Public Diplomacy Activities

Transcription

1 Vol 24. No.65 Saturday, October14, 2017 Public Diplomacy Activities Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFA NEWS BRIEF Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases The environmental sanitation popular campaign initiated in cooperation with the residents and the Ministry of Health branch in the Northern Red Sea region is making vital contribution in controlling the prevalence of communicable diseases. The head of information and control of Communicable Diseases in the region, Mr. Woldeyesus Belai, said that sustainable vaccination program being conducted at national level has made due contribution in the undertaking. He further indicated that the campaign to control the prevalence of polio, measles, TB and others attests to the strong efforts being exerted. Mr. Woldeyesus pointed out that the Ministry of Health is exerting persistent effort to control the spread of communicable diseases, including Ebola, Hepatitis, Measles, and Influenza among others. Eritrean nationals in the UK, Kuwait, Canada and the US have conducted public diplomacy activities with a view to strengthening organizational capacity in addition to enhancing the role of the youth in national development endeavors. The Eritrean youth organization in Sheffield, the UK, held its annual conference last week under the theme Martyrs Trust for Development. Speaking at the event in which a number of representatives of national associations took part, the Eritrean Ambassador to the UK and North Ireland, Mr. Estifanos Habtemariam, gave briefing on the objective situation in the homeland and the Eritrean peoples spirit of steadfastness at home and abroad in rebuffing anti-eritrea agenda. The Ambassador explained that the Eritrean government is making substantial investment with a view to ensuring social justice and sustainable economic development. Noting that the Eritrean youth played key role in the victory of the independence struggle and safeguarding national sovereignty, Ambassador Estifanos called on the youth to fully grasp the profound history and reinforce their contribution in national development endeavors. The head of Consular Affairs, Mr. Suleiman Nur-Hassan, on his part gave briefing on the vitality of strong organizational capacity, consolidating unity and defying the psychological warfare targeting the youth. Likewise, the PFDJ and the NUEW in Kuwait held assessment meeting with a view to reinforcing organizational capacity and participation in national development. Similarly, the Eritrean community in Fresno, California, participated at the Day of Developing Awareness in Diversity and Disability, an annual event organized there. The community members presented brochures portraying Eritrea s true image, national outfits and dances as well as other activities depicting the Eritrean people s culture. Meanwhile, the PFDJ, NUEW and the YPFDJ and Eritrean communities in West Canada organized a discussion forum on national issues recently in the city Edmonton. During the event, discussion was conducted on developing national and societal values, conservation of cultural assets, role and participation of citizens in national development, among others. Road Renovation Campaign The inhabitants of Golagul, Adi-Tekelezan sub-zone, are undertaking road renovation campaign with the help machinery linking their village with the Asmara-Adi-Tekelezan mini road. They explained that the dirt road that has been damaged due to flooding has been creating problem, especially in transporting patients and pregnant women to nearby health facilities. The chairman of development committee in Golagul, Mr. Mosazgi Abraha, said that the location of the area makes the road get exposed to flooding and that they took the initiative with the technical assistance from the Construction office of the Anseba region. He also indicated that the residents contributed about half a million nakfa besides physically participating in the task. Mr. Frezgi Kiflom, administrator of the sub-zone, stated that with the active participation of the citizens 50% of the activity has been accomplished. 80% of Eritrean People Beneficiary of Mobile Phones: Report As part of persistent efforts to expand telephone service nationwide, over 80% of the Eritrean people have become beneficiaries of mobile phone service. According to a report by Mr. Tekle Woldeselasie, Head of mobile telephone service at Eri-Tel, the objective is to enable every citizen become beneficiary of the service. Regarding the subscription prices, he indicated that all expenses and annual subscription ones are reviewed every four years taking into account the introduction of new technology as well as infrastructure, among others. A workshop on controlling malaria prevalence A workshop on raising popular awareness on the control of the prevalence of communicable diseases was held in Anagule administrative area, Barentu sub zone. Indicating that environmental sanitation is vital in the prevention of communicable diseases, head of Health Care Services at the sub zone, Mr. Temesgen Berhane said that 70 thousand impregnated mosquito bed nets have been distributed to residents of the subzone and have contributed in ensuring public health. Nurse Temesgen also said that spraying anti mosquito pesticides, clearing suspected malaria breeding swamps as well as sustainable awareness raising campaigns are among the activities being conducted to control the prevalence of malaria. Commendable veterinary services Veterinary institutions put in place throughout the Southern Red Sea region are significantly contributing to the increase of the number of livestock in the region. According to Dr. Yonas Weldu, Director General of Agriculture and Land at the region, four fully equipped veterinary institutions set up in Tio, Ara Eta sub zone; Afambo, Central Denkalia subzone; and in Gahro Southern Denkalia sub zone, as well as in the port city of Assab are providing commendable animal healthcare services. Dr. Yonas indicated that thanks to the commendable services the veterinary centers are providing the health of the livestock in the area is in good condition. Documents of the Southern Red Sea region indicate that last year around 106 thousand livestock were vaccinated throughout the region.

2 Eritrea Profile, Saturday, October14, Eritrean position and its reception on 72nd session of UNGA Simon Weldemichael Recently, world leaders assembled for the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. Interestingly, the date coincided with Eritrea celebration of the 56th anniversary of the commencement of its armed struggle. Fifty-six years ago, when the UNGA celebrated its 16th birthday, Eritreans launched an armed struggle in what was to become Africa s longest war. It has now been twenty-four years since Eritrea became a member of the UN, an organization founded after the Second World War. Its establishment was based on the premise of collective security where the diverse nations could cooperate with each other. The reality before us, however, is far from this noble vision. Instead, rather than be called the United Nations the reality is that we are divided nations and societies (Minister Osman Saleh). Eritrea joined the organization after the attainment of its hard won independence some fifty-two years after the first meeting of the organization in San Francisco. Since then, Eritrea has remained an active participant in the United Nations. Eritrea s commitment to maintaining friendly and a cordial relations with all the countries and peoples of the world was well observed in her engagements in regional, continental and global matters. Time and again, Eritrea reiterated its wishes to deal with the rest of the world on an equal basis and to see an international body that represents all people. Eritrea has a firm belief that without equality and mutual trust, it is impossible to expect peace and prosperity. The Published Every Saturday & Wednesday Acting Editor Amanuel Mesfun amme@zena.gov.er P.O.Box: 247 Tel: Fax: profile@ zena.gov.er Advertisement: Layout Azmera Berhane aydi johar 72nd session of the UNGA witnessed the reception of the long held views of Eritrea by many heads of state. Eritrea has always adhered to the principles of sovereignty, abstaining from meddling into others internal affairs, equality, mutual respect, and the observance of the rule of law. Many heads of states shared and pronounced similar views that Eritrea was well-known for long, in cases like migration, sustainable peace, respect of law, sovereignty of states and others. As but one example, the Russian speaker noted the importance of dialogue, suggesting the need for strengthening of peace and security through intercultural and interreligious dialogue. The UNGA creates a platform through which countries can share their challenges with the rest of the world so that a common solution can be reached. Minister Osman Saleh in his address to the stated: We live in an increasingly fragile, unjust and unequal world. A small minority holds the reins of power and wealth between nations and, for the most part, within nations. In this session, a general concession has been reached among many world leaders that the global order bears a major responsibility in many of the crises that threaten international peace and stability. Many leaders also expressed their dissatisfaction with the existing arrangement of the international system and called for reform. The Cuban representative presented the prevailing inequality and injustice in the world through numerical data, noting that the wealth owned by eight men altogether is equivalent to the wealth shared by 3.6 billion human beings. In terms of turnover, 69 of the 100 biggest entities of the world are transnationals, not States. The turnover of the world s ten biggest corporations is higher than the public revenues earned by 180 countries combined...21 million are victims of forced labor. In 2015, 5.9 million children died of preventable or curable diseases before reaching the age of 5. A total of 758 million adults are illiterate. The UNGA is usually defined as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. It is deliberative because it is free to discuss and make recommendations on any questions or matters within the scope of the UN Charter. Accordingly, world leaders tabled many issues including human trafficking, nuclear crisis, climate change, terrorism, and development. US President Donald Trump sought to assure the world that one of his purposes is to promote the prosperity of nations. In his address to the UNGA he reiterated his stand to respect the sovereignty of nations, before directly threatening several countries. An important undercurrent of the UNGA is the idea of interdependence and cooperation. Minister Osman Saleh noted that we share a common home, a small planet in a vast universe, a tiny boat in a vast ocean. Whatever calamity happens anywhere in our world epidemics, poverty, violence, mass displacement, war, terror- it will eventually catch up with all of us. People around the globe are faced with unfulfilled promises and hollow words. We are longing for political courage, honest deliberation, and strong declarations. Many cases remain unresolved and many decisions suspended due to lack of enforcement. The final and binding decision of Ethiopia Eritrea Boundary Commission (EEBC) was a classic example of an unreasonable suspension of decision and continues to be the source of embarrassment for the UN. This breach of law and act of aggression not only harms Eritrea, it has far-reaching consequences for global peace and sustainability. Forcing Ethiopia to accept the EEBC decision and facilitate its implementation on ground will contribute a lot to the credibility of UN and help restore regional and international peace and security. Eritrea s address called for the removal of the unjust and unfair sanctions and an end to the 15-year occupation of sovereign Eritrean territory by Ethiopia. Notably, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt plainly stated that settling disputes in our world today can only be achieved through respect for the principles of international law, and negotiation on the basis of legal, historic, and moral principles, as well as the respect of the sovereignty of states. It is time now to respect the principles of international law and sovereignty of Eritrea. It is time for the entire world to join Eritrea s call demanding an end to the illegal occupation of Eritrean territory by Ethiopia. It is time to lift the unjust sanctions imposed on Eritrea so that order, peace, and security be restored in the Horn of Africa. Currently, Eritrea holds immense promise. It has broke the wall of isolation and managed to overcome covert and overt subversion. The Eritrean people have demonstrated their strength and resilience and they emerged from these hostilities more determined and experienced. Eritrean people are currently carrying out a colossal effort of nation-building, assuming their responsibility to lift their country to new heights. Although faced with challenges and sustained hostility, the long tradition of the Eritrean people and the revolutionary culture of the EPLF does not allow the country to sing to the tune of any foreign power. Despite its various challenges, Eritrea is confident that it will meet the Sustainable Development Goals ahead of time. The country is committed to eradicating poverty and inequality, eliminating hunger, improving the quality of education and health, providing clean water, decent work, enhancing economic growth, innovation and infrastructure, developing strong institutions, and promoting sustainable peace and justice. The hard work and sacrifice of the people tell us that Eritrea will be neither a victim nor a pawn and will shed its coats of poverty and become wealthy. Many indicators are telling the economy is growing and opportunities are opening. No longer will Eritreans be tricked into crossing the Sahara or drowning in the Mediterranean, in the hope of better future in Europe. Our hearts, as always, are beating the national rhythm and we loudly sing unending hymns to the glory of our gallant fighters, development workers, and improvement of our nation.

3 Eritrea Profile, Saturday, October14, The Saga of the SEMG and Eritrea Sophia Tesfamariam It is that time again. The annual ritual at the United Nations where the Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) presents its findings, and Ethiopia and its handlers find way to prolong the SEMG s mandate, and with it the illegal sanctions on Eritrea. It s has been the predictable circus at the UN since the US and Ethiopia engineered the unjust sanctions resolution 8 years ago. The African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) served as the African faces, in what Susan E. Rice, the then US Ambassador to the United Nations, announced the sanctions against Eritrea as an African Initiative on 23 December It should be recalled that the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CENSAD) with 28 nations, rejected the sanctions resolution 1907 just a few days later. In addition: The IGAD and the Africa Peace and Security Resolutions were passed under the chairmanship of Ethiopia. Ethiopia and Djibouti played accusers, judge and jury The IGAD and the Africa Peace and Security Resolutions were passed under the chairmanship of Ethiopia. The Chair of the African Union (Libya) opposed the sanctions at the UN Security Council Although Ethiopia and its handlers continue to tout it as an African Initiative, with the release of the WikiLeaks American Embassy documents, the behind the scenes shenanigans of the Ethiopian regime and the US Mission in NY have been exposed. The Ethiopian representative at the UN, who worked closely with the US Mission in NY to engineer the sanctions regime against Eritrea said this in a New York Times opinion post on 12 December 2012: the sanctions were imposed at the request of the African Union, which has troops in Somalia fighting Al Shabaab; and that a group set up by the Security Council found that Eritrea was aiding and abetting terrorism in Somalia The reports by the UN Monitoring Group that claimed 2000 Eritrean forces were fighting alongside the Union of Islamic Courts have long been discredited and the minority regime in Ethiopia was the source of that faulty intelligence. If it was the African Union that was seeking sanctions against Eritrea, why were there no other Africans involved in the liaisons and meetings with US officials? Why were Ethiopian cadres doing all the leg work? Judging from the US Embassy cables, Tekeda Alemu and other members of the Ethiopian regime, with the help of Susan Rice and the US Mission at the United Nations, birthed the sanctions resolution against Eritrea. Suffice it to mention a few examples: /09ADDISABABA1237.html May 2009-Ethiopia to the P-5: Time For Eritrea Sanctions Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin on May 22 called in the UNSC P-5 Ambassadors to urge them to follow-up on the InterGovernmental Authority on Development s (IGAD) May 20 call for Security Council sanctions against Eritrea In a separate meeting with the P-5 ambassadors on May 25, Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Tekeda Alemu said he planned to travel to New York on May 29 to press the UNSC on Eritrea in person Canada, he said, through its mining concessions, would soon be providing Eritrea with hundreds of millions of dollars, and he commented that if you think Eritrea is a problem now with no economy, wait until it is flush with cash /09ADDISABABA1450.html 22 Jun 2009-Ethiopia Pressing For UNSC Sanctions on Eritrea Dr. Tekeda called in the P-5 Ambassadors on June 18 and summarized the recent IGAD trip to the UN as having made progress in gaining UNSC support for the IGAD and AU call for sanctions on Eritrea, but concluded that more work was necessary. Tekeda met with special Africa Advisor Bruno Joubert in Paris and Somalia experts in London. In New York, TFG Foreign Minister Omar, along with Ambassadors assigned to the U.N. from Djibouti, Uganda, and Kenya, joined Tekeda in meeting the UNSC representatives. Tekeda said the Libyans were very receptive to Eritrea,s accountability in destabilizing Somalia Dr. Tekeda said the African Union had already endorsed the IGAD agreement to seek sanctions on Eritrea The U.S. Ambassador urged Tekeda that if Ethiopia and the IGAD countries wanted UN support, then Ethiopia and IGAD must secure a clear statement by the African Union of support for IGAD s position Tekeda added that he was mindful of comments made by the UNSC member states for further work by IGAD to secure full support from the African Union member states, and not just Ethiopia and Djibouti, which have direct problems with Eritrea /07/09ADDISABABA1589. html 7 July Seyoum Mesfin and Tekeda Alemu urge P-5 to support sanctions Ethiopian FM Seyoum and his deputy, Dr. Tekeda, on July 7 called in the Ambassadors from the P-5 to urge them to convey to their capitals the urgency of supporting sanctions against Eritrea. Seyoum noted that Tekeda, who led an Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) delegation to New York in June, was told by the UNSC that the IGAD resolution calling for sanctions on Eritrea would hold more weight if the African Union was also supportive because IGAD only represented East Africa, and some of its members had differences with Eritrea. Seyoum said the African Union at its early July summit in Sirte, Libya passed a resolution, with Eritrea as the only dissenting voice, in support of the IGAD resolution Tekeda stressed that the UNSC should first approve the general concept of sanctions against Eritrea, then determine what sanctions to impose. He thought that the sanctions should include a selected travel ban against senior Eritrean officials, and efforts to cutoff remittances from the U.S. and other countries /08/09ADDISABABA1914. html 5.August 2009-Record of your conversation with Charge D Affaries Michael Gonzales Dr. Tekeda stressed that the threat of sanctions against senior Eritrean officials had a clear chilling effect in Asmara. Dr. Tekeda specifically noted the Sanctions Committee,s consideration of Yemane Gebreab as being a critically important move. (Note: Dr. Tekeda had a list of individuals targeted by the Somalia Sanctions Committee which included Yemane. End Note.) Dr. Tekeda stressed that, although Yemane may not make ultimate decisions in Eritrea a province reserved for President Isaias he certainly advises Isaias, and his inclusion among those sanctioned would be a critical signal to Asmara that the international community is sincere in its interest in ending Eritrea s destabilizing activities in Ethiopia The 13 June 2009 cable shows the collaboration between Tekeda Alemu and Susan Rice and their intentions to hoodwink Africans and the Security Council by presenting their initiative as an African Initiative : A delegation from the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) met with Amb. Rice on June 10 to press for UNSC implementation of sanctions against Eritrea as called for by recent communiques of IGAD and the African Union (AU). The delegation, led by Ethiopian State Minister Tekeda Alemu and Somali Foreign Minister Mohammed Omaar, agreed that action needed to be taken against Eritrea Tekeda made a case for more forceful sanctions, claiming that the TFG faced imminent collapse, and implying that only Ethiopian assistance had helped it survive thus far. (NOTE: While Omaar was titular head of the IGAD delegation, Tekeda paid him little deference. End note.) In Ethiopia s view, Tekeda said, we don t have much time to enact sanctions against Eritrea, adding we want to see results within a week. (C) Amb. Rice advised the group to reach agreement on a specific package of measures and counseled that the initiative would be more viable in the Council, if packaged as an African consensus proposal rather than one driven by Eritrea s estranged neighbors Ethiopia and Djibouti But she had more advice for her partners: Rice also urged the group to draw a link to the situation in Djibouti when drawing up its proposal to sanction Eritrea. To punish Eritrea for its activities in Somalia while ignoring Djibouti would send an inadvertent signal that Eritrea could continue to invade its neighbors with impunity, she said Whilst there were many accusations against Eritrea coming from Ethiopia and its surrogates, there has never been any independently verifiable evidence provided to substantiate any of their allegations. There were many fair individuals who disagreed with the narrative on Eritrea and Ethiopia managed to have them removed or else had their voices muffled. For instance, South African Ambassador to the United Nations Dumisani Kumalo, chairman of the U.N. Security Council s Somalia Sanctions Committee told Reuters on 23 May 2008: corruption in the lawless Horn of Africa country was rampant elements of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, and Somalia s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) were involved in arms trafficking activities, which have the potential to undermine the peace process Eighty percent of ammunition available at the Somali arms markets was supplied by TFG and Ethiopian troops continued presence of Ethiopian troops on Somali territory as a violation of the arms continued on page 5

4 Eritrea Profile, Saturday, October14, unshelving unhealthy items Semhar Mebrahtu Preventing the circulation of hazardous items, especially expired products, is the key to insure our communities health. Any commodity, in fact, should not be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use) nor on any supermarket s shelf when goods are for sale despite the terminating or almost ending advised freshness date. This applies to cosmetics, foods and beverages, medical devices, medicines, explosives, pharmaceutical drugs, chemicals, tires, batteries and many other perishable items. An advisory best before is mandatory on packaged items. The Head Rules and Regulations section in Zoba Maekel is in charge of inspecting and banning the circulation of expired items in markets nationwide. Sale date is the recommended maximum time for which products or freshly harvested products can be stored; during this specified time the durability and quality of a specified item remains acceptable. Shelf life might be dictated by health issues for some edible products. Bacterial contaminants are ubiquitous and food left unused for too long will often be contaminated by substantial amounts of bacterial colonies and becomes dangerous to eat, leading to high risks of food poisoning. However, that alone is not an accurate indicator of how long the food can safely be stored. Conditions of distribution, storage and display and their variability are equally important. The Head the Rules and Regulations section in Zoba Maekel, Col.Kinfe Habte, that expired consumable items have been everywhere for the last five or six years. The situation got worse due to the importation of smuggled items. The legally imported items were controlled and inspected carefully by authorized offices. The decrease in legally imported items encouraged the wide spread of contraband items, becoming a massive obstacle in controlling the circulation of expired items by the time they reach the market place. As a result, the office does on-going inspections in collaboration with municipality inspectors. According to Col. Kinfe Habte, the office also collaborates with Eritrea s police force in the six regions. The branch collects the outdated items in order to burn and bury them later. The expired items are destroyed to prevent re-use. Last September the Central Region branch burned outdated soaps, cosmetics and plastic bags. Moreover, in case of any kind of confusion regarding sale dates the office takes the products to laboratories for further examination. On these regards the major collaborator is Central Region s branch of Ministry of Health. For agricultural items the Department of Rules and Regulations has the aid of the Ministry of Agriculture s laboratories. Col. Kinfe said that despite ongoing inspection now the amount of expired consumable items is growing by the day. There is lack of public awareness; the community does not have the habit of buying things by checking the production and expiry date. This made the fight even harder as the people do not normally feel the responsibility to inform authorities if they see expired items on the market. Col. Kinfe added expired consumable items like food stuffs, soaps, beauty crèmes and other items of day to day use have bigger circulation. The cycle starts with smugglers selling the items to unlicensed street vendors. Some licensed merchants also themselves sell their expired products to street vendors at a low cost when unable to retail them. Their mentality is better gain some profits rather than lose them to the Branch of Rules and Regulations and witness their goodies seized and set on fire! The branch is making efforts to overcome such challenges by public awareness raising through mass media. Scrutinizing the root causes for illegal distribution is also on their to do list. Authorities are indeed determined to address the problem and take serious actions when the law is broken. Individuals and merchants breaking the law are fined heavily. Moreover, if caught in possession of such items, the goods get seized and burned and buried in the garbage damping area around Betegergish under the surveillance of municipality inspecting forces. Annually, the branch burns two or three truck-loads of expired consumable items. The branch strives to avoid repetition of risk within the community. Furthermore, the office is working hard to strengthen its collaboration with the public and partners to achieve successful and eminent results in the nearest future. Col. Kinfe said that using expired items can have negative impacts upon people s health that is massive. Therefore, concerted and continuous efforts are vital. Most importantly, though, the society should cooperate to minimize the flow and distribution of dangerous items. The people should be, according to Col. Knife, the biggest helping hand to the government s struggle against the flogging of expired illegally imported materials. Col. Kinfe also recommended that the merchants and the shop owners should cooperate with the government and stop importing these items. It is their civic duty to protect their community from being victims of these vicious cycle. Specifically, the unlicensed street vendors should be most responsible considering the people s wellbeing. One of the biggest obstacles of Head of Rules and Regulations section, Zoba Maekel Office, is putting under control the unlicensed street vendors; they are unregistered, whereas licensed ones are easily tracked. LOCAL NEWS Controlling Communicable Diseases The community based environmental sanitation campaigns that have been initiated in 2008 in the Central region have significantly contributed in controlling the prevalence of communicable diseases. Mr. Abraham Belai, Head of Environmental Sanitation in the region, said that 88 villages, out of the 93 villages in the Central region, have become beneficiaries of modern latrines and that the rest will get in the near future. Business owners in the Dubarwa sub zone contributed 20 cattle Business owners in the Dubarwa sub zone contributed 20 cattle worth 141,300 Nakfa to nationals involved in the construction of roads, water projects, dams and other infrastructure at the area. The 513 business owners also expressed their readiness to play due role for the success of set out development programs. Speaking at the occasion, the administrator of the subzone Mr. Abraham Teka indicated that development programs being undertaken in the subzone are meant to improve the living standard of the residents and expressed the readiness of the residents to increase participation for the success of the programs. Representative of those involve in the construction projects, Mr. Gebremichael Tiumizghi on his part thanked for the contribution and said that the contribution will have a significant input in encouraging the workers for better outcome.

5 Eritrea Profile, Saturday, October14, Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers Makda Solomon The on-going efforts of the government, the Ministry of Education and Teachers Association aim at decreasing the illiteracy level of citizens and laying a fundamental base for development by providing equal, noble and quality education to students. To enhance these efforts, the role of teachers is fundamental. Hence, it is worthy commemorating Teachers Day. 5th of october. And last week Teachers Day was colourfully celebrated in the Berik subzone, under the theme Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers. After a minute of silence to remember the fallen heroes, the program of the day was officially opened with the speech of the organizing committee s head, Abrhaley Arefaine, in the presence of Ministers, high ranking and PFDJ officials, representatives of national civil societies, members of Eritrean Teachers Association, teachers and invited guests. In his speech, Mr. Abrhaley said that the program was made possible through the partnership and hard work of all teachers, governmental and non-governmental partners. He further noted that in the last 26 years of independence, the Eritrean government, in general, and the Ministry of Education, in particular, are playing an important role in giving equal access to education, in providing quality education and in upgrading teachers capacity. Director General of the curriculum department at the Ministry, Mr. Mussa Naib, also said that, a teacher is a key person in any society, that is why we have great faith in teachers. Undeterred by the harsh conditions during the armed struggle, the visible and invisible challenges faced after independence and the economic pressures and social obstacles, the Eritrean teachers seem to munificently move on since they are the heart of the society, he added. In his final remarks, Mr. Mussa said that teaching as a profession is not profit oriented, rather it is a morally and ethically oriented profession and it is the duty of the teachers to work hard on education for a sustainable development. In addition to this he advised that Eritreans are respectful to teacher s status and it is good to keep the faith. Teachers Association was first established in 1958 by few interested teachers in Awald School, Asmara, which is now called Adulis junior School. But, under suppressive colonial rulers such as the Derg regime, the association was deactivated. Soon after independence, in 1991, the association started to be organized at a national level and by drafting a constitution, the association began to revive as a non-governmental organization. Since1996, the Eritrean Teachers Association has been a member of the Educational International (EI). The initiative to designate October 5th as the Teachers Day was taken by the World Teachers Association, UNESCO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) in October The trio adopted a special recommendation on teachers status to establish international standards and guidelines related to skills development, employment, and working conditions. And most importantly, the day and the recommendations became the milestones, since they represent teachers rights and responsibilities globally. World Teachers Association has been working to promote awareness and understanding about the various challenges and issues related to teaching, and encourage the appreciation and respect of teachers. EI is organized by 173 nations and 33 million teachers. Nowadays, the international association is working on to ensure the provision of good quality education globally. Likewise, Eritrean Teachers Association is working in providing the right education as its main During the program held in Berik sub zone principle. Eritrean Teachers Association held its 6th congress and ratified a new constitution. At present the association has 17,000 members who continue to be prodigious social and financial force. The main task of the association is sharing the passion for teaching among teachers, creating a sense of ownership and cooperation. The Chairman of the Eritrean Teachers Association, Mr. Simon Mehari, said on the occasion that the development of any nation is measured by the quality of education the nation provides to its citizens. That is why the Eritrean government is investing on education. As a result, education is provided in various languages in every part of the country to ensure equitable access to all ethno-linguistic groups. In addition to this, taking elementary education as a right and duty of any citizen, the government rebuilt the needed educational infrastructure to enable students get education near their home. Teacher Simon said that even though it takes time to ensure the provision of the needed quality of education, distribution of schools throughout the country is ensured. In his final remarks, teacher Simon noted that teachers are the backbone of a society and a nation, and need to continuously upgrade their capacity. He called on the Ministry of Education to make extra effort to upgrade the capacity of teachers. He finally thanked all bodies who played an important role to make the program noble. The programme was concluded with the handing of awards of recognition and appreciation for the best teachers and supervisors. The aim of teaching is not to accumulate wealth but to build a modern society. This contributes immensely to nation building sustainable development. Teachers Day was celebrated this year for the 24th and 21st time in Eritrea. The Saga of the... continued from page 3 embargo on Somalia, where warlords, Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces clash almost daily The monitoring committee received details of some 25 military flights by Ethiopia into Somalia and knew that Ethiopian troops had brought military equipment into the country to arm friendly clans Arms and military hardware are mainly transported to Somalia by boat and airplane, but traffickers also use horses and donkeys, making shipments difficult to track Addressing a 29 May 2009 Press Conference, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, UN Special Representative for Somalia admitted that there was no evidence to support the outrageous allegations leveled against Eritrea: As for the support of Eritrea for the Islamist group al-shabab, he said that there was much talk of such involvement, but there was no way for him to monitor that situation or to know the truth of such a claim. Asked about other foreign rebel fighters, he said the rebel leaders had extended a welcome to such fighters and there was wide information available on them As this author has stated several times in the past, the minority regime in Ethiopia and its cadres, are persons who are themselves involved in the criminal milieu that defines Somalia today, and can hardly be considered to be credible sources and yet, the SEMG continues to rely almost entirely on the Ethiopian regime to build its case against Eritrea. When questioned about the sources of all the erroneous allegations against Eritrea in 2012, Susan E. Rice said that the evidence is classified to protect the identity of US allies who provided it. It is not hard to figure who these allies are In four consecutive reports, the SEMG has said that it had found no evidence to support the allegations that Eritrea supported Al Shabbab in Somalia, yet its mandate was prolonged and with it the sanctions on Eritrea. So, the saga continues faceless, nameless entities funnel information to the SEMG, Eritrea is asked to disprove the allegations... the merry go round and moving goal posts continue so much for the credibility, integrity and efficacy of the UN Security Council-now reduced to serving as a bully pulpit to advance ulterior political agendas of the powerful veto wielding minority and their allies.

6 Eritrea Profile, Saturday, October14, LOCAL NEWS Praiseworthy social service provision The managing director of the Tesenei subzone, Mr. Tesfazgi Okbazgi reported that with the growing number of residents in the Tesenai town praiseworthy progress is being registered in the social service provision. Mr. Tesfazgi indicated that the development of education, health, potable water, and transportation services as well as the supply of electricity power has significantly contributed in improving the lives of the residents. He further said that the educational service that commenced with few schools and students has to date increased to 29 schools providing service to about 20 thousand students. Regarding the provision of transportation service, currently there are a number of buses operating in the sub-zone and that there is not transportation problem. Mr. Idris Ahmed, head of Economic Development in the sub-zone, stated that the agricultural and trade expansion in the subzone is contributing in the development of the Tesenei town. Mr. Idris reiterated that currently there are over 1800 businesses engaged in 88 types of activities including 358 hotels, restaurants and snack bars. Seminar on augmenting voluntary blood donation The National Blood Transfusion Center conducted seminar on 3 October to 300 staff members of the Central region administration with a view to augment voluntary bold donation. Nurse Mehari Abrha, head of blood donation at the National Blood Transfusion Center, said that the objective of the seminar was to raise the awareness with a view to boost the number of blood donors from secondary schools, ministries and other public institutions and thereby to ensure adequate source of blood. Head of the Organizational Affairs of the National Voluntary Blood Donors Association, Mr. Yasin Abdela on his part called on the society in general and the youth in particular to comprehend the importance of blood in saving lives and voluntarily donate on a regular bases. The Director General of Social Services at the Central region, Mr. Kaleab Weldeslasie called on the society to increase participation in enriching the National Blood Transfusion Center. Strengthening Teaching-Learning Drive Commendable effort is being exerted to strengthen the teaching-learning process in Massawa sub-zone, according to Mr. Girmai Zerayakob, Head of Education there. Stating that encouraging outstanding students, strengthening school administration, proper documentation of student records are some of the activities undertaken, he called for the reinforcement of the role and contribution of teachers, students and parents in the process. In line with the opportunity created by Massawa municipality to alleviate the prevalence of transportation problem, more than 2 thousand students are provided free city transportation. Transportation services are also made available to schools in Emberemi and Hirgigo, on the outskirts of the port city. There exist 21 schools in Massawa subzone, including 2 Secondary schools, 4 Junior, 11 Elementary and 3 Pre-schools providing service to a total of 7 thousand students. World Standards Day Standards make cities smarter 14 October 2017 Standards Make Cities Smarter is the theme of this year s World Standards Day. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) stand together to celebrate the event with the same motto. World Standards is being celebrated for the forty eighths time worldwide; and for the nineteenth time here in Eritrea through its agency, the Eritrean Standards Institution (ESI). Sufficient fresh water; universal access to cleaner energy; the ability to travel efficiently from one point to another; a sense of safety and security: these are the kinds of promises modern cities must fulfill if they are to stay competitive and provide a decent quality of life to their citizens. Building a Smart City is highly complex. Every city faces its own challenges and requires its own mix of solutions. However, there is one common denominator that greatly simplifies this task. International Standards support the development of tailor-made solutions that can be adapted to the particular circumstances of a given city. They contain expert knowledge and best practices, and are essential enablers in ensuring quality and performance of products and services. In addition, they drive compatibility between technologies and help users to compare and choose the best solution available. Standards also open the door to a larger choice of products and services. They help increase competition and foster innovation. In a systems approach they enable the integration of structures or solutions from different suppliers. International Standards make things work safely and smoothly together at every level in cities. They provide the foundation for electricity access and all the many devices and systems that use electricity and contain electronics. They support the information and communication technologies that enable data collection, exchange and analysis, and information security. Last but not least they provide important guidance for all aspects of city life, including energy-efficient buildings, intelligent transportation, improved waste management, building sustainable communities and much, much more. W i t h Standards, we can make our cities smarter, step by step. Individual islands of smartness can grow together and interconnect. It is comforting to know that International Standards will support smooth and integrated Smart City development.

7 Eritrea Profile, Saturday, October14, THE STATE OF ERITREA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE NATIONAL AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME (NAP)/IFAD NATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) 1 The Government of ERITREA has received a Grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) towards the cost of National Agricultural Project(NAP) and it is intended that part of the proceeds of this Grant will be applied to eligible payments under the contract for the LOT- 1 Supply of Barley (100 quintal). 2 The Eligible bidders should have a renewed License appropriate for these Supplies. 3 Bid shall be Valid for a Period of 90 days after Bid opening, and must be accompanied by a bid Security of 2% at any Eritrean Bank and delivered to Procurement and Supplies Management Unit Office on or before 24/10/2017 local hours 14:30 PM and will be opened on the same date at 15:00 PM Local hours in the presence of the Bidders or Bidders Representatives who wish to attend. 4. Eligible bidders may bid a complete lot for Lot A complete set of bidding documents may be collected by any interested Eligible bidders from the address below. Ministry of Agriculture, Procurement and Supply management Unit, Sawa Street, Tel: /76 Fax: , P.O.Box:1048, Asmara, Eritrea. 6. Bids will be opened in the presence of Bidders representatives who choose to attend at 3:00 Pm Local Time hrs on October 24, The Ministry of Agriculture reserves the right to accept or reject this bid fully or in part if it finds any option better than this IFB without needing to justify the grounds for it doing so &Compensation which the bidder may incurred in Preparing its bid. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE Ensures administration and implementation of HR strategies and policies, adapts processes and procedures Ensures effective administration of human resources Ensures proper staff performance management and career development Staff performance management and career development Ensures conduct of UN-related surveys Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Re-Advertisenment VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT VA/06/2017 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Asmara invites qualified applicants (Eritrean) for the following vacant post: Post title: Human Resources (HR) Associate Condition of employment: ICS-7 Supervisor: Operations Manager Organizational Context Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Operations Manager, the HR Associate provides leadership in execution of the full range of CO HR services ensuring their transparency and integrity. The HR Associate promotes a collaborative, client-oriented approach, and promotes the maintenance of high staff morale. The HR Associate supervises and leads the support staff of the HR Unit. The HR Associate works in close collaboration with the operations, programme, and project teams in the CO, RSCA, and UNDP HQ staff for resolving complex HR-related issues and information delivery Functions: Duties and Responsibilities Summary of Key Functions: Education: Secondary Education with specialized certification in HR. University Degree in HR, Business, or Public Administration would be desirable, but it is not a requirement Experience: 7 years of progressively responsible HR and/or administrative experience is required at the national or international level. Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and experience in handling of web-based management systems. Language requirements: Fluency in oral and written English; knowledge of other official UN languages is an advantage. Other Information: For more details, please collect the Terms of Reference from the UNDP Reception Desk. Interested applicants should submit duly filled P11 form (available at the UNDP Reception Desk, UN Office in Asmara) and a detailed CV with supporting documents. Copy of document indicating exemption from/completion of national service should be sent to UNDP Reception Desk, UN offices, Asmara, Eritrea. As this is a re-advertisement, those who had already applied previously should re-apply if they remain interested. UNDP will contact those who are considered potential candidates. Closing date for the application is 10 days from the date of announcement. UNDP is an equal opportunity employer which strives to achieve overall balance in its staffing patterns.

8 Eritrea Profile, Saturday, October14, Sham - the Software Guy Billion Temesghen Often times, these days, we share some mobile apps and computer software and we don t know the brains behind them. Truth is some of those apps are programmed by this software guy we will be talking to today. His name is Sham Mesfn, 25, and lives in Asmara. He develops apps and software for breakfast! I take on several projects at the same time Sham says. Here follows more about this young man. For starters, tell me about you. Computer people normally tend to explain a lot, but I ll keep it short, I am Sham Mesfn, 25 years old and I work in RCC. How did you get into your actual profession? I know that it was a childhood passion turned to profession. It is. At a young age I was fond of computers. There was an old desktop computer in my father s office. I used to look at it and observe how it s made the whole day! I would spend hours and hours in front of a computer without realizing time had gone by. Then one day, before junior started, I decided to take vocational training on electricity. I learned computer maintenance, computer graphics and some few other things. However, I was not satisfied. In a sense I was pleased that I got to learn something extremely useful, but not content at all because I felt there was something else I wanted to learn I just didn t know exactly what. So when did you actually find out? In 9 th grade. I was in someone s office, walking up and down in the office s premises, when I noticed a book under the desk. An old, big and dusty book. Sadly, the book was serving as one of the desk s legs as one leg was broken. I pulled it out and found my inspiration. The book was of early 80 s and it was about computer programming. I hastily turned the first few pages and had my revelation; that missing thing which I longed for, therefore, was computer programming! I decided to learn programming. I started searching for schools offering such courses right away. It was hard because of my age; people didn t think I would be able to pull off a programming class. I finally got admitted to Erina Training Center and sat for class. Some weeks later, though, classes stopped as there was no one to teach the class, and also because the students were few in number. Although, I couldn t learn programming in class anymore I was positive about my passion. I thought I could learn on my own because I had enough materials. Did you take the magical book? No I didn t. Why not? It wasn t mine. You know, children are taught not to look, desire nor take things that don t belong to them! The book was not mine, so I didn t take it. But it opened my eyes! And so you carried on with a positive attitude and created your first software in summer of grade 9. Not my first, but yes, I did present one software at the Festival of Eritrea. My school had an IT department and we used to take computer classes. Then, for the school fair I presented my project and won. Afterwards, at the High Schools Festival at regional level, my project represented my school and, again, won first place. Thereafter, the same thing happened at national level. Which is why a spot was reserved at the Festival of Eritrea to showcase my project. The encouragement I received from people, then, was incredible. I was finally firm that it was going to be my occupation when I grow up. What was this admired software that you re talking about? It was a big hit and it was a Student Database Management software. It was one of the four educational softwares I programmed in 9 th grade; next to that of the Online Examination, the Biology Puzzle software and the Chemistry Kit software. They were all educational softwares focusing on backing students education. You re telling me that in less than a year a high school student programmed different softwares; impressive but also unlikely given the fact that our society is relatively new to such advancements, and well, you were just so young. How did you manage? Is it that easy? It is easy now, but it wasn t easy back then. I had to work hard and make sure not to let go of my passion impelled by difficulties. I had to convince myself that I could carry on and do what I like despite certain difficulties. That is how you grow. Still on the topic, how do you feel about developing software, when only young people know about it? It doesn t upset me at all. Young people know and use tons of software and apps in their daily lives. As for the older generations, I am grateful because they make my job interesting. Because every time I work, I work thinking of making my software easy, understandable and universally usable. And here I am not talking only about my society but other societies as well. What did Paul McCartney say? Think globally, act locally. That is my favorite quote and my life moto. Generation s difference can be tricky and interesting as well. Technology makes things just so accessible. Okay. What happened next to the 9 th grade recognition? The following two years I decided to focus on my studies and get good marks for the high school leaving exams. I went to Sawa, had a bounty time there, I got my Zagre and returned to Asmara to see where to head next. I knew I wanted to enroll in the Department of Computer Engineering in EIT. But then again, people s opinions kept rumbling in my head. I had enough scores to get in whatever college I wanted. Friends and family wanted me to apply for the popular departments, maybe med school or civil engineering. I finally resolved to follow my wishes and signed up for the department of computer engineering. I joyfully graduated five years later! And now I am working in RCC. Tell me about the apps and software you build for breakfast. (Laughs) it is true I take on several projects at the same time. In the 2 nd year of college in collaboration with Filtet Elementary School and my friend, Jack, we programmed a commercialized software. It was called Grade 1 Tigrigna. The reception was great, parents were happy and it came handy to students. Then my friend and I took on a second project as a continuation of the first one; we programmed a Math software for elementary students. That one too was extremely encouraging because we made sure it was educational and entertaining at the same time so we included math games and quizzes. It was also programmed in form of mobile app urging me to develop more mobile applications. After that I programmed different mobile apps, like that one of the Habesha Series which include: Habesha jokes, Habesha Cartoons, Habesha food and more. Tell me Sham, why is it that you love your profession so much? Software is about life; making people s lives easy. I like contributing towards that end. I hope this explains it all. Any future plans? Plenty. I like to travel, so I hope I can travel more. Professionally speaking traveling does widen my horizon. And more importantly I d like to connect with the rest of the world through my profession. Author s note: Zagre is the award presented to outstanding students in the 12 th grade matriculation in Sawa Educational Training. --- EIT stands for the Eritrean Institute of Technology, commonly known as, Mai Nefhi College. --- RCC stands for Eritrea s Resource Coordinating Center.