Mrs. Tibaijuka and Mr. Salih Omer Abdu of Eritrea.
Mrs. Tibaijuka received the new Permanent Representative to UN-HABITAT from Eritrea on 5 December 2007. She told the envoy, Mr. Salih Omer Abdu, that under the first United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the period 2002-2006, UN-HABITAT had implemented the low-cost housing delivery system for Eritrea. It aimed to use locally available materials for building construction, supported the formulation of national housing policy and shelter strategy, and provided technical support to the Government. Mrs. Tibaijuka stated that another project is the regional urban sector profile study, which covered the cities of Asmara, the capital city, the port city of Massawa and the town of Mendefera. Mrs. Tibaijuka also told the Eritrean envoy that there is a plan for capacity building for water and sanitation project with the Municipality of Asmara, under a joint programme between UDNP and UN-HABITAT, and the inclusion of Eritrea in the agency’s Water for African Cities programme. The Permanent Representatives of Eritrea informed the Executive Director that his country has a population of 4 million people and that this would double in the next 14-15 years. He stated that Eritrea needs the support of UN-HABITAT to provide urban housing for the increasing population noting that the war in the country is also an obstacle to housing development.
