The UNDP is a lifeline [Archives:2002/44/Business & Economy]

BY YEMEN TIMES STAFF
For Yemen, the United Nations Development Program is like the gift that keeps on giving.
For example, as the country prepares for 2003 elections, UNDP has given $2.9 million to Yemen’s Elections Supreme Committee to help modernize technical means covering the various stages of the electoral process.
This helps Yemen to implement an electoral process with simple procedures and adds no cost to voters, but rather urges them to participate in the elections.
The UNDP funds a number of development, service and social projects in addition to its care for offering technical consultation and expertise necessary in the field of sustainable human development.
UNDP activities in Yemen take various forms. One priority activity programs reducing poverty. UNDP has given US $889,000 for financing a project on sustainable human development implemented by the Yemeni ministry of planning and development. The project concentrates on reducing poverty in Yemen and paying attention to females education proceeding from its humanitarian activities. UNDP does in fact put Yemen among the priorities of its activities in the Arab countries.
Another part of UNDP activities in Yemen is reforming the judiciary. The Program has therefore allocated US $ 1.8 million over three years to modernize and reform the conditions of courts. The program extends help in reforming judicial situations as part of serving areas of development and reform of judgments on trade issues. Such reforms are very important for deciding issues related to trade and investment disputes that usually take longer time to be settled, and consequently cause delay in finishing investment projects.
The project also raises awareness of Yemeni judicial laws as well as legislation pertaining to the improvement of court performance. The project plans to establish two exemplary courts; one in Sana’a and the other in Aden.
Reforming courts in other governorates would be implemented in the light of results achieved in Sana’a and Aden. It is expected and hoped that the project would yield positive results in solving trade and social problems and help relieve suffering of the citizens due to delays in settling such disputes.
UNDP’s project on reforming the judiciary and courts has welcomed in business circles, where there is concern about the slowness in resolving their problems at trade courts.
Many of the Yemeni expatriate delegations have filed complaints with the 2nd Yemeni Expatriates Conference held in Sana’a last September on hindrances in implementation of their projects, owing to differences with land owners, and the courts could not decide those disputes quickly.
Works with Ministry of Planning
The UNDP has also contributed to supporting Yemen’s poverty reducing strategy. It has offered its experience in this field through activities organized by the ministry of planning.
Understanding the problems from which Yemen is suffering has made the UNDP at the forefront of the international organizations and bodies, working in this country, carrying out their activities and programs. We are here to confirm that the UNDP shoulders a big part of Yemenis suffering, and it is thus embodies admirable aims, paying much attention to human development in a developing country in need of international assistance.

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