UN teams address reconciliation, development

The United Nations country teams for Ethiopia and Eritrea have met together for the first time in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss humanitarian and development assistance to support peace-building and reconciliation efforts.

The meeting, held on 21 and 22 March, also included national officers from both Eritrea and Ethiopia "to gain from their invaluable experience in developing initiatives that will effectively address the issues affecting both countries and move forward the process of reconciliation", according to a press statement issued on Friday, 22 March.

Co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinators from Eritrea and Ethiopia, Simon Nhongo and Samuel Nyambi respectively, the country teams meeting was also addressed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, and his deputy in Addis Ababa, Cheikh-Tidiane Gaye.

The two UN heads of agencies provided assessments on the current humanitarian situation and the state of recovery assistance, while UNMEE presented an update on the peacekeeping operation.

Participants at the meeting developed a draft action plan and exchanged experiences related to the recovery of affected populations, reconciliation and confidence-building measures, and activities related to joint UN programming and advocacy strategy.

The draft action plan that emanated would be used as a framework to develop humanitarian recovery and development activities for both countries, according to the 22 March statement.

"This is a unique opportunity to help facilitate the peace process while creating development programmes to assist border populations and others affected by the conflict," Howard Wilson, the meeting's tolerance and reconciliation adviser, stated.