AL-ARHABI: THIRD FIVE-YEAR PLAN REPRESENTS LEAP IN GOVT'S PERFORMANCE

SANA'A, Feb.14 (Saba) - The parliament heard on Sunday explanatory
answers to its questions on the third five-year plan for development
by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of
Planning and International Cooperation Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi.

In his answers to the parliament's questions, al-Arhabi explained
that the third five-year plan for development and poverty reduction
(2006-2010) represents a qualitative leap in the government
performance, including the plan's preparation and implementation and
the investment program.

The plan has followed a planning methodology from the local level to
the central level, in addition to the private sector's participation
in the process, al-Arhabi added.

He said that it has been the first time to prepare the investment
program and the five-year plan through taking advantages of the best
professional practices and dealing flexibly and dynamically with the
plan's objectives and determinants according to the developments at
the various levels..., and this has positively reflected in the
donors' satisfaction and admiration which represented in the
unprecedented amount of support received by our country.

It can be referred to the investment program issued annually by the
government, which shows the developmental projects approved in the
program and the funding resources in the different sectors across
the country, al-Arhabi indicated.

Regarding the results of London conference of donors in November,
2006 and its reflection on the development side, al-Arhabi said that
the government has gained a good experience in management and
exploitation of the available resources in general and the external
finance in particular which positively reflected in the government
performance.

In this respect, he pointed that the conference results and pledges
of Yemen development partners have reflected the level of
improvement in the government performance.

Meanwhile ,he revealed that $700 million amount of the pledges has
not settled so far with some donors , noting that the value of the
signed finance agreements has amounted to $3.36 billion ,about 70
percent of what has been allocated.

On the donors' pledges, al-Arhabi made it clear that the total sum
of donors' pledges has amounted to about $5.76 billion by end of
2009, while the total of allocations reached $4.8 billion, about
83.1 percent out of the total pledges of donors.

With regard to the distribution of donor pledges at the London
conference, al-Arhabi noted to efforts made by the government and
other relevant agencies in collaboration with a number of brotherly
and friendly countries and funding institutions, to reach a
framework and specific features of what is required from the
development partners.

Therefore the government provided a clear and scheduled vision of
needs to the conference, as well as implementation tools, including
the investment program and the financing gap needed, he explained.

He noted the attention given by the government to drinking water
projects for all areas in the country, despite the scarcity of water
resources.

The parliament's members expressed their appreciation for the
successes achieved by the government in the development areas,
stressing the importance of continuing efforts in this regard to
push forward the development process.

BA