New York hosts the third meeting of Yemen`s friends

By: Adel Assilwi Edited into
English by: Mahmoud Assamiee SANA'A, Sep. 21 (Saba)- The Third Ministerial Meeting
of Yemen's
Friends Group begins its activities on September, 42 in New York with
participation of 24 countries, donors and the General Secretariat of the Gulf
Cooperation Council
(GCC).
Yemen will participate by high ranking delegation chaired by Minister of Foreign
Affairs Abu Bakr al-Qirbi. The meeting will be co-chaired by governments of the
Saudi Arabia
and the United Kingdom. It will discuss a number of issues regarding defining trends
of future support to Yemen in line with its development needs.
The meeting will also review the total results of the previous meetings of working
teams of the group held in Hague, Jordan, Berlin and Abu Dhabi. The meetings
focused on
defining the nature of economic, political and security challenges facing the
country as well as the required support to help Yemen overcome these challenges.
The meeting also discusses the suggestions regarding establishing international
fund to support infrastructure projects in Yemen. The fund gets support from GCC
countries,
the United States and the United Kingdom. Practical measures regarding establishing
the fund and achievements Yemen realized in field of implementing the national
reform
agenda will be discussed.
The agenda includes implementing many reforms and interferences aiming at enhancing
environment attracting investments, improving investment environment and business,
enhancing
independency of judicial authority, updating the civil service and boosting law,
institutional and organization framework to limit corruption and protect the public
fund.
Achievements in fields of expanding the political and popular participation,
adoption of financial and administrative decentralization to reach the wide powers
local ruling
and defining practical measures to speed up implementing the joint program between
Yemen's government and the International Monetary Fund aiming at enhancing the
support
provided by donors to help Yemen face its difficulties and supporting it in facing
piracy and al-Qaeda threats.
The third ministerial meeting of Yemen's Friends Group will discuss details
regarding Yemen's views to include Yemeni laborers in Gulf markets and open
international labor
markets to Yemeni labor force.
The meeting coincided initiatives of many donors to raise their annual support to
USD 300 million from 45 million in 2006 and inauguration new phase support strategy
extends
to three years ahead worth USD 183 million. The World Bank announced raising its
aid support to $ 200 million, the same initiative approved by International Fund for
Agricultural
Development. The International Monetary Fund allocated $ 369, 8 millions to supply
especial program to Yemen extended to three years in the framework of inclusive
mid-term
plan set up by the government of Yemen.
The United Kingdom has raised its support to more than two thirds.
Currently it supports Yemen with $ 80 millions annually.
Yemen's Friends Group includes GCC countries, European Union, the United States,
Japan, Canada, Turkey and the prominent international organizations. The group was
established
in London early this year.