United Nations Day: Remarks by Ms. Nahla Valji, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Eritrea 23 October 2026 | Asmara Excellencies, Distinguished representatives of the Government of the State of Eritrea, Members of the diplomatic community, Colleagues and friends, Good evening, and welcome. It is particularly good to see so many friends and partners of the United Nations here tonight. UN Day gives us a moment each year to step back from our daily work and reflect on our organization. Because the UN is indeed OUR organization. It belongs to we the peoples, to the Member States who govern it, and to each individual whose life is touched by it. We meet in challenging times. Conflicts have proliferated, and we are experiencing more extreme climate events than ever before. While the world seems able to find trillions of dollars for war and militarization, resources for development and humanitarian work have become increasingly constrained. The United Nations is being asked difficult but necessary questions about how we work and where we can make the greatest difference. As we approach the end of our 2022–2026 Cooperation Framework here in Eritrea, it is worth reflecting on what this partnership has contributed to. Led by Government, our partnership in the past years has contributed to routine immunization coverage remaining above 95 per cent. Facility-based births increased from 81 to 85 per cent. Some 87,000 children received support for inclusive learning and early education, and thousands of children with disabilities received assistive devices or rehabilitation services. We have also seen progress in climate resilience, water access and livelihoods, and in national planning and statistical capacity. Behind these numbers are health workers keeping services running, teachers working with children, farmers adapting to difficult conditions and communities leading change. This progress belongs first and foremost to Eritrea. The role of the United Nations has been to accompany it. We have also learned that working together makes a difference. By the end of 2025, 992 villages, more than one-third of villages in Eritrea, had been recognised as free from female genital mutilation. That took years, and it took communities, leadership, national institutions, international partners, and many parts of the UN system working together. Before the end of this year, the UN and Government will sign the next Cooperation Framework. The draft reflects the Government's ambition and vision for the next five years of development in this country, and it builds on what we have learned together. Resources will continue to be a challenge. We will need to be disciplined about where the UN can make a meaningful contribution, work as one system, and help Eritrea widen access to financing, expertise and partnership in a way that respects national ownership and the country's longstanding emphasis on self-reliance. There is a great deal still to do, and a strong foundation on which to build. Many of you saw some of that foundation in the Innovation Corridor as you arrived. Later this evening you will be the judges in our very own ‘Trashion Show’ showcasing creativity and sustainability. And if you look around this evening you will see the incredible work of artist Dawit Berhane. We are truly surrounded by talent tonight. As part of our UN Day events, a discussion was held last week on artificial intelligence, and an important point surfaced: innovation has to begin with real needs, and technology matters only when people can shape and use it in ways that work for them. The young people with us tonight show there is no shortage of ideas or creativity in Eritrea. I would like to give a special word of thanks to Salah Ahmedin, Chairman of NUEYS, and his team, whose partnership carried this initiative beyond Asmara to young people across all six regions of Eritrea. Ladies and Gentlemen, in this moment all of us hope for peace and stability across our region, and for the conditions that allow countries and their people to focus on development and opportunity. Let me end on a personal note. This is my last UN Day in Eritrea. There are still some months to go, so this is not a goodbye, but I do want to take this moment to say thank you. To the Government of the State of Eritrea, thank you for your leadership and partnership throughout. To our diplomatic and development partners, thank you for your engagement and support. To my colleagues across the UN Country Team, resident and non-resident, thank you for continuing to find ways to work together and deliver. This has been a difficult year for parts of our UN family. Budget cuts have closed offices and cost some colleagues their jobs. These are real consequences for people who have given sometimes a lifetime of commitment and expertise to this work. To those colleagues, thank you for your work and your commitment to the values of the UN. And lastly a special thanks to my Resident Coordinators Office team who work tirelessly every day. I feel deeply proud of the partnership we have built here, with the Government, with our partners and across the UN system. It has taken trust and a shared commitment to finding practical ways to support Eritrea's development, and I am confident we have put in place a strong foundation for the next five years. Let me conclude by quoting our United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who in his message for UN Day said ‘humanity’s future depends on our capacity to advance peace, development, and human rights together’ So, tonight, let us celebrate the partnership we have built, the people who make it possible, and the opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you for being here, and I wish you all a very happy United Nations Day.