[28/February/2008]

SANA'A, Feb. 28 (Saba) - The former UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Yemen Flavia Pansieri urged the government to adopt policies ensuring good use of resources in the country.

Pansieri voiced Yemen is not a poor country, however, the country is in need to a government can run resources well by using them to develop people through fighting corruption and strengthening transparency.

" Financial resources can't stand alone to build a country", Pansieri said, advising the government to take hopeful steps to achieve development and reduce poverty.

"Among these steps, Yemen must offer all facilities for investments through improving the investment climate as well as empowering women and providing infrastructure services for all Yemeni people", Pansieri said.

She marked the remarkable progress on boosting partnership with the Gulf states and international donors, hoping the international donor organizations to provide much support to the development projects in Yemen.

While urging the donors to carry out their responsibilities towards Yemen, she urged the government to adhere to its commitments of reforms agenda to accomplish development stated goals.

She expressed worries that Yemen will not be able to achieve its goals by 2015 according to the fifth plan. In this regard, Pansieri indicated Yemen faces major challenges among them the needs of new mechanisms of implementation, following-up and evaluation.

Saba-run alsyasiah daily quoted Pansieri as saying that that what Yemen appropriated for supporting education in the country was a model for all the region countries, pointing to the need of education quality.

"The government is responsible for improving not only primary education but also secondary education which prepares students for labor markets.

Contrary to that, Pansieri criticized the ratio the government allocated for the health sector, saying it is the less among the region countries.

FR/YA