World Bank Earmarks Additional Aid For Yemen’s Food Security

An internally displaced young Yemeni girl stands outside her hut (AFP)
An internally displaced young Yemeni girl stands outside her hut (AFP)
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World Bank Earmarks Additional Aid For Yemen’s Food Security

An internally displaced young Yemeni girl stands outside her hut (AFP)
An internally displaced young Yemeni girl stands outside her hut (AFP)

The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors endorsed a new two-year Country Engagement Note (CEN) for Yemen aimed at preserving institutions that provide services to the Yemeni people and promoting food security.

In a statement, the World Bank Group (WBG) said that its overarching goal was to support the people of Yemen and preserve the institutions that serve them.

It added that the WBG would stay engaged in the country across multiple possible scenarios, with a focus on basic service delivery and human capital, and food security, resilience, and livelihood opportunities.

“Our $2.8bn program reflects the World Bank’s investment in preserving Yemen’s development assets, and our hope for a better future for a generation of young Yemenis who have grown up in the shadow of war but will play a key role in the recovery” said Tania Meyer, Country Manager for Yemen.

“By increasing our support at this critical juncture, we are affirming our unwavering commitment to the people of Yemen and the institutions that serve them.”

According to the statement, the war in Ukraine was already having a significant impact on food prices worldwide.

“The CEN recognizes that with a worsening food crisis and widespread malnutrition in Yemen, short-term interventions alone cannot provide sustainable solutions. To help break the cycle of aid dependency, the World Bank will pilot a “continuum of support” approach that bundles short-term and resilience-building interventions in geographical areas where food insecurity is the highest,” the statement read.

It continued: “The World Bank recognizes the critical role of the private sector in Yemen’s resilience and growth prospects. The new strategy was prepared by the three parts of the Bank Group—the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. Together, they will redouble efforts to promote private sector-led solutions to fill infrastructure gaps, support job creation, and lay the groundwork for recovery.”



EU Official Hold Talks in Algeria on ‘New Pact for Mediterranean’

European Commission Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Stefano Sannino. (EU)
European Commission Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Stefano Sannino. (EU)
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EU Official Hold Talks in Algeria on ‘New Pact for Mediterranean’

European Commission Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Stefano Sannino. (EU)
European Commission Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Stefano Sannino. (EU)

The European Commission’s Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, Stefano Sannino, made an official visit to Algiers on Tuesday to discuss with senior Algerian officials the reviving of their “Partnership Agreement” and a plan to engage the partner countries of the Southern Neighborhood in the New Pact for the Mediterranean.

In a statement, the European Commission said Sannino will stay in Algeria until April 24.

“This mission is firmly in line with the consultations conducted on the New Pact for the Mediterranean, which the European Commission will adopt in the coming months, with a view to promoting a more integrated and supportive approach to regional cooperation,” the statement said.

During this visit, Sannino will hold talks with representatives of several Algerian ministerial departments, including Foreign Affairs, Energy, Finance, and Culture.

He will also take part, on Wednesday, in the opening of a conference on “New Investment Dynamics and Prospects for Cooperation” between the European Union in Algeria, jointly organized by the Delegation of the European Union in Algeria and the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency (AAPI), in the presence of representatives of the Algerian Economic Renewal Council (CREA) and the business community in Algeria.

The visit will provide a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to revitalizing bilateral cooperation with Algeria, within the broader and strategically articulated framework of the New Pact for the Mediterranean, the Commission said.

It added that the EU “aspires to a partnership that goes beyond the very strong existing relations, particularly in the energy sector, to build other strategic complementarities for sustainable and inclusive growth, in a changing geopolitical context and facing shared challenges such as reindustrialization, economic competitiveness, and the green transition.”

The visit comes as Algeria’s Foreign and Commerce ministries hold talks with the North Africa Unit at the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, aimed at reviving their “Partnership Agreement” signed in 2002.

The new Agenda for the Mediterranean was launched by the European Union in 2021 to strengthen the strategic partnership with its Southern Neighborhood partners in trade and renewable energies, upgrading facilities and infrastructure, and managing migration and counter-terrorism issues.