A Yemeni official revealed Tuesday that the World Bank (WB) would finance two projects in Yemen during the second half of 2020 to confront the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and to battle locust swarms.
Yemeni Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Najib al-Auj told Asharq Al-Awsat that the World Bank approved $26.9 million to help limit the spread and mitigate risks associated with the coronavirus in Yemen.
The project would be implemented by the Yemeni Health Ministry in cooperation with the World Health Organization, he said.
He stressed that the World Bank would also grant Yemen $25 million to fight swarms of locusts and to improve its systems in preparation for future swarms.
According to al-Auj, the project is implemented through the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Yemeni Agriculture Ministry.
Al-Auj said that in 2019, the World Bank Group granted $450 million to finance several projects in Yemen and provide emergency support and health care for the population.
According to the Minister, the World Bank continues to offer aid through Yemeni institutions that gained good reputations, such as the Social Development Fund and the Public Works Project.
Earlier, al-Auj called on donor countries and international organizations to make a comprehensive overhaul of the relief work mechanism in the country.
Auj asked for adopting the principle of decentralized aid distribution, reviewing the lists of partners and local employees working in these organizations, and ensuring the delivery of aid to the beneficiaries.