Eritrea - Ministry of Information

On 10 December, International Human Rights Day was observed in countries around the world. 10 December was selected as the day to celebrate Human Rights Day since that is the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Whether one views migration, in and of itself, as positive or negative, is irrelevant to the fact that it remains a global phenomenon that requires a nuanced, multilayered, global approach to analyzing (causes and effects) and moderating (so as to discourage illegal, and too often unsafe, border crossings, that have thus far caused devastating loss and misery to all affected).

Football is a way of life in Eritrea. During evenings on the weekend, Asmara is filled with people of all ages wearing jerseys of the team they support. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona (I have six), and Real Madrid. A foreigner could be forgiven for assuming that the English Premier League or Spain’s La Liga had shifted headquarters. However, this is just an ordinary weekend in Asmara and Eritrea, in particular.

Earlier this week, on 3 December, the International Day of Disabled Persons (IDDP) was commemorated in countries around the world. IDDP was proclaimed in 1992 through United Nations General Assembly Resolution 47/3. Annually celebrated, IDDP aims to increase public awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with disability, celebrate their achievements and contributions, and promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society. With IDDP representing an important opportunity to raise awareness and address misconceptions, this article provides a general overview of disability and briefly explores disability within the context of Eritrea.

Recently, American Congressmen Randy Hultgren and James P. McGovern, Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, wrote to the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, urging him to “ensure that any reset in relations between the United States and Eritrea, or any easing of sanctions imposed on Eritrea by the United Nations, be tied to concrete human rights objectives.” The letter raises several interesting points which merit further consideration.