This consultation forum of Eritrean professionals is part and parcel of the series of events of the month of May marking the 18th Anniversary of Eritrean independence. It was successfully conducted on the 9th May 2009 under the banner 'May, in honour of Independence Day', with a collective strategy of mobilising and organising the skills manpower of nationals in the United Kingdom. It was attended by over seventy participants from the United Kingdom and was concluded with full vigour and enthusiasm. His Excellency the Ambassador of the State of Eritrea, Mr Tesfamicael Gerahtu, delivered a brief introduction outlining the framework for discussion.

Three themes were presented for discussion.

Firstly, looking at the total mobilisation of skilled manpower and developing a strong and sustainable network of professionals as a foundation for future progress was considered as an urgent step. Participants had a passionate discussion on this issue and came up with the following resolutions:-

" Compile comprehensive database of professionals.

" Establish a strategy of maintaining contact of members and disseminate continuous information on the ongoing process to all the professionals and draft a concise strategic programme of action.

" Set up career guidance mechanisms with an aim of supporting and advising the young generation of future professionals.

In this context, there has been some argument as to who is the professional and who is not, but concluded that this forum has to refrain from making distinctions and should welcome and embrace anyone who has got the skills and experience and is capable of participating and sharing his/her skills to the community and the nation.

Secondly, participants discussed the role and contribution of Eritrean professionals to their community and to the national development. The forum concluded as follows:

" Eritrean professionals have an obligation to work towards making sure that the young generation is cared for and that as a matter of priority family and community values are supported and strengthened. A clear mechanism will be devised to undertake this.

" Establish links with the different sectors or departments of the government, whereby professionals can fully participate in the national developmental processes. To do this it was agreed that a comprehensive database be set to match skills available here with the national requirement.

" Analyse and tabulate the professional skills within the UK into sectors/categories based on subject speciality or qualification/skill, with subsequent aim of developing a strategy of self-support regarding guidance and information among members with similar profession. This could also develop into a collective approach to full participation in nation building not only by the experienced veteran professionals but also young graduates. It is expected that this will open opportunities for individuals who, be it in the short or long term, would like to participate in research, exchange skills and knowledge, and learn from the unique experience of national service. This will be fully published and facilitated by the Embassy and the whole programme/scheme will be transparent and available to families and youth alike.

Thirdly, the participants focussed on the global economic climate and its impact on Eritreans in the Diaspora and the challenges it poses. It was agreed that these challenges could be temporary but could reversely be used to benefit the national interest. Opportunities should be in place so that we can collectively confront the challenges and deal with them in an organised manner. In addition, it was concluded that in this excruciating economic climate compounded with a long term of unemployment, opportunities should be created where by professionals could go to Eritrea and use their skills in every sphere of national reconstruction. They further reiterated that this has a dual purpose; the nation will get the skills it requires and will benefit by infilling the skill gap it may have, and the individual can gain the experience s/he requires as part of professional development. This theme will be implemented in conjunction with the previous two themes mentioned above.

In the end, participants have concluded that this being a good start, they full-heartedly wanted the scheme to work well and succeed. They warned, however, that such a scheme is not new and expressed concerns about failures and discontinuity. They emphasised that past mistakes should not be repeated. Instead, we should learn from the uncomfortable experiences. Strong ties with the national development framework and a powerful functionally committed organisation could possibly ensure, strengthen and define its guaranteed continuity in future.

Finally, participants nominated seven members to work towards the implementation of the resolutions and draft terms of reference for further discussion in two months time.

Our Independent Stance is a Guarantee for our Development!

Awet Nhafash!

Embassy of the State of Eritrea, London
May 10th 2009