First NGO Conference Starts Tomorrow with Strong Local/Foreign Participation [Archives:1998/24/Front Page]

President Ali Abdullah Saleh is expected to personally inaugurate the First NGO Conference which starts in Sanaa tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16th. Delegations from Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and other countries have already arrived. The First NGO General Conference which is a 3-day gathering is expected to breathe new momentum and impetus into the NGO movement of Yemen.
“We believe this event to be a watershed in the role of NGOs in the country. We hope we can evolve a new partnership between the NGOs on the one hand, and the government and the private sector on the other,” said Professor Al-Saqqaf, the President of the conference and himself an active NGO leader.
One of the key objectives of this conference is to provide a forum for cooperation between international and Yemeni NGOs. “We hope the two sides will discuss opportunities and options for cooperation,” Al-Saqqaf added.
Indeed, some observers have started describing the conference as a market place. The international NGOs and their sponsors will present the policies and priorities (for financing and cooperation). The Yemeni NGOs will present their projects and ideas. The hope is that new partnerships will come out of this conference.
A total of 500 NOGs participate in the conference.
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