Saudi Development Reconstruction Program of Yemen (SDRPY) will begin equipping Aden airport and will reconstruct a hospital in the city which will provide more job opportunities in the liberated governorates, announced Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jabir.
Speaking at the 1st Saudi-UK Stabilization Workshop, Al Jabir, who is also SDRPY Supervisor-General, praised the “strong and strategic” relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, stressing the need to work to serve the interests of the two countries to achieve security and stability in the region, especially in Yemen.
The Ambassador recalled that SDRPY was established by the royal decree of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to contribute to the development and reconstruction of Yemen.
He added that the program’s projects cover numerous different sectors such as health, education, electricity, and agriculture, as well as roads, ports, airports, and government building construction and maintenance.
Saudi Arabia’s $3.2 billion-deposit at the Yemeni Central Bank helped stabilize the Yemeni currency, reduce unemployment, mobilize the economy, and help the economic situation overall, according to the Ambassador.
Al Jabir stressed that the coalition forces support the Yemeni army and the forces of the Ministry of Interior in the liberated areas, or through establishing their security control over these areas.
To date, the program executed 96 projects in Yemen involving all sectors, stated the Ambassador, who announced that Aden airport will soon be fully equipped and functional, as well as Aden hospital.
As for the role of the Riyadh Agreement, Al Jabir stressed that it would pave the way for a pivotal phase in Yemen, which “will be positive, God willing.”
The workshop shared views and experiences on stabilization principles and lessons learned from different contexts, discussing areas of interest, and building the capabilities of more than 80 Saudi professionals from across 14 government ministries and agencies.
The workshop was jointly held with counterparts from the Stabilization Unit (SU) of the Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Ministry of Defense (MoD), UK Embassy Riyadh and UK Embassy Yemen.
The workshop covered the UK's approach to stabilization, security, and justice sector stabilization, the UK's Fusion Doctrine, and the Whole of Government Approach.
