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