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The Trust Building Conference organized by the Eritrean People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in Frankfurt, Germany, between 10 13 August 2016 was focused on the following seven themes:

1. Reconciliation
2. Trust building
3. Role of media in trust building
4. Why mistrust persists in the Eritrean opposition camp
5. Conflict resolution mechanisms
6. The state of Eritrean social and cultural values
7. Eritrean refugee influx and solutions

Papers were presented on every topic by professionals and area experts. The presentations were followed by extended discussions and dialogue. The meaning of themes raised for discussion; their positive and negative contributions in the Eritrean national struggle as well as the various mechanisms that can be utilized to solve problems were discussed in great length at the conference which was more or less a continuation of similar endeavors in the past.

The conference scrutinized the causes of mistrust which have been bedeviling and preventing joint work in the Eritrean arena, and understood them to be remnants of lingering causes of mistrust based on unresolved political, cultural, geographical, and generational gaps in the experience of the struggle.

Naturally, conflicts do occur during liberation struggles, but, unfortunately, the major differences that cropped up in the Eritrean arena were left unresolved for long and became causes for simmering grudges and mistrust. Not respecting or not abiding by or violating rules and agreements reached at congresses and meetings have prevented the possibilities of building transparency and prioritizing actions within the Eritrean political organizations.

The telegraphic summary below lists the key public, political and diplomatic spheres analyzed in at the conference in dept exploring the strategic schemes and the manner of handling the implementation of the objectives and their outcome:

• Using the mass media to strengthen the struggle for Eritrean people's cause and never to let it fall to harmful internal squabbling nor let the ruling clique's propaganda to slip into our ranks via our own media channels;
• Recognizing that reconciliation and forgiveness are part of the price paid for lasting peace;
• Being able to use our so far side-stepped social and cultural values as building blocks for mechanisms to resolve our socio-political conflicts;
• Acquiring full knowledge and understanding of [possible divergences] between social and political groups in the society;
• Having clear and common understanding of the nature of the ruling clique;
• Giving full attention and understanding to claims of victimhood by any segment of our people;
• Sharing clear translations of media writings in Arabic and Tigrigna to all sections of the population;
• Narrowing down the widening generational gap by partly using our age-old social values as conflict resolutions mechanisms;
• Firmly believing that the sure way to remove the ruling clique depends upon our common stand and action;
• Exploring and employing all possible means and ways to help Eritreans   who are suffering of the consequences of armed conflicts and war caused mental disorders and stresses;
• In particular, helping and consoling young Eritreans who are victims of the countless abuses of the ruling clique and suffering of untold miseries and psychological disorders;
• The critical urgency of creating the ground work to empower Eritrean women to play their roles from high positions of decision making and execution;
• Encouraging and promoting the growing popular movements against the ruling clique to create effective coordination of joint struggle armed with full awareness of the need of smooth transition to democratic system of governance;
• Striving to create a common and clear diplomatic action by the opposition camp and preparing/building human resources equipped with the necessary skills to do the required tasks.

The Trust Building Conference underlined that, first and foremost, there was the utmost need of making paradigm shift in the over-all attitudes of the forces struggling for change whose past pledges for action in unison did not bear fruit. Likewise, the conference participants hoped and highly recommended for efforts by all concerned to hold holding of similar workshops whenever and wherever possible.