Head of the ECTA in Sanaa, Mr. Rainer Freund: “Respect of democratic principles and fundamental human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights is enshrined in Article 1 of the new EC-Yemen cooperation agreement” [Archives:1999/33/Law & Diplomacy]
August 16 1999
Q: Mr. Freund, could you briefly outline the mandate and function of the EC-TA Office
A: The EC – TA Office is mandated to monitor all European Commission assisted activities in Yemen. It moreover assists in the identification of new activities and in project and program implementation. It also acts as an interface between its host Ministry, the Ministry of Planning and Development on one side and the EC Delegation to Jordan and Yemen ( based in Amman) and the Commission Services in Brussels on the other side. Information of EU member states represented in Sana’a and in particular that of the EU presidency on the state of play of EC-Yemen relations as well as participation in donor coordination are other important functions of the office.
Q: What is the current volume of funds committed, annual disbursements and in which principal sectors of development and economic cooperation are EC activities in Yemen domiciled?
A: Current standing commitments are approximately 100 million Euro spread over 28 activities. Annual disbursements oscillate around 15- 20 million Euro. During the last 3 years, annual average new commitments were in the order of 23 million EURO. The principal areas targeted are fisheries, agriculture, health and population, academic and vocational training and increasingly social protection with a strong bias on food security. Smaller but nonetheless important commitments have been made in favor of women empowerment, tourism development and air traffic safety. Of recent, both the commitment of funds for NGO co-financed projects (mainly social sectors) and specific humanitarian emergency assistance (through the EC Humanitarian Office – ECHO) have increased. In addition, it seems worth mentioning that for example the activities of the World Food Program in Yemen and those of other UN organizations receive important contributions from the Commission’s budget.
All of the above are designed to support the economic reform process, strengthen sectors which offer scope for sustainable growth and cushion at the same time the impact of structural adjustment on the poor.
Q:You have recently held a series of workshops in Sana’a on Oil and Gas and Electricity and Renewable Energies. What is the background and what are the objectives of these workshops?
A: These workshops were hosted by the Ministry of Planning in cooperation with the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Water and Electricity. The Commission’s SYNERGY Program has made available some 80,000 EURO for a first project under this facility, entitled ” European Union-Yemen Energy Policy Dialogue”. The objectives of this project are:
(i) to promote the dialogue between European Union and Yemeni energy policy makers; and
(ii) to enhance co-operation between the European Union and Yemen in the development of sustainable and non-polluting energy sources.
The two workshops you are referring to really served as an entry point and the partners to this dialogue which comprise of high level government and private sector representatives, informed each other about characteristics and policies of the energy sectors in Yemen and Europe respectively. Ultimately this first project is expected to yield a number of concrete proposals for possible future cooperation. One tangible outcome will be a so called Maxi Brochure, a high quality publication intended for circulation in Europe and elsewhere and which will inform on structure, organization and assets of Yemen’s energy sector and highlight investment opportunities.
Q: What about the European Commission’s commitment to promoting Human Rights and Democracy ?
A: Respect of democratic principles and fundamental human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights is enshrined in Article 1 of the new EC-Yemen cooperation agreement , which came into effect in the latter half of 1998. The EC was one of the key supporters of both NGO based activities and those of democratic institutions of the state prior to and during the 1997 parliamentary elections. The Commission is moreover a staunch advocate for the freedom of the press and has amongst others sponsored a regional seminar on the promotion of independent and pluralistic Arab media, held in Sana’a some time ago.
Q:What ongoing or planned activities do you have in this area ?
A: The Supreme Elections Committee is in the process of commissioning a server based computer system financed from an EC grant at a cost of approximately EURO 130,000 . This system will allow for an efficient management of Yemen’s voters register for the years to come.
Commission Services are currently examining proposals designed to provide assistance in human rights awareness related training of security forces and the strengthening of counsel and care for imprisoned women (and their children) and to women that have served a prison term, both representing a particularly vulnerable group in Yemen society.
Q: Do you foresee any fundamental changes in future EC-Yemen cooperation ?
A: Clearly, the new cooperation agreement has focussed but at the same time widened the scope of EC-Yemen partnership. The above mentioned areas of intervention will remain important in the Commission’s portfolio in Yemen, but consistent with both the cooperation agreement and the country assistance strategy the strengthening of good governance, management of water resources and investment promotion are some of the areas that will receive more attention. Dialogue on energy policies and environmental protection issues are also likely to become more prominent. The cooperation agreement contains moreover a clear notion on the promotion of regional cooperation and the Commission exerts considerable efforts in this regard.
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