National Representative Council of Eritrea-GIE (NRCE-GIE)

 nrce.in.exile.org  nrce-gie.com           NRCE-GIE Media

OBJECTIVES, GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND NATIONAL INTEREST.

1-Introduction/background

The Eritrean people united in a common struggle for our rights and common destiny; we stood on solid ground for unity and justice entrusted by our martyrs. We have Eternal Gratitude to our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the causes of our rights and independence during the long and heroic revolutionary struggle for liberation and to the courage and steadfastness of our Eritrean patriots. Despite all the sacrifices, Eritreans today are betrayed by the dictatorial regime of PFDJ. Eritrea gained its independence in 1991, but for the last 33 years, Eritrea has never held any elections and is the only African nation without a constitution.

Under a brutal dictatorship, the Eritrean regime monopolizes all political power and impedes the nation’s political, social, cultural, and economic institutions. Aside from perpetrating crimes against humanity on the Eritrean people and repressing their fundamental human rights, the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) regime is known for war-mongering with all its neighbors. 

2- VISION– 

 We are committed to the principles of democracy as our guide and the rule of law as our pillar and accept nothing less. We declare our firm commitment to Eritrea’s peaceful and prosperous future. National Representative Council of Eritrea Government-In-Exile ( NRCE-GIE ) will ensure a smooth and orderly transition of powers from the people, by the people, and for the people. The country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are firmly secure, and citizens have equal and maximum freedom to practice their rights under the constitutions. End an authoritarian regime and bring about democratic and social change in Eritrea by uniting and empowering its people. Working in unison is our missing link to affect positive change in Eritrea. NRCE-GIE considers our diversity as our strengths, not weaknesses.  Therefore, the National vision for Eritrea should be a diverse, multicultural, self-reliant, unified, and equal love for truth and justice. Democratic and prosperous country in which the dignity and rights of every individual are upheld; Political power should be decentralized; the right to self-rule is guaranteed; and the rule of law is respected.  Establish peaceful Eritrea with itself and its neighbors. 

3- MISSION- 

3-1 –  The creation of a  government in Exile/Executive Body

3-2 The creation of a provisional Congress

3-3 The designs for the Judicial branch are a predicate on the drafted constitution.

3–4 The electoral process ( one man, one woman, one vote)

3-5 -The transformation of Eritrean Foreign policies ( Diplomacy ) 

3-6  The Engagement of the diaspora with Eritreans inside the country for a common purpose is necessary.

3-7 The rapid development of the country and the people we believe depends on Democratic principles. 

4- Objectives & policies of NRCE-GIE:

4-1- Peace and stability are fundamental prerequisites

-4-2  Establishing and implementing an effective policy for meaningful Diplomacy.

4-3 Establishing a constitutional and accountable government-  

4-4 Constitutional governance (  characterized by inclusive democratic decision-making )

-4-5 colonial legacy and un-demarcated borders are sources of instability. (  Peaceful and political solutions )

5- Guiding principles:

5-1 Peaceful coexistence and fundamental human rights of all people.

5-2 Resolving conflicts and disagreements through peaceful and legal means.

5-3  Expose the regime’s authoritarian policies and present the NRCE-GIE as an alternative force for future peace talks and other national interests.

5-4  Gain the trust and confidence of the Eritrean people, who are the primary stakeholders in Eritrean politics. 

5-5  Build the infrastructures necessary for a democratic form and government structure.

5-6  Establish a unified force to speak in one voice on behalf of the Eritrean people.

5-7  Gain recognition from the UN and the world community as a Representative Eritrean Government In Exile.

5-8  Establish Diplomatic relations with sympathetic and supportive neighboring countries in the Horn Of Africa and the Gulf States.

5-9  Advocate and defend Eritrean refugees and human rights cases wherever they reside. 

 All Eritreans must fiercely demand, practice, and guard respect for fundamental human rights and supremacy of the rule of law. NRCE-GIE must establish policies where citizens have an inalienable right to individual sovereignty and attain political, personal, and spiritual fulfillment. The NRCE-GIE policy must be rooted in respecting the fundamental human rights of all people and rejecting hate, marginalization, and stigmatization of people.

6-  Eritrean National Interest: 

Any engagement strategy must safeguard Eritrean national interests. It should be entrenched in the following:

6-1 Ensuring the safety and security of the Eritrean people;
Safeguarding Eritrean sovereignty and territorial integrity;

6-2 Protecting Eritrean people’s equality, justice, and liberty;

6-3 Enhancing economic prosperity and social well-being;

6-4 Promoting people’s harmony, cultural traditions, religion, and values;

6-5 Promoting stability and security; Strengthening relationships, cooperation, and solidarity with regional and global partners.               

                
It is in Eritrea’s interest to preserve and solidify the warmth and kindness of Eritreans. The people of Eritrea paid an enormous price for self-determination and establishing an independent and sovereign state. Eritreans must positively engage with other governments and organizations and develop mechanisms to protect the nation’s future and interests. Eritrea’s national interests will improve through enhanced regional cooperation and the effective use and exchange of resources within our region.

PILLARS OF NRCE-GIE/ Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU)

Removing the current dictatorial regime is our primary national agenda in Eritrea; our secondary plans are to transform the nation to become democratic, protect the Eritrean people’s national interests, foster peace, security, stability, and sustainable development, and maintain a peaceful coexistence with neighboring countries should be the foremost mission and duty of NRCE-GIE. To overcome the most pressing challenges and achieve our mission, NRCE-GIE must adopt engagement strategies and tools to prevent, mitigate, and resolve the increasingly complex national, regional, and global issues affecting Eritreans. 

In ordinary times, engagement strategies should reflect mechanisms for jointly promoting nations’ shared values and interests by well-established national entities such as embassies and ministries of foreign affairs. However, the current situation in Eritrea and the global community is out of the ordinary. Therefore, NRCE-GIE must adopt practical strategies to positively affect change in their nation and region. These strategies are categorized into four interconnected pillars: peace, security, and stability; development and economic cooperation; alliances and partnerships; and a culture of mutual respect and acceptance.

1-Peace, security, and stability 

Every pro-democracy Eritrean should act as a goodwill ambassador for Eritrea to advocate for peace, security, and stability in the region and positively influence Eritreans and other peoples in the Greater Horn. In addition, civic and political organizations must follow the pragmatic strategy implementation framework described in the following section to build situational awareness, shared understanding, trust, and confidence; improve communication between conflict-affected societies and communities; and prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflicts.

2-Development and economic cooperation 

These activities are carried out between sovereign states and their entities. Eritrean pro-democracy movements can sign with other regional countries and beyond. They can lay out their vision for the future and advocate for developmental and economic policies to move Eritrea and the region upward.

3- Alliances inside NRCE-GIE Tent

Winston Churchill once said, “There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.” This pillar will help NRCE-GIE advance the people’s national interests, fight a common enemy, create a win-win situation for all parties, and enhance the credibility and influence of Eritrean activities in helping resolve national, regional, and global issues. These alliances must be based on Eritrea’s objectives, guiding principles, and national interests.

4- A culture of mutual respect and acceptance

For the hottest conflict zone in Africa to become peaceful, addressing the political and economic issues is insufficient. The cultural dimension of the conflicts also must be explored and dealt with. NRCE-GIE must develop and promote a culture of mutual respect and acceptance (both internally and externally) to tackle the cultural dimension of conflicts in Eritrea and the region. For non-monolithic societies to coexist peacefully, building positive relations through mutual respect, tolerance, solidarity, trust-building, shared understanding, dialogue, and objectivity is imperative. NRCE-GIE must combat hatred, hate speech, ethnoreligious conflict, extremism, incitement, hostility, disinformation, misinformation, and discrimination. Even in the most challenging circumstances, NRCE-GIE can be a beacon of hope and peace for the turbulent Horn of Africa by significantly contributing to peacebuilding through its outreach, interfaith 

collaborations, and coordination of joint event programs.

5-  NRCE-GIE IMPORTANT MOU and an Extention to our Pillars are –

5-1  “ Direct Democracy”: one man, one woman, and one vote. 

5-2  Eritrean problems require Eritrean solutions and by the Eritrean people. The famous quote by US Ambassador Stevens C. Walker, “ Eritrean future is for Eritreans to decide.” 

5-3 The focus and concerns are primarily about the nation of Eritrea and Eritreans, based on the National Agenda period; everything else is secondary. 

5-4 Unify the Eritrean people and the country before any other commitments. 

5-5 NRCE-GIE centers on Eritrean interest because Eritrean interest is for life.

5-6 The Rule of Law – No one is above or below the law. 

5-7 All Eritreans are treated equally, given guaranteed fundamental rights under the law, and are protected because democracy is not an option for pick and choose. 

5-8 Three equal but separate branches of government. ( Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary )

 5-9 The structure of the government- 

5-9-1 Creation of Executive – phase-I 

5-9-2 Creation of Congress/Bayto Eritrea – phase-2 

5-9-3 Creation of Judiciary Branch – phase- III 

6 The life and activity of NRCE-GIE are limited to Transitional Government In Exile. 

6.1- Future Eritrean Constitutional government to be elected by the people.   

6.2- Hybrid government between people home & abroad (people decide) 

6.3- Smooth and Peaceful transfer of all NRCE-GIE access & necessary developments to the upcoming transitional Government of Eritrea. 

This brief and important MOU by NRCE-GIE aims to establish a clear understanding and a road map of the company’s intentions to build sustainable infrastructure and introduce core values based on democratic principles. 

NRCE-GIE’s definition of Stakeholders, directly or indirectly, is the people of Eritrea. NRCE-GIE will coordinate and introduce the missing link to build the foundations, bridges, tunnels, and buildings necessary for a more robust democratic form of government, with limited scope but practical and achievable. We no longer want to dwell on social media or are interested in paper tigers that do not follow action. Our agreement focuses on all interested Eritrean people, regardless of their political and religious affiliations. 

We pledge and agree to speak in one voice when representing the country and its people on the world stage. Our purpose for a transitional government in exile is to unify, limit differences, earn recognition, and lead the way to enact a stronger foundation for a democratic form of government. NRCE-GIE’s most important task is also to become a bridge and strengthen the link between inside and outside Eritrea. 

Unfortunately, we lack the culture and environment of a democratic experience. We are new to it, so we need Jeffersons, Madisons, and Franklins of Eritrea to devise a robust democratic form of government based on a diverse Eritrean society. “Bayto” without proper ”Bayta” is unattainable. 

1- IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK OF STRATEGY

The implementation framework described above describes how the NRCE-GIE can deliver an effective strategy and attain more stable and durable achievements. The following essential building blocks will determine the overall effectiveness of this engagement strategy: a clear understanding of policy, proper strategic planning, persistent execution, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

A clear understanding of policy:  Foster credibility and establish trust with the Eritrean people and partners.  The engagement policy of NRCE-GIE must be clear and understandable. A good knowledge of the policy also will reduce confusion among Eritreans and other societies. Eritrean movements must identify powerful policy instruments, conduct public education campaigns, utilize effective mass communication channels, and build alliances to leverage partners’ influence on issues.

2-Proper strategic planning:  Ensure the success of the Eritrean movements’ goals, objectives, and engagement activities.  Strategic planning must include looking beyond the current situation into the future: identifying priorities, assessing risks and opportunities, and outlining actions to achieve the desired results.

3- 1 Persistent execution: 

The engagement policy of NRCE-GIE will have a more significant impact with the relentless execution of the strategic plan. Activities can be executed through campaigns, statements, seminars, rallies, vigils, and more. 

Organize joint activities to:

3-2 Practice people-centered preventive diplomacy.
3-2 Renounce violence, war, hegemony, organized crimes, hate speech, and stigmatization.
3-3 Build a shared understanding and awareness of past and present situations.

3-4 Improve people’s understanding of win-win situations.
3-5 Evaluate risks and opportunities and reduce potential drivers of conflict.
3-6 Identify peace, security, stability, and development barriers.
3-7 Advocate for immigrant and refugee protection.
3-8 Encourage civic and political organizations.

  Committee for NRCE-GIE

  Ghebre Bahdurai, President TEGIE