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Yemen Consultations Begin Drafting Roadmap to Bolster State Institutions

GCC Ambassador to Yemen Sarhan Al-Minaikher speaks at a press conference on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
GCC Ambassador to Yemen Sarhan Al-Minaikher speaks at a press conference on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Yemen Consultations Begin Drafting Roadmap to Bolster State Institutions

GCC Ambassador to Yemen Sarhan Al-Minaikher speaks at a press conference on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
GCC Ambassador to Yemen Sarhan Al-Minaikher speaks at a press conference on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

After six days of discussions in Riyadh, gatherers at the intra-Yemeni consultations began drafting solutions and a roadmap that would address the challenges confronting their country's security and stability.

The Gulf Cooperation Council is sponsoring the talks that kicked off last week.

GCC Ambassador to Yemen Sarhan Al-Minaikher said consensus has prevailed throughout the talks.

Speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of Tuesday's talks, he stressed that "everyone, without exception, is in agreement on the need to lead their country to stability and prosperity."

"We are celebrating the success of the talks," he declared.

"Everyone is optimistic. The Yemeni people are pinning their hopes on their representatives at these consultations," he added. "They have started to draft a roadmap that would lead Yemen to safety and prosperity."

Yemen will find the needed support from its brothers at the GCC, stressed the ambassador.

In recent days, the gatherers tackled the challenges and obstacles facing their country. On Monday they met with the government. Everyone, without exception, is keen on dedicating themselves in service of the citizen inside and outside Yemen, continued Al-Minaikher.

They are determined to bolster state institutions and enable them to serve the people, he stressed.

He reiterated that the solution to Yemen's problems lies in the hands of Yemenis themselves. The GCC will not oppose any agreement they reach.

He said the gatherers are holding open and expanded meetings with the government to address all pressing issues.

They started to draft solutions on Tuesday. The consultations are set to conclude on Thursday.

Al-Minaikher also reiterated that the consultations are not a substitute to UN negotiations or the Gulf initiative. Rather, the consultations are a path that boosts the chances of peace and the UN negotiations.

Lutfi Numan, a participant at the talks, spoke of a "more realistic approach" being adopted in addressing the performance of the legitimate government, underscoring the need to reform it.

This is an issue that enjoyed consensus at the consultations, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The gatherers discussed the relationship between the various components of the legitimate authority, including between the legitimacy and member states of the Saudi-led Arab coalition. They also tackled the fight against the Iran-backed Houthi militias.

On whether he believes the consultations will be a success, he remarked that whenever Yemenis come together, they appear united, but when they depart, "they return to battle."

Another participant, Abdulkarim Saeed, attended the discussions on security and the fight against terrorism.

He revealed that security challenges in all provinces were on the table. The gatherers met with the prime minister and members of government to exchange views and ideas.

Tuesday's discussions covered security solutions and recommendations that will be adopted by the consultations, he added. The government will be responsible for applying them, as well as uniting national ranks.

Discussions also covered the possibility of merging various military formations with the several security agencies active in liberated regions, he added.

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Arab World

Iraq Launches Its First National Census in Nearly Four Decades

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Iraq Launches Its First National Census in Nearly Four Decades

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades Wednesday, a step aimed at modernizing data collection and planning in a country long impacted by conflict and political divisions.

The act of counting the population is also contentious. The census is expected to have profound implications for Iraq’s resource distribution, budget allocations and development planning.

Minority groups fear that a documented decline in their numbers will bring decreased political influence and fewer economic benefits in the country’s sectarian power-sharing system.

The count in territories such as Kirkuk, Diyala and Mosul -- where control is disputed between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish regional government in the north -- has drawn intense scrutiny.

Ali Arian Saleh, the executive director of the census at the Ministry of Planning, said agreements on how to conduct the count in the disputed areas were reached in meetings involving Iraq’s prime minister, president and senior officials from the Kurdish region.

“Researchers from all major ethnic groups — Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Christians — will conduct the census in these areas to ensure fairness,” he said.

The last nationwide census in Iraq was held in 1987. Another one held in 1997 excluded the Kurdish region.

The new census “charts a developmental map for the future and sends a message of stability,” Planning Minister Mohammed Tamim said in a televised address.

The census will be the first to employ advanced technologies for gathering and analyzing data, providing a comprehensive picture of Iraq’s demographic, social, and economic landscape, officials say. Some 120,000 census workers will survey households across the country, covering approximately 160 housing units each over two days.

The Interior Ministry announced a nationwide curfew during the census period, restricting movement of citizens, vehicles and trains between cities, districts and rural areas, with exceptions for humanitarian cases.

The count will be carried out using the “de jure” method, in which people are counted in their usual area of residence, Saleh said.

That means that people internally displaced by years of war will be counted in the areas where they have since settled, not in their original communities. The census will not include Iraqis residing abroad or those forcibly displaced to other countries.

Saleh estimated Iraq’s population at 44.5 million and said the Kurdish region’s share of the national budget — currently 12% — is based on an estimated population of 6 million. The census will also clarify the number of public employees in the region.

By order of Iraq’s federal court, the census excluded questions about ethnicity and sectarian affiliation, focusing solely on broad religious categories such as Muslim and Christian.

“This approach is intended to prevent tensions and ensure the census serves developmental rather than divisive goals,” Saleh said. The census will be monitored by international observers who will travel across Iraq’s provinces to assess the data quality, he said.

Hogr Chato, director of the Irbil-based Public Aid Organization, said the census will reshape the map of political thinking and future decision making.

“Even though some leaders deny it, the data will inevitably have political and economic implications,” he said. “It’s also fair to allocate budgets based on population numbers, as areas with larger populations or those impacted by war need more resources.”

Chato said he believes the delays in conducting the census were not only due to security concerns but also political considerations. “There was data they didn’t want to make public, such as poverty levels in each governorate,” he said.

Ahead of the census, leaders in Iraq’s various communities urged people to be counted.

In Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district, Abdul Wahhab al-Samarrai, preacher at Imam Abu Hanifa Mosque, urged citizens to cooperate with the census.

“This is a duty for every Muslim to ensure the rights of future generations,” he said in a Friday sermon the week before the count.