Welcome to the United Nations
In the years since first pledging its commitment at the United Nations in 2015, Eritrea has exerted extensive and multifaceted efforts towards nation-building and realization of the 2030 Agenda.
Eritrea’s second Voluntary National Review (VNR), prepared based on highly collaborative and participatory approach, reflects the country’s deep and enduring commitment to advancing the 2030 Agenda and its developmental priorities. Based on the close interlinkages between them and the other SDGs, availability of valid and accurate data, and the country’s past VNR report, the second VNR details progress on SDGs 4, 5, and 6.
Guided by the principles of social justice, equality, and leaving no one behind, Eritrea continues to take strong and positive action through a plethora of initiatives and programs to eliminate poverty and inequality, promote gender equality and empowerment, secure opportunities for all, eradicate all forms of stigma, discrimination, prejudice, and ostracization, create a more inclusive, fair, and just nation, and prioritize reaching those furthest behind first.
Despite being confronted by diverse challenges and a difficult regional sociopolitical climate, Eritrea has made important strides in the areas of education, women’s and girls’ empowerment, and WASH.
Education is one of the pillars of Eritrea’s development agenda and it is provided free-of-charge, from the primary to the tertiary level. Within both urban and rural areas, hundreds of new schools, learning centers, and libraries have been built, as older ones have been markedly renovated or upgraded. The number of schools at all levels has multiplied from just over 500 in 1991 to nearly 2,300 last year, with many more currently under planning or in the process of being constructed. Parallel to these advances, the number of qualified teachers has been increased, and progress has been registered with regard to literacy and enrolments at all levels. Importantly, parity between boys and girls within primary education is close to being fully achieved (95%), while gender disparities in secondary and tertiary education enrolment continue to be reduced (88.3% and 89%, respectively). Eritrea is also implementing multilingualism and aiming to expand access to education for students with disabilities. As well, national curricula are regularly updated and enhanced, while technical and vocational education and training is being expanded to help develop skills and provide youths with a viable avenue towards employment and sustainable livelihoods.
Highly prominent among the list of Eritrea’s national priorities is advancing gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and the promotion and protection of their inherent human rights. Recognizing the differing life conditions and experiences of women and girls, and seeking to redress past inequities and historical disadvantages or discrimination, progressive and affirmative action measures have been enacted, most notably within the spheres of education, employment, and public life. National proclamations on labor, citizenship, and land reform have been passed and are strictly enforced to guarantee women equal access to citizenship, employment, and fair pay, and allow them the opportunity to access and utilize land without discrimination. Rates of harmful traditional practices, such as early marriage and female genital mutilationhave been significantly reduced, while rates of literacy, enrolment, and labor participation have risen. Girls and women are tangibly contributing within all areas of society and in many diverse, important ways, ultimately playing a vital role in families, communities, and the nation’s socio-economic improvement.
Notably, the proportion of the population with access to safe drinking water has been increased in both rural and urban areas, while access to basic sanitation and hygiene facilities has been steadily expanding, with 93 percent of villages nationwide declared and certified as open defecation free. A number of vital steps have been taken in order to protect and restore water-related ecosystems, as well as combat land degradation, deforestation, and climate change, including community afforestation and reforestation campaigns, the construction of thousands of kilometers of terraces and hundreds of dams, and the promotion of renewable energy sources for households.
At the same time, a number of challenges remain within these areas. Moving forward, Eritrea reaffirms its commitment to consolidating improvements, addressing challenges, and driving forward progress towards forging a nation of sustainable growth and prosperity, social justice, harmony, inclusion, dignity, peace, and environmental resilience, while leaving no one behind.
