The Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission, H.E Amira Elfadil, made her first visit to Asmara, Eritrea, to participate in the Khartoum Process hands over Chairmanship for 2019. The hands over this year came from Italy to Eritrea, and the steering committee meeting, was held from 6 to 8 March 2019.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea has invited the Steering Committee of the Khartoum Process, with the aim of soliciting suggestions regarding the next steps of the Khartoum Process and 2019 work plan. The discussion extended to get decisions upon governance-related matters and addressed the issues of the Joint Valletta Action Plan (JVAP), and its monitoring and reporting database, as well as the roadmap towards JVAP update.
On the sidelines of the handover meeting of Khartoum Process, H.E. Amira Elfadil Commissioner for Social Affairs, held bilateral meetings with the Eritrean officials, and Ministers, which included, a meeting with Hon. Osman Saleh Mohammed, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Both sides deliberated on different ways to strengthen the cooperation and joint programs, and on the need for a comprehensive approach for tangible and sustainable results in addressing root causes of irregular migration, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling, return and reintegration, as Eritrea assumes the Khartoum Process Chairmanship for 2019.
In addition to that, H.E Elfadil met with Hon. Kahsay Ghebrehiwet Minister of Labour and Human Welfare to share experience and to agree to work together and coordinate the strategies and policy coherence.
At the end of the Commissioner’s visit to Eritrea she had the opportunity to meet with Hon. Amina Nurhussen, Minister of Health. The discussions touch the related AU priorities such as achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for the citizens of Africa.
H.E. Elfadil urged Eritrea to ratify the two protocols on disability and aging in Africa, also, she encouraged them to sign and ratify the Treaty for the establishment of the African Medicine Agency (AMA).