RIYADH — Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government kicked off on Sunday a joint workshop entitled "The Future of Development and Reconstruction in Yemen," at the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) headquarters here.

Yemen Prime Minister Dr. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, SDRPY Supervisor-General Ambassador Mohammed Bin Saeed Al Jabir, a number of Yemeni ministerial officials, Saudi Assistant Minister for International Financial Affairs Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed, and SDRPY personnel attended.

Saeed stressed that the Kingdom's support through Central Bank (CBY) deposits and oil derivatives subsidies in the energy sector had been a decisive factor in moving Yemen from a negative 10% growth rate to the first positive rate of 2% in 2018, because the deposits and grant had strengthened the state budget.

The Yemeni premier added that Saudi support via the Saudi deposit to the CBY had helped strengthen the foreign exchange rate of the Yemeni currency and restore productivity and income-generating sectors.

He pointed out that without this support, the rapid deterioration of the currency would not have halted, and the government would not have been able to play its proper role in economic reform.

Instead, the government was able to maintain the current rate of the Yemeni rial and prevent a spiral of the inflation rate, which fell to 10%. All these indicators had been reflected on Yemeni citizens in the area of basic services.

Al Jabir, in his remarks, said that the Kingdom had contributed for decades to supporting Yemen in various fields — political, economic, developmental and humanitarian.

The Kingdom had also responded with grants and humanitarian aid for the Yemeni brothers and sisters through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, as well as with humanitarian assistance through the Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations (YCHO) Support Center.

He pointed out that the Kingdom remained the top supporter of Yemen, and that total humanitarian and development assistance amounted to about $14 billion.

"Throughout the course of SDRPY projects, we have worked with the Yemeni government to link the relief phase to the stage of development, reconstruction and peace-building through projects that include several vital sectors, and in various Yemeni governorates according to a strategy and vision that focuses first and foremost on the Yemeni people," Al Jabir said.

"The program also addresses Yemenis' needs for services in a way that contributes to reducing unemployment, mobilizing the economy, and stabilizing the Yemeni currency via deposits of $3.2 billion to the Central Bank of Yemen," noted Al Jabir.

"We have also delivered oil derivatives for electricity stations, worth $180 million in installments, and to date these oil derivatives have lit the homes and shops of Yemenis and achieved constant availability of electrical power for more than 18 million beneficiaries. This has contributed effectively to the recovery of economic and social life, and it has also helped the government of Yemen to pay the salaries of public employees."

"The program is carrying out its reconstruction and infrastructure upgrade projects in seven development sectors — health, education, transportation, water, electricity, security, and agriculture and fisheries — in coordination with the government and local authorities of Yemen," said Al Jabir, adding, "These projects are also implemented in cooperation with local Yemeni companies to support the Yemeni economy and workforce."

"As for the development path," commented the Saudi envoy, "the program works with partners in Yemen such as the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS) of the Social Fund for Development (SFD) in Yemen, and international partners such as the World Bank and Islamic Development Bank, and UN agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP), to design programs and initiatives to support Yemeni development, society and the economy."

"Security and stability are essential to sustainable development, so in the short term our projects have been launched in areas free of Houthi terrorist militia control, accounting for 85% of the territory of Yemen, and this means that the program is accelerating implementation of development projects according to priorities and emergency needs in all these provinces," said Al Jabir.

"In the stabilization process, we work with international partners and UN organizations to include stabilization and peace-building programs in Yemen, to link the relief phase with the transition to the development stage," he added.

"The program has also undertaken border and national security projects to support security sector reform and rehabilitation of police and local authorities, and has focused on urgent projects with sustainable solutions to achieve food security by supporting agriculture, fisheries and livestock breeding, on which more than 70% of Yemen's population relies for its livelihood."

As for the role of the Riyadh Agreement, Al Jabir stressed that it would pave the way for a pivotal phase in Yemen, which "will be positive, God willing."

He pointed out that SDRPY was now working on several specific projects, which positively impact the economic and developmental spheres through the presence of several field offices in various provinces.

The workshop aims to further the development and reconstruction objectives of the Riyadh Agreement, which includes a number of economic agenda items, and to outline a general framework for the development strategy in Yemen.

The workshop included a presentation by the Yemeni side on the economic situation in Yemen and the recent impact of Saudi support on Yemen's economic recovery.

The Saudi side is briefing the attendees on the development situation in Yemen through international reports, and the two sides are discussing the Yemeni strategic vision for development and reconstruction in Yemen, lessons learned internationally, encouragement of international donors, and the Saudi proposal for a roadmap for cooperation on a Yemeni development and reconstruction strategy. — PRNewswire