SANA'A, Sep. 02 (Saba) - The ministerial meeting of Yemen's friends will be held on Friday, 24 September in New York.

A joint statement issued by the governments of Yemen, UK and Saudi
Arabia has agreed to hold a ministerial meeting between Yemen and its friends to review "progress since the high-level meeting held in London in January, give strong direction to future work of the Friends of Yemen, and give new momentum and support to key areas of reform, not least in the light of approval of the IMF programme".

The meeting will prepare the ground for a ministerial meeting in Riyadh in December 2010 or January 2011.

The meeting will receive reports from the Friends of Yemen Working Groups on Economy and Governance and Justice and the Rule of Law.

During the meeting, the three governments will focus in particular on supporting the political process in Yemen through a comprehensive national dialogue, leading to free and fair multi-party parliamentary elections in Spring 2011.

The economic area will be also highlighted in the meeting via seeking an international support for Yemen's economy and measures towards the implementation of the IMF programme and associated economic and governance reforms in addition to reviewing progress towards increased access for Yemeni workers to appropriate international labour markets.

The meeting will touch on the development progress towards better coordinated and more effective international donor support for Yemen based on the outcome of the GCC meeting in Riyadh in February. It will review new mechanisms for longer term international funding for Yemen's development needs, consistent with Yemeni priorities and progress on reforms.

The ministerial meeting will also review the security progress since the London meeting on the commitment to support the integrity of Yemen's borders, including its maritime security as well as making an international action to support Yemen's cross-government efforts to tackle extremism and radicalization.

The meeting will also approve a date for a Riyadh ministerial meeting of the Friends of Yemen, following a Consultative Group meeting to launch Yemen's new Development Plan for Poverty Reduction (DPPR). The DPPR will prioritize Yemen's development needs and enable donors to align their support, establish financial and technical commitments, and review the implementation of development programmes and economic assistance.

The Governments of Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Yemen will jointly chair the meeting, according to the statement.

TD/AF