Empowering Women: Eritreas Achievements and Experiences

Picture Credit (@Eritrea_UN)

On the occasion of the 59th Session of the Commission on Status of

Women Side event, The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Eritrea
with Collaboration with the National Union OF Eritrean Woman (NUEW)
and the permanent mission of Eritrea to the United Nation held a side
event on the 16th of March under the theme "Empowering Women:
Eritreas Achievements and Experience. The event aimed to
highlight Eritreas achievements towards gender equality and highlight
Eritreas post-2015 development agenda and the role of women in its
implementation. The event also creates a forum for Eritrea to advocate for
support to its economic development and ensure gender equality in all
domains.
According to Ms. Christine N. Umutoni, UN Resident Humanitarian
Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative the CSW event creates a
platform for Eritrean women to share their stories and experiences. Also
speaking at the occasion UNFPA representative in Eritrea Mr Dan Odallo said
Eritrea is one of few countries that is on track to meet MDG outcomes for gender
programming.

Women in Eritrea have played a key role in nation building, from their
struggle for independence to their current role in promoting gender
equality and women empowerment.
The National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW) was established in 1979. In
its present form, NUEW is an autonomous non-governmental organization
dedicated to improving the status of Eritrean women. The organizations
mission is to ensure that all Eritrean women confidently stand for their
rights and equally participate in the political, economic, social and cultural

spheres of the country and share the benefits. At its inception, NUEW
signalled the start of a new era in which women were empowered to
participate in the national building process under the auspices of a
national organization. The organization has held six congresses since the
first in 1979, each of which has enabled NUEW to forward its mission and
broaden its horizons. Following national independence, NUEW was
reformed as a non-governmental organization to carry the struggle for
womens emancipation forward as a separate entity. Over the course of its
35-year history, NUEW has grown as an organization, both in terms of its
number of members and its ability to implement its mission. It has
300,444 members and is a truly grass-roots organization with office in six
regions, 58 sub regions, and communities. The NUEW also reaches out to
Eritrean women in the diaspora to ensure their participation in national
programmes. It holds 2,564 elected representatives at different levels.
The extensive grassroots presence throughout Eritrea, substantial
outreach capacity and organizational structure helped Eritrean women to
raise their consciousness and empower themselves. The organizational
structure was a key element that helped Eritrea to progressively tackle the
MDGs, with extraordinary strides in health and other relevant national
development goals.
NUEW PRIORITIES
> Ensure gender equality and womens rights in political, economic and
sociocultural spheres >Increase womens social awareness and knowledge
> Endeavour for the active participation of Eritrean women in overall
development programmes in such a way that they also benefit from their efforts
> Struggle for peace and development > Strengthen the union to make it more
efficient and influential, and enable it to win the loyalty and confidence of its
members