[26/July/2010]
SANA'A, July 26 (Saba)- Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdul Karim al-Arhabi affirmed on Monday the government's keenness to develop measures to address effects of the global financial crisis ,food prices raising and climatic changes by supporting social security network in Yemen.
Opening a workshop during the launch of the emergency project to enhance the social security network in Yemen, which is funded by the European Union with Euro 17.5 million, al-Arhabi pointed out that the project aims to contribute to protecting the families affected by the serve effects of drought and climate change and rising food prices in poor communities.
The project will be devoted to support the poorest families affected by the flood disaster in the provinces of Hadramout and Mahrah , in addition to supporting efforts to combat the phenomenon of child trafficking in the border provinces, al-Arhabi indicated.
For her part, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Amat al-Razaq Humad confirmed that the project aims to bring more efficiency to the government interventions system to mitigate the effects of the recent crises.
Direct cash assistance would be provided for 41 thousand cases of the most in need families for a year, Humad said, noting that her ministry launched before few days a conditional assistance program in Taiz province within the government's measures to enhance the effectiveness of the social security system.
Head of the European Union (EU)'s mission in Sana'a the ambassador Michele Cervone D'urso reiterated the EU support to the Yemeni government's efforts to combat poverty in Yemen.
For his part, Director of the World Bank (WB)'s Office in Sana'a, Benson Ateng, pointed out the WB would manage the emergency project to enhance the social security network in Yemen.
The Social Fund for Development (SFD)'s plan includes financing 100 various labor-intensive projects from which 12,000 families benefit , while the Fund's plan aims at providing direct cash assistance to about 41 thousand families.
The emergency project also aims to achieve other results, including improving the women's participation and increasing the protected productive assets of the local communities and raising their access to temporary employment.
It is noteworthy that the SFD has implemented during 2008-2009 the first phase of the emergency project on the principle of equal pay for work in labor-intensive projects based on providing basic services in the project areas, such as building water tanks , rural roads, and soil protection.
During 2008-2009, 111 projects have been implemented at a cost of USD 10 million granted by the WB. These projects have provided about 900 working days for more than 40 thousand people, 16 percent of them are women. About 17 thousand families have benefited from these projects. The WB's grant also included an institutional support to the Social Welfare Fund with about USD 9 thousand.
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Saba
