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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)
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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.”

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Baku Seeking to Diffuse Tensions between Israel, Türkiye in Syria

Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
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Baku Seeking to Diffuse Tensions between Israel, Türkiye in Syria

Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)

With growing influence after its recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatists in 2023, Azerbaijan is using its close ties with Israel and Türkiye to defuse tensions between the regional foes in Syria.

Azerbaijan’s top foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajiyev told AFP that Baku has hosted more than three rounds of talks between Türkiye and Israel, who are both operating in Syria to reduce what they see as security threats.

“Azerbaijan is making diplomatic efforts for an agreement,” Hajiyev told Turkish journalists in Baku on a visit organized by the Istanbul-based Global Journalism Council. “Both Türkiye and Israel trust us.”

The overthrow of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad sparked security concerns in Israel.

It has since staged hundreds of strikes deep inside Syria, the latest on Friday, to allegedly stop advanced weapons falling into the hands of Syria’s extremists and to protect the Druze minority.

Israel has accused Ankara of seeking to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate, raising fears of a confrontation.

In Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev is considered a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has consistently aligned himself with Ankara’s positions on key international matters, including the Syrian issue.

Azerbaijan also enjoys good relations with Israel, which is very reliant on Azerbaijani oil, and is a major arms supplier to Baku.

And now Baku, which has established contacts with Syria’s new rulers, is pushing quiet diplomacy by facilitating technical talks between Türkiye and Israel.

“We are successful if the two parties agree on a common model that respects each other’s concerns,” Farid Shafiyev, chairman of the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations, told AFP.

“Syria, and especially its northern territories, is the Turkish security concern,” he said.

Türkiye wants to control northern Syria but also to “have a stronger presence” around the Palmyra and T4 airbases to ensure security around Damascus, he added.

In facilitating Türkiye-Israel dialogue on Syria, Azerbaijan is playing a “strategic role,” said Zaur Mammadov, chairman of Baku Political Scientists Club.

“(It) reflects Azerbaijan’s growing influence as a mediator... among regional actors,” he said.

Azerbaijan fought two wars with arch-foe Armenia for control of the disputed Karabakh region -- one in the 1990s and another in 2020 -- before it managed to seize the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023.