[07/July/2008]

SANA'A, July 07 (Saba) - Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation signed Monday with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) four projects amounting USD 10 million.

The projects will cover different aspects of development that fall within the mandate of UNDP.

The first project is a joint European Commission (EC) and UNDP electoral assistance to Yemen for the years 2008-2010. According to the project document, the EC and UNDP will provide technical assistance to develop the capacity of electoral institutions in Yemen including the Supreme Committee for Elections and Referendum (SCER). The project aims to enhance the capacity of the SCER to manage the different stages of the electoral process. Its main outcome is to help Yemen to conduct free and fair elections in the coming rounds aiming to reflect the will of the people. One of its major components also is to increase women’s participation in the electoral process.

The total budget of this project is USD 5.7 million (Euro 3.7 million). EC will provide approximately 5 million dollars (Euro 3.2 million) while UNDP will provide USD 700,000. The project document was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul Karim al-Arhabi, Secretary General for the SCER Shaif al-Hussaini and UNDP Yemen Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran.

The second project contributes to the goal of creating a sustainable and well-governed path of development for the Socotra archipelago, to ensure the conservation of its significant biodiversity. The project aims to support the mainstreaming of biodiversity management considerations into the current process of “decentralizing governance for development” on the Socotra archipelago. The project’s outcomes are, local governance support, mainstreaming tools, strengthening, NGOs, advocacy and benefits of biodiversity conservation to local livelihoods. Moreover, the project comes at a time when there are 'preparations for announcing the island of Socotra to be listed on the World Heritage List during the UNESCO meeting this month which will be held in Canada.

The total budget of this project is around 2 million USD, in which the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) and UNDP will provide 1 million dollars each. The project document was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul Kareem al-Arhabi and UNDP Yemen Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran.

The third project aims to promote pro-poor economic growth in the country. It targets achieving a strong alliance through further development of a supportive infrastructure for the microfinance sector in Yemen. In direct partnership with the Social Fund for Development (SFD), this project will create the first National Microfinance Network for the microfinance industry, which will act as a storehouse of knowledge for the sector, facilitating information exchange and the promotion of industry standards and developments among its members. It will also contribute to the efficient and sustainable use of resources for job creation and growth of the industry, and in doing so it will increase the availability of high quality, cost efficient financial services to the working poor in Yemen, particularly among women and youth.

The total budget of this project is 1.5 million dollars, in which UNDP and SFD will provide USD 750,000 each. The project document was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul Kareem al-Arhabi, SFD Executive Director and Dr. Selva Ramachandran - UNDP Yemen Resident Representative.

The fourth project aims to strengthen the capacities of the media and civil society organizations (CSOs) in transparency advocacy. The project will provide technical assistance to help the two mentioned target groups in networking and elevating standards at the national level to promote the exchange of independent and objective information on transparency and accountability issues. Accordingly, one of the major component of the project is to undertake trainings for journalists from print media to strengthen their capacity in a more professional and effective manner. It also targets raising awareness of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Yemen on the concept of access to information and building capacity in public resources monitoring techniques.

The total budget of this project is USD 400,000. UNDP is providing USD 200,000, from its core budget, and the remainder of the financing is coming from the UNDP Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF). The project document was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul Kareem al-Arhabi, Chairman of Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC) Ahmed al-Anisi and UNDP Yemen Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran.

AF/AF

Saba