Dutch Minister of Development concludes visit [Archives:2006/923/Front Page]
SANA'A, Feb 22 ) Development minister Agnes van Ardenne concluded her three-day visit to Yemen yesterday. Ms. van Ardenne has great interest in the way Yemen is developing as the more than 25 year old relationship between Yemen and the Netherlands has created a bond between our countries. About the relation between Yemen and the Netherlands Ms. van Ardenne commented: “As a longstanding developmental partner we see that a lot has been achieved, but at the same time much work still needs to be done. Yemen is behind schedule on achieving the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. Yemeni people still have to deal with a maternal and infant death rate that is the highest in the world and in rural areas only one out of three persons has access to clean water.”
Van Ardenne during her visit made a plight for speeding up the reform agenda, improve governance, step up the fight against corruption, and underscore the importance of the water, education and health care sectors. She discussed these issues with President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Prime Minister Abdulqadir ba Jammal, foreign minister Abu-Bakr Abdallah al-Qirbi, and with the ministers of planning, water, education and health. She also held round table discussions with representatives of civil society and the business community on good governance, human rights, corruption and freedom of speech. Last Tuesday, in a special women's event she had meetings with key women in Yemen society from government and non-government institutions. In Ta'iz, she visited a girls' school, a hospital providing reproductive health care, and the court. Together with the minister of water, the governor of Ta'iz and the director of Vitens, a Dutch water company, she signed a partnership agreement aimed at tackling the drinking water and sanitation problems in Ta'iz.
The visit of Van Ardenne took place on the eve of last week's cabinet reshuffle. As many as 15 of the 25 ministers were forced to resign. The new cabinet has declared to deal with the issue corruption. Another positive note is the presence of two women in the new government, a first for Yemen. Van Ardenne concluded her visit with a speech at the University of Sana'a; Where she discussed the importance of respect as the basis for norms and values. Freedoms, including freedom of the press and freedom of religion, are important prerequisites for development.
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