and following a short introduction, the event was kicked off with a presentation by Ms. Christine Umutoni, who provided insightful presentation on her experience working in Eritrea, in building human capacity, providing education and health care services.

The UN and the Government of the State of Eritrea recently launched the Strategic Partnership Cooperation Framework (SPCF) 2017-2021 which is aligned to the SDGs.

She said that the eight outcomes of the (SPCF) are directly linked to the 17 SDG goals. Further Ms. C. Umutoni noted that the UN SDGs and the African Union agenda 2063 are key international frameworks. that the Government and the people of the State of Eritrea can leverage to achieve their national development aspirations.

Ms. Umutoni said, “Eritrea has shown commendable commitment to its development agenda”, and applauded Eritrea's strategic programs which have improved the lives of many people despite the harsh environmental conditions in the Horn of Africa. She wished to solicit ideas from the Diaspora how best the UN can design a program to support knowledge transfer of Eritrean experts abroad to support national building efforts and fill capacity gaps best.

Towards the end of the presentation the participants were given the opportunity to ask Ms. Christine Umutoni questions, and adequate answers were provided.

Current achievements with regards to the Strategic Partnership Cooperation Frame (SPCF), as well as the policies that the government of Eritrea is taking on the overall diversification for the purposes of sustainability were clearly explained.

Participants expressed extreme satisfaction in the presentation both on content and delivery and found the forum to be enlightening and that it gave an insight into the overall UN-Eritrea partnership in development.

They called for continuous engagement between the UN and Eritrean civil society and non-state actors, including the Diaspora, in the future.

35 representatives from various British Eritrean Community Organizations & Networks, NUEW, PFDJ, YPFDJ, and Information Network were in attendance. The event provided an overview of the achievements and challenges of projects in Eritrea, and the role of the Diaspora as stakeholders in the country’s human capacity development process.

Amongst the participants were academics, educators, practitioners, community leaders.

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