05/24/2026
Keynote Speech by
Mr. Biniam Berhe, Chargé d’affaires en pied of the Embassy of the State of Eritrea to the F.D.R. of Ethiopia and Permanent Mission to the AU and UNECA
at the Reception held on the Occasion of
Eritrea’s 35th Independence Anniversary
22 May 2026, Addis Ababa
You Excellency, Ambassador Selma Malika Hadadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Your Excellency Commissioner Moses Vilakati, Commissioner for Agriculture Rural Development and Blue Economy of the AUC
Excellencies Ambassadors, other Heads of Diplomatic and Consular Missions,
Officials and Staff of the AU, UNECA and other Regional and International Organizations,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Eritreans Compatriots,
Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of my colleagues at the Embassy and on my own behalf, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for joining us today to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Independence of the State of Eritrea.
As you may have noticed from the posters, this year’s Independence Day is celebrated under the deeply meaningful theme: "Our Resilience, Our Guarantee."
It was precisely this resilience—demonstrated by our liberation fighters and the entire population—that brought an arduous, three-decade-long struggle for independence to a triumphant end. Likewise, it is this same enduring spirit that has enabled Eritrea to navigate a turbulent regional and international environment, firmly securing its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Our domestically owned, development agenda relies on the unwavering will of our people to persist when challenges arise. The enduring lesson from a half-century of political and armed struggle, as well as our ongoing nation-building process, is clear: the ultimate guarantee for success is staying the course, come rain or shine.
Today, Eritrea's national priorities remain entirely aligned with the immediate needs of its citizens, with a laser focus on rural communities and the underprivileged sections of our society as we pursue a broader development agenda anchored on the country’s enormous endowments and comparative advantages. The latter includes judicious investment in, and exploitation of, the blue economy, the extractive industry, and manufacturing among other prospective sectors. Investment in human capital has been and remains an over-arching objective for very palpable reasons and considerations.
Our mission is clear: to ensure our people live in peace, have access to water and nutritious food, quality medical care, education necessary to reach their full potential, just to mention a few.
At first glance, our national theme and the African Union’s theme of the year “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063” may seem distinct. Yet, a closer look reveals they speak to the exact same core truth. For Eritrea, resilience is the driving force behind our massive efforts to ensure water security, and other basic services across the nation.
Located within the Sahelian belt and characterized by arid and semi-arid conditions, Eritrea faces considerable environmental and climatic challenges. Consequently, water management sits at the very top of our national priorities. Through sustained national investment and robust community participation, we have achieved encouraging results. At independence in 1991, a mere 13 percent of our population had access to safe and clean drinking water. Today, that number has risen to approximately 85 percent.
This remarkable progress has been underpinned by major investments in critical infrastructure. While Eritrea possessed only 138 dams and ponds at independence, today that number exceeds 850. Shortly, we will screen a brief video showcasing the backbreaking work, collective toil, and community solidarity that go into constructing these vital structures.
Thanks to monumental investments in soil and water conservation, alongside the modernization of agriculture, our domestic food production has grown many folds.
Access to education and healthcare has been expanded tremendously. Education from primary to tertiary levels is provided free of charge, and medical services at nominal cost, and those who can’t afford the payments are exempted. This has translated into significant increase in quality of life and life expectancy at birth.
While we safeguard the peace and security of our own land, sea, and airspace, Eritrea does not live in isolation. We are deeply affected by developments beyond our borders. Therefore, we remain firmly committed to contributing our share toward promoting lasting peace, stability, and security across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea regions; and for the creation of a fair, just, and participatory global order.
Eritrea is also committed to engage constructively with countries in our continent and beyond, as well as with regional and international organizations. Eritrea will continue to contribute its share for our continental organization AU’s realization of its vision. Eritrea is desirous to expand its engagement with ECA.
The journey of the last 35 years proves that when a people are united, their resilience becomes an unbreakable guarantee for the future. As we look ahead, we remain committed to building a prosperous, self-reliant, and harmonious nation.
Awet n'Hafash!
Victory to the Masses!
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