[22/10/2024 05:59]

WASHINGTON - SABA
Representatives of Yemen's government held meeting here with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on the sidelines of the government and Central Bank delegation's participation in the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

The session included discussions led by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Waed Bathib, Minister of Finance Salem bin Bureik, Central Bank Governor Ahmed Ghaleb, and Yemen's Ambassador to Washington Mohammed al-Hadhrami form Yemeni party and Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East Andrew Pleet, Assistant Administrator for Humanitarian Operations Sonali Kher, and Head of the Middle East Division Sylvia Ayoub, along with several high-ranking officials from the USAID party.

The discussions focused on balancing development and humanitarian support, addressing the decline in international funding for humanitarian programs, and partnership aspects between both sides in institutional support to build capacity in economic sectors.

The meeting also reviewed the repercussions of violations and practices by the Houthi terrorist militia against humanitarian workers and diplomatic mission employees.

The government party expressed appreciation for the U.S. government's contributions as the largest humanitarian supporter of Yemen in recent years, praising the level of partnership with USAID in building institutions and enhancing their capabilities, especially in key economic sectors, as well as the agency's interventions to stabilize services, particularly in health and education.

The government emphasized the importance of cooperation to implement the agreement to support Yemen's transition to a better future, signed last March, which represents a model of partnership with donors to strategically formulate interventions according to urgent priorities.

They stressed the need to revive livelihood support programs as one of the most critical programs to improve the economic situation of families and communities.

They also highlighted the importance of taking positions that correspond to the scale of violations committed by the Houthi terrorist militia, which would impact the protection of victims and exert pressure on the militia to halt its grave violations.

In turn, the agency officials confirmed their understanding of all the challenges facing the government and their commitment to working with it to direct support according to essential priorities in line with the government’s vision.

They noted that the continuation and development of their programs, whether humanitarian or developmental, or institutional support, are among the agency's top priorities.

They expressed condemnation of the Houthi militia's practices, including distorting facts and exacerbating the suffering of Yemenis by complicating and restricting the role of relief organizations and targeting their staff.

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