YEMEN: Greater efforts needed to reach UN goals

Photo: IRIN

Some 42 percent of Yemenis are living under the poverty line of US $2 per day, according to the government

SANA, 5 September 2005 (IRIN) - A special media campaign to impress the importance of Yemen attaining the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)was held in the capital, Sana, on Sunday. Progress on these goals, which UN member states including Yemen pledged at the Millennium Summit in 2000 to achieve by the year 2015, has been very slow. The event was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with other UN agencies in the country. The goals aim to reduce poverty and hunger, make basic education available for all, improve health conditions, ensure sustainable management of environmental resources and build a global partnership for development. "Yemen is classified now as one of the off-track countries to achieve these goals, which means that we are facing a lot of challenges in all eight goals,” said Mutahar al-Abasi, deputy minister of planning and international development said in Sana. “Yemen is still far from achieving them," Expanding basic education, improving health care and ensuring good standards of living a priority for Yemen he said, but it is problem of the country’s limited resources. "What we need is a lot and even more than what we have," he said. Despite its location in the oil-rich Middle East, Yemen is still one of the poorest countries in the world, even with ongoing efforts to reduce poverty. In a population of 19.7 million people, 42 percent are living under the poverty line of US $2 per day, according to the government. The average annual individual income is US $450 and unemployment was running at 37 percent in 2003, according to World Bank statistics. Poverty in Yemen is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. According to aid agencies, the factors leading to the high level of poverty in Yemen are low income, unstable economic growth, low level of human resources development, rapid population growth, lack of jobs, poor water resources, rising prices of goods and weak social protection. In addition, 7.9 percent of Yemenis experience severe food insecurity and cannot afford to buy food for themselves or their family, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Yemen is considered one of the 30 nations at the lowest level of development in the world. It was ranked 133 out of 162 countries, the UN Human Development Report for 2001 said. These economic indicators create a lot of challenges for the country to hit targets by 2015. The government of Yemen estimated in 2002 the amount of money needed for achieving the MDGs was US $80 billion around $50 billion of which should be contributed by the country itself. This, according to experts, is difficult to meet unless new resources are made available and reform is carried out to cut expenses and curb corruption. Dena Assaf, deputy resident representative of UNDP in Yemen shared the same concerns. "Initial indicators show that most probably Yemen will not achieve all its goals by 2015 if it continues at the same pace. Extra efforts are needed to ensure all goals are achieved,” she said. “Right now the current rate of progress in the goal related to primary education for all under the age of five will most probably be achieved. But, the other areas need more work. The eight MDGs are all a priority for Yemen," she added. Posters and video have been distributed and were shown during an event on Sunday aimed at promoting public awareness of the goals and to stimulate collaborative action. These materials will act as a guide for decision makers to establish pro-poor policies, and to increase public participation to ensure that the goals are reached. Speakers in the event, including the minister of Human Rights Amat al-Aleem Assoswa and World Health Organisation representative Hashim al-Zain stressed the importance of the media in raising public awareness. "The UNDP launch is a faithful attempt to change the media discourse on human rights and development issues at large into a practical one. I hope that our media will play an instrumental role in advocating campaign for the MDGs," Assoswa said. The campaign, being implemented under the motto of “Let’s work together for a better Yemen by 2015”, aims to build momentum and enhance ongoing national efforts to cope with the pace towards achieving the MDGs by 2015.