GCC urges international donors to increase aid to Yemen

RIYADH, Feb.27 (Saba) - The GCC Secretariat General has urged the donor countries out of the GCC countries to increase their aid to Yemen in addition to the aid presented by the GCC countries which
represent 70 percent of the total aid offered to Yemen.

This came in a report issued by the GCC Secretariat General on the paths of
cooperation with Yemen submitted during the meeting of the work team charged with
monitoring
the implementation of projects and identifying the development needs of Yemen, held
in Riyadh on Saturday.
About $2.3 billion have been allocated out of the total pledges of the GCC
countries and the regional funds to Yemen in 2006, which equals 90 percent from the
total sum
of pledges that amounted to $3.7 billion, the GCC Secretariat confirmed.
The report pointed out that the GCC Foreign Ministers will hold a meeting next
month in the Yemeni capital Sana'a to be dedicated to the promotion of joint
coordination
between the GCC countries and Yemen within the Yemeni-Gulf partnership system.
The joint work team of Yemen and donors would focus in the coming period on the
precise definition for Yemen's development needs over the years "2011-2015" as well
as providing
the funds for their implementation, the report noted.
In addition to, the joint team will suggest appropriate solutions to enhance the
absorptive capacity of foreign aid to Yemen and to accelerate disbursement of aid
that was
agreed upon by adjusting the financial and administrative procedures in accordance
with the donors' requirements.
The report called on donor countries to invest in Yemen, noting in this respect
that the GCC private sector's investments in Yemen represents 80 percent of the
total foreign
investment in Yemen.
Furthermore, the report pinpointed a number of treatments aimed to speed up the
completion of the donors' allocations to Yemen through the donors commitment to the
development
plan priorities and coordination between the competent authorities in Yemen to
ensure the amounts required for implementing the projects according to the
timetables limited
for those projects.
The report stressed the importance of providing the necessary financial resources
for establishing and enhancing the planning and executive agencies required for
implementation
in accordance with the scheduled timetable and the coordination among the donors to
provide funding for the projects and the need to establish technical offices of
donors
in Yemen to monitor the implementation of projects.
BA