Amid fragile unofficial ceasefire in Yemen, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and acting Minister of Telecommunications in the legitimate government Dr. Waed Badhib said efforts are underway to restore the international community’s trust to resume the financing of development projects.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said efforts were also being made to “free the telecommunications sector” from the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
“Sensitive government communications are taking place away from the Houthis,” he stressed.
He noted United Nations reports that say that Yemen needs around 125 billion dollars to rebuild the country after the war with the Houthis.
The legitimate government needs 4 billion dollars to make up for the losses in the national currency, he added.
Speaking from the interim capital Aden, his hometown, he lamented the state of affairs in the services sector, especially in electricity.
He revealed that his ministry, in cooperation with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen and Islamic Development Bank, will launch in coming weeks a new platform aimed at facilitating development operations in Yemen.
The platform will allow investors to clearly become informed about projects and needs in various regions and sectors, Badhib explained.
The minister highlighted the meetings that were held on Yemen in New York in January, which he said were important in supporting the government and recognizing that the Houthis were no longer just a threat to Yemen, but the world.
On the economic level, he noted that the meetings were a precursor to a donor conference, especially after the crisis in Yemen took on an international angle and the United States designating the Houthis as terrorist.
On UN operations in Yemen, Badhib heavily criticized the organization, saying there was ambiguity in its performance, especially when it comes to it Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Julien Harneis.
He criticized his “weak” role in Yemen amid the challenges, notably the Houthis’ abduction of UN staff.
A World Food Program employee died in Houthi detention, the UN announced earlier this week. He was one of eight WFP staff who were abducted in January in the northern Saada province.
Badhib told Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN has not yet revealed a clear and tangible plan to secure the release of remaining staff.
All UN organizations will have enough protection in Aden and other liberated regions to ensure that they carry out their duties successfully, he went on to say.
In New York, the minister revealed that he had discussed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the issue of bank transfers to finance projects in liberated regions.
He said it was “strange” that after the Houthis’ terrorist designation, funds were still being transferred to the central bank in Sanaa to finance certain projects.
He underlined the need to deposit the funds in a bank that is recognized by the international community, warning that depositing them in banks in Houth-held Sanaa will scare off investors.
“Why is it taking the UN and resident coordinator so long to take a firm decision to relocate organizations and agencies to Aden” and use banks there? he wondered.
