Sophia Tesfamariam Yohannes is the Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the United Nations, having presented her credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on September 5, 2019.

She address issues specific to the continent, such as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms and reducing external interference in African states' affairs.

She has consistently defended the Eritrean regime’s authoritarian rule, justifying its lack of elections, constitutional governance, and severe restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, and association.

Despite overwhelming evidence from human rights organizations and UN reports, she dismissed these atrocities as baseless allegations and has actively shielded the Eritrean government from international scrutiny.

[10] Her statements on the Eritrean migrants who perished on Lampedusa in 2013 were roundly condemned for their lack of compassion when she referred to hundreds of drowned children as, "rich kids with a lot of money from the cities of Eritrea".

[11] Her appointment to the role of Vice President of UNICEF's 2025 Executive Board sparked controversy due to her close ties to the Eritrean regime, which has systematically violated children's rights.

She has also denied well-documented war crimes committed by Eritrean troops against children in Tigray, including mass killings, sexual violence, and the destruction of schools.

This programme promotes solutions such as debt cancellation, technology transfers and the fight against colonial legacies, including discriminatory laws and land dispossession.