Eritrea welcomes UNICEF programme, recalls Zero School legacy

Eritrea has welcomed endorsement of its new UNICEF country programme, with Ambassador Sophia Tesfamariam highlighting early childhood education and drawing a link to the country's wartime Zero School, established 50 years ago.

Addressing UNICEF's Executive Board in New York on 2 September, Eritrea's permanent representative to the United Nations called for a deeper partnership built on national ownership, mutual respect and stronger services for children. Her statement set out priorities including teacher training, foundational learning and child protection.

Tesfamariam said Eritrea was training 7,000 pre-primary teachers and planning kindergarten centres in nearly 2,000 communities. UNICEF's 2027–2031 country programme document also records those initiatives, alongside the scale of the remaining need: fewer than a quarter of children aged four and five were enrolled in pre-primary education, according to the education statistics it cites.

The ambassador placed those efforts in the context of Bet Timhirti Sewra, known as the Zero School. Established by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in 1976 during the independence struggle, the school sought to protect and educate children growing up amid war, she said.

Its anniversary coincides with UNICEF's 80th year. Tesfamariam described the organisation's partnership with Eritrea as dating from the early years of independence and said the new programme would build on national institutions and community participation.

She called for UNICEF's continued support to improve early learning and integrated child protection, particularly for underserved communities, stressing the roles of families, teachers and health workers alongside government.

The five-year programme carries a proposed indicative budget of $63.22 million, comprising $10.22 million in regular resources and $53 million in other contributions, subject to funding availability. It provides the framework for cooperation from 2027 to 2031.