Review of Norwegian Church Aid in Eritrea

Background
Norwegian Church Aid-Eritrea (NCA-E) is the Eritrea Country Office of the
Norwegian NGO, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). NCA started work in Eritrea in
the 1970s, supporting the relief work of the Eritrean liberation movements through the Cross Border Operation. When the war with Ethiopia ended in 1991, a joint Emergency Relief Desk of twelve former partners in the Cross Border Operation was established in Asmara, with NCA as the lead organisation. NCA set up a country office in Asmara in 1993.

The main funds to the country office programme have come from the Framework Agreement that NCA has with Norad, and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for humanitarian aid and peace building. In 2005 NCA-E and the Norwegian Embassy in Eritrea signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) for a five year Gender Programme 2005-2009, with an addendum for working on rehabilitation and reconstruction, including internally displaced people (IDPs), and for peace building and religious dialogue. The total budget was NOK 20 million. In 2005 the Government of Eritrea (GoE) issued proclamation 145/2005 Proclamation to Determine the Administration of Non-governmental Organisations (GoE 2007a), which restricted the foreign NGOs to working with the Government entities. NCA were asked to renew their work permit annually and to resubmit their projects
for approval by the newly established NGO office in the Ministry of Labour and
Human Welfare (MoLWE). This has created difficult working conditions for the
NGOs, and many of them have since left the country. Although the Team
recommends a continued NCA-E presence, a stronger programme and a
strengthened office, we recognise that there is considerable risk related to the implementation of an NCA-E country programme in the current policy
environment.