President Al-Alimi Briefed on World Bank Development Interventions in Yemen

  New York

His Excellency President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council, together with Council Member Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi, met today, Wednesday, in New York with Ms. Anna Bjerde, World Bank Managing Director of Operations.

The discussions focused on areas of bilateral cooperation and ways to strengthen the existing partnership between the Government of Yemen and the World Bank.

They reviewed cooperation in the fields of economy and development, as well as institutional capacity building.

Talks also addressed the progress made in implementing comprehensive reforms, stabilizing the exchange rate, and controlling basic commodity prices.

Another focus was on alleviating the humanitarian suffering that has been exacerbated by the Houthi terrorist attacks on oil facilities and international shipping lanes.

President Al-Alimi praised the World Bank’s development interventions and financing of numerous vital projects in the sectors of health, agriculture, fisheries, food security, and social protection, in addition to its recent programs in education and infrastructure.

He also commended the Bank’s role in building and strengthening institutional capacities, supporting the Central Bank of Yemen, fostering economic growth, and bolstering private sector resilience. His Excellency stressed that the World Bank remains Yemen’s foremost and most consistent development partner.

The President reviewed the economic challenges caused by the war, the targeting of oil facilities, and the decline in international support to the government. He also highlighted the obstacles facing humanitarian operations due to the practices of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.

His Excellency renewed his call on the World Bank to channel its financial support through the Central Bank of Yemen and he renewed his call on the World Bank to assist the government in maintaining basic services and bridging the fiscal gap during this critical period. In this context, he expressed appreciation for the additional economic and development support recently provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the state general budget, the reform program, and efforts to reinforce the national currency.

For her part, the World Bank Managing Director briefed the President on the Bank’s current portfolio of projects aimed at supporting recovery, achieving financial and economic stability, and contributing to peace building. She also briefed him on the Bank’s development intervention policy for the upcoming phase.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Shaya’ Mohsen Zindani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi, Yemen’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Mr. Emad Bamatraf, Yemen’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States.