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US
Development Assistance Information
USAID Activities in Yemen
The Economic and Commercial Office (ECO) of the Embassy
coordinates with USAID Office and Officers in
Washington, DC engaging in discussions regarding USAID’s
development assistance projects and programs in Yemen
and with respect to its collaborative activities with
the Yemeni government in the areas where USAID operates
in country.
The USAID operations in Yemen are supporting the
government’s governance and poverty reduction efforts,
as well as by increasing social service delivery
(predominantly in the rural areas, where the majority of
the population lives). USAID activities are focused on
five target governorates in Yemen: Al-Jawf, Amran, Marib,
Sadah, and Shabwa. USAID projects and programs deal with
basic education, health, agricultural, economic & trade
and governance related development.
For Fiscal
Year 2009, the US Administration has proposed the
following budgetary request to the US Congress for
USAID’s operations in Yemen:
|
Program |
FY 2009 Request |
|
Development Assistance |
$21,000,000 |
|
Child
Survival and Health Programs Fund (CSH) |
$5,478,000 |
|
Economic Support Fund (ESF) |
- |
|
Total |
$26,478,000 |
I.
USAID Development Projects & Programs Implemented in
Yemen:
|
EDUCATION |
Support
for Basic Education:
USAID
launched a three-year basic education program in
2005 to achieve the following:
1-
Rehabilitate and construct 77 schools and
multi-purpose rooms in targeted districts.
2-
Increase the distribution of the Ministry of
Education’s (MOE) teaching and training materials.
3-
Provide in-service teacher training and training of
trainers for adult literacy trainers.
4-
Work with local authorities, community
representatives, and parents in promoting increased
enrollments and quality improvements.
5-
develop supplementary classroom and out-of-school
literacy materials. Also, a database with baseline
and monitoring data for governorate, district,
community, cluster, and school levels is also being
developed.
USAID
also continues to support community-based literacy,
numeracy, and life-skills education through classes
and mobile outreach, especially for adult women.
Performance:
As
result of USAID’s efforts, for all 77schools a
mobile repair team is now functional to support
community self-help efforts to repair and maintain
facilities, furniture, and equipment. USAID’s
program assessed teacher and school administrator
training needs, and trained a total of 1,533
teachers and administrators. USAID purchased school
furniture and materials, and developed a catalogue
of MOE-developed or MOE-approved teaching aids.
Thirty-seven community-based discussions on current
obstacles for education took place.
The
education program developed a detailed operational
plan for the adult and out-of-school youth literacy
and numeracy activities. Life-skills and adult
literacy programs took place in 80 communities and
40 schools.
Principal Implementers:
1-
American Institutes for Research with
subcontractors
Academy
for Educational Development (AED);
2-
Education Development Center, Inc.;
3-
Care-USA;
4-
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). |
|
HEALTH |
Child
Survival, Maternal & Reproductive Health:
USAID is supporting the immunization of women and
children, and the renovation of selected health
facilities. USAID is also providing these health
facilities with new medical equipment. The program
is introducing facility and community-based health
care which focuses on family planning and
reproductive health services geared toward
underserved and high-risk populations in remote and
hard-to-reach tribal areas. USAID’s program is
enhancing these services through mobile health teams
and various outreach activities.
Training:
USAID
continues to focus on training midwives, nurses, and
other essential health service providers, offering
short-term courses for physicians and administrative
staff. USAID is extending emergency and neonatal
care services within the five governorates.
Capacity-building:
USAID is
also assisting the Republic of Yemen Government’s (RoYG)
Ministry of Water and Environment to design and
implement an environmental impact assessment to
improve environmental health. The aim is to advocate
solutions in conjunction with government and other
donors, and to seek community-based solutions.
USAID is supporting the Yemeni Health Sector Reform
Strategy which focuses on improving management
systems, decentralization to the district level,
cost sharing, and redefining the role of the
Ministry of Public Health and Population (MOPHP) and
health offices at the governorate and district
levels. USAID is strengthening decentralized service
delivery systems through improved planning,
budgeting, and management interventions at the
governorate and district levels, as well as at the
national and sub national levels. The program is
accomplishing this through the use of National
Health Accounts (NHA), Geographic Information
Systems (GIS), Health Information Systems, workforce
planning, and training to augment the skills and
role of midwives through the establishment of a
Midwives Association.
USAID is
also supporting enhanced logistics management for
health services and family planning, and providing
technical assistance to improve the supply system of
the MOPHP’s General Directorate of Reproductive
Health to ensure the availability of contraceptives
to districts.
Performance:
As a
result of USAID, substantial progress was achieved
toward improving maternal and child health through
increasing access to quality health services and
improving the policy environment for health programs
in Yemen. Notable accomplishments include the
following: construction of one new health clinic;
renovation of 20 health facilities; training of 724
health providers in five remote and tribal
governorates; and the provision of three equipped
mobile team vehicles that served 20,055 clients in
remote areas. USAID also provided modern medical
equipment to health facilities and furniture to
health statistics offices; introduced state-of
the-art work in GIS to Yemen; conducted three
national workshops to reintroduce NHA’s and
emphasize their use for decision-making; selected
and trained a NHA team; and conducted a workshop to
sensitize governorate health office statisticians
about the importance and benefits of collecting,
analyzing, and reporting accurate health
information.
Principal Implementers:
1-
ADRA
2-
John Snow, Inc.
3-
Institutes Pathfinder
4-
Abt Associates |
|
DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE |
Support for Anti-Corruption Reforms:
USAID is continuing efforts begun in FY 2005 to
support key areas where the RoYG demonstrates
resolve to strengthen its governance performance, in
particular in its efforts to decisively combat
corruption. A baseline study is reviewing laws and
regulations to identify areas to strengthen or
establish new laws in order to combat corruption.
Based upon the baseline study, USAID will provide
technical assistance and staff development in key
institutions, including the Public Funds Prosecutor,
Public Funds Courts, and the Central Organization
for Control and Audits. This assistance should lead
these institutions to aggressively investigate and
prosecute government officials for misuse of public
funds.
Support for Elections Process:
USAID is taking advantage of opportunities to
support domestic election monitoring for the
upcoming September 2006 elections and is providing
very discrete and targeted elections support. This
includes support for elections-related conflict
mitigation, management, and resolution in one or two
of the governorates where USAID works.
Support for Civil Society:
USAID is assisting efforts to empower youth in
tribal conflict areas. Activities are raising
democracy awareness and addressing conflicts within
and among communities. In collaboration with other
donors, USAID is supporting capacity-building
programs for non-governmental organizations. The
Ambassador’s new Self-Help Program is providing
small grants to support small community-run
projects.
Support for Parliament:
Building on the Parliamentary reform program, USAID
plans to provide technical assistance to
Parliament’s Budget Standing Committee and to
special committees addressing corruption and links
to prosecution agencies. This technical assistance
would also help address policy and legislation on
civil service reform, and an improved business and
regulatory environment, linking civil society
advocacy groups to civil society organizations,
think-tanks, and the private sector.
Support for Decentralization
Continuing the work of the local government program,
USAID support for decentralization will deepen
capacity-building of district level local councils (LCs)
after the September 2006 elections. Community
participation in planning and investment will
improve LCs’ performance and institutionalize the
decentralization process.
Performance:
USAID’s
democracy and governance program made substantial
progress in decentralization and in strengthening
the legislative function and legal framework. The
program trained and fielded District Facilitation
Teams to work with LCs and local authorities,
resulting in well-vetted plans and budgets for the
allocation of $775,000 to eight districts.
Training
helped citizens to understand the role of LCs and to
participate in the local decision-making process.
Work in Parliament has resulted in more cross-party
blocs around legislative issues and Members of
Parliaments’ increased ability to modify draft laws.
Principal Implementers:
1-
Girls’
World Communication Center.
2-
International Society of Journalists.
3-
U.S. Department of State.
4-
United Nations Development Program. |
|
ECONOMIC GROWTH, AGRICULTURE & TRADE |
Improving Economic Policy & Business Environment:
USAID works closely with the U.S. Embassy to assist
Yemen in identifying new trade opportunities and in
expanding access to regional and international
markets. USAID is carrying out assistance for trade
capacity-building and macro-economic policy reform
in Yemen. An ongoing project for customs valuation
trains customs officials in the implementation of
the Customs Valuation System of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) and helps the Yemen Customs
Authority be fully compliant with the WTO system.
Another
area of assistance focuses on support for
development of a trade policy institute to
facilitate increased non-petroleum exports. USAID
coordinates with the U.S. Embassy to provide
technical assistance to the Republic of Yemen
Government for a potential Trade and Investment
Framework Agreement (TIFA) between Yemen and the
United States.
Improving the Agricultural Sector:
USAID is focusing on assisting small farmers in the
five target governorates to increase farm incomes,
improving household nutritional levels, accessing
markets more efficiently, and providing for improved
crop and livestock productivity. In FY 2006, the
program was focused on activities that directly
impacted the small farmer by increasing capacity for
delivery of services to the agricultural sector.
Performance:
TIFA
related programs have leveraged economic growth
activities, including in the coordination of customs
evaluation and trade development.
USAID's
investment in agriculture has also produced results.
By building a solid data and information base on
Yemen’s agriculture and sectoral needs, the
relationship that has evolved with the Ministry of
Agriculture has resulted in USAID being able to
integrate program activities into the government’s
national programs. USAID completed grape and coffee
studies and is now using these studies to develop
specific interventions to improve productivity and
marketing. The Ministry of Agriculture is also using
these studies to target services, develop new
programs, identify potential markets, and link to
other complementing USAID activities.
Currently, USAID is training 32 livestock
technicians and para-veterinarians to provide
extension services to un-serviced areas. Training
will continue for technicians in other agricultural
fields. The USAID program is developing improved
production methods and marketing facilities to
increase livestock returns to the farmer. In
agriculture, USAID will continue to place an
emphasis on activities that address income
generation and nutrition improvement to rural
households.
Principal Implementers:
1-
Nathan and Associates.
2-
Booz Allen Hamilton.
3-
Associates for Rural Development. |
II. Past
USAID Projects in Yemen:
| |
|
Implementing Organization |
Project |
ADRA
|
Basic
Health and Education (BHE) in Sa’ada and Al-Jawf |
CARE
|
Yemen
Adult Life Skills Literacy Education (YALLE), funded
by MEPI |
EDC &
Worldlinks
|
Support
for internet-in-the-schools project, under the
DOT-COM Alliance. |
|
USAID |
Support
for the Bureau of Census, under (BUCEN-SCILS)
|
|
USAID |
Support
health reforms, Ministry of Health. |
|
USAID |
Provide
contraceptives in a Central Contraceptive
Procurement Facility; Ministry of Health. |
|
Catalyst
Consortium |
For
developing service provisions in health |
|
USAID |
Develop
agricultural initiatives for the Ministry of
Agriculture & Irrigation, |
|
Nathan
Associates |
Assist
in Trade and Economic Capacity-Building |
|
USAID |
Provide
Basic Education and Policy Support to the Ministry
of Education |
|
International Arid Lands Consortium |
To
create linkages between US and agricultural
colleges; to be coordinated with New Mexico State
University |
|
|
Relevant
links:
- USAID Yemen
Home Page
- 2009, USAID
Country Allocation Summary for Congressional Budget
Justification With FY 2007 to FY 2008
Appropriation Information
-
2007, USAID Yemen
Operations Details
m
|
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USDA Activities in Yemen.
The Economic and Commercial Office (ECO) of the
Embassy engages with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural
Service (FAS) in the pursuit food related, technical
assistance, and development oriented projects and
programs in Yemen. In recent years, the Yemeni
government and local population have benefited from
the support and supplies provided by the FAS.
Below is some basic information on the forms of
assistance provided to Yemen:
I. Food Aid:
1- In
2002, Yemen was provided agricultural donations
under the PL 480, Title II Program.
2-
In 2003, Yemen received donations in the form of
Wheat Flour and Soybean oil under the FAS Food for
Education (FFE) program.
3- In
2002 and 2004, Yemen received donations of Wheat
Flour and Non-Fat Dry milk under the FAS 416(b)
program.
4-
In 2004, Yemen received donations in the form of
Wheat Flour and Wheat under the FAS Food for
Progress (FFP) program.
5-
In 2006, Yemen was provided Soy Bean Meal under the
PL 480, Title I program.
The commodities that were distributed in the FFE
program provided access to much needed nutrition to
communities and families living in poverty.
Moreover, the aim of this FFE program was to also
improve school enrollment for girls in grades one
through nine residing in the Governorate of Taiz,
Yemen’s most populous locality. This program was
implemented by the Adventist Development Relief
Agency (ADRA).
Furthermore, in terms of the food aid that has been
given, a sizeable proportion is used for sale to
local businesses, from which the funds acquired are
directed to finance development project/programs.
This exercise of monetization has proven to be a
very effective and efficient mechanism for the
Yemeni government to pay for projects or programs in
order to aggressively tackle development defects and
deficiencies that affect local communities.
II. Technical Assistance:
Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural
Science & Technology Fellows Program.
In concert with MEPI, this program aims to promote
food security and economic growth by increasing
scientific knowledge and collaborative research to
improve agricultural productivity. In Yemen, this
program will provide promising young scientists and
policymakers with an opportunity to spend 5 weeks in
the United States and work one-on-one with a U.S.
scientist in their fields.
During the five-week program, participants will
learn new research techniques, gain exposure to the
latest scientific developments in various fields of
agriculture, access fully-equipped laboratories and
libraries, and learn about unique public-private
partnerships that help fund agricultural research
and science. Equally important, this program
provides the Yemeni scientists and policymakers with
opportunities to establish long-term contacts with
U.S. scientists and apply the newly gained knowledge
from U.S. laboratories to Yemen’s research and
development programs.
III.
USDA Past Projects in Yemen:
|
|
|
Implementing Organization |
Project |
ROYG
|
USDA
food aid programs that provide agricultural,
economic, educational, and natural resources access
development. |
ADRA
|
USDA
Global Food for Education (GFE) program to increase
girls' attendance in schools in Taiz |
Relevant
links:
USDA
Foreign Agricultural Service
Home Page
MEPI
Activities in Yemen
The Middle East
Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is a US government mechanism
that will prove very ancillary towards realizing the
development imperatives and objectives of Yemen. Outlined in
a Presidential address on May 09, 2003, MEPI is intended to
support economic, political, and educational reform efforts
in the Arab world. It is designed to support Arab and
American private sector, civil society elements,
non-governmental organizations, and governments to develop
innovative policies and programs.
MEPI is structured in four reform areas or pillars
(Economic, Political, Educational & Gender):
1- In
the economic pillar, MEPI policy and programs support
region-wide economic and employment growth, driven by
private sector expansion and entrepreneurship.
2-
In
the political pillar, MEPI champions an expanded public
space where democratic voices can be heard in the political
process; the people have a choice in governance, a respect
for the rule of law and a free or independent media.
3- In
the education pillar, MEPI supports education systems that
enable all people (including girls), to acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary to compete in today's economy
and improve the quality of their lives.
4-
In the gender pillar, MEPI works toward economic, political,
and educational systems where [women] enjoy full and equal
opportunities free from the barriers that have denied them
basic access (i.e., cultural, legal, regulatory, etc.,).
I. List of
NGOs and Entities with Present or Past MEPI funded Projects
& Programs implemented in Yemen:
1. American Bar
Association
2. AMIDEAST
3. Beyster Institute
4. Booz Allen Hamilton
5. Center for Civic Education (CIVICED)
6. CHF International
7. Creative Associates International
8. Educational Development Center (EDC)
9. Financial Service Volunteer Corps
10. Freedom House
11. Junior Achievement International
12. ICF Consulting
13. IFES Democracy at Large
14. Institute for International Education
15. Institute for the Study and Development of Legal Systems
16. International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)
17. National Democratic Institute (NDI)
18. Partners for Democratic Change
19. Vital Voices
20. Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars
II. List of
American Government Agencies with Present or Past MEPI
funded Activities implemented in Yemen:
1. Department of
Agriculture
2. Department of Commerce
3. Department of Homeland Security
4. Department of Labor
5. Department of Treasury
6. Export-Import Bank
7. Environmental Protection Agency
8. Food & Drug Administration
9. United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
10. United States Patent & Trade Office
Relevant
links:
U.S.
Middle East Partnership Initiative
Home Page
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