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Millennium Development Goals in Yemen

Over 40 per cent of the Yemeni population lives in poverty, the majority concentrated in rural areas. The country is presently in the midst of a food crisis where approximately one-third of its population remains undernourished rising to 46 per cent of children under-five. Almost 18 per cent of Yemenis exist below the food poverty line and the World Food Programme is actively assisting about one million people. A financially starved health sector has severely jeopardized maternal and child health, particularly in remote areas of the countryside where underdeveloped infrastructure restricts access to basic services.

Women vendors in Yemen © United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Network

Yemen’s adult literacy rate of only 49 per cent is indicative of the low average net enrolment in primary education which at 72 per cent is one of the lowest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Furthermore, this average figure conceals the vastly lower enrolment rates for girls, which sinks to 30 per cent in rural areas. The 2005 Arab Human Development Report cites poverty and cultural attitudes to women, such as early marriage and segregation between the sexes, for the gender gap in education. In a recent effort to boost girls’ primary enrolment and to meet the MDG goal of education for all by 2015, the Ministry of Education announced its decision to waive primary school tuition fees for female students. With approximately half the population under the age of 15 and a population growth rate ranking sixth in the world, education needs to be a top priority for development policy in Yemen. Increasing evidence that as many as 400,000 children under 14 are engaged in child labour adds fresh concern.

The official progress report for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) acknowledges frankly that Yemen is unlikely to reach most of the targets, especially in the areas of poverty alleviation, health, gender equality and environmental sustainability. However. the report also suggests that Yemen has the potential to achieve universal primary education if public and private efforts in this regard are genuinely sustained. The incorporation of the Third Five Year Plan (TFYP) and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) into one document covering the period 2006-2010, with proposals consistent with the MDGs, represents a strategic step in the right direction.

Inappropriate allocation of public funds is considered the primary reason for the lack of human development. In 2002, only 1.0 per cent of GDP was spent on the health sector compared with a massive 7.1 per cent on assorted military acquisitions. The government however proclaims a quite different interpretation, attributing poor progress to inadequate aid support from the donor community. Official development assistance (ODA) was 8.4 per cent of GDP in 1990 falling to a low of 2.2 per cent in 2003. A recent donor conference has raised hopes that more aid will be forthcoming but not on the scale of the vast sum of $48 billion estimated as the cost of attaining the MDGs in the Needs Assessment report for Yemen published in 2005.

Politics in Yemen

Yemen

Conversely, World Bank officials cite lack of transparency and good governance as the reason for reduced ODA to the country. Despite the creation of the Republic of Yemen (ROY) in May 1990 and the establishment of democratic institutions, infighting and mistrust between factions of the liberal north and the socialist south saw civil war break out in 1994 resulting in the displacement of millions of people. The first round of parliamentary elections post civil war resulted in the General People’s Congress (GPC) – the former ruling party of the North - capturing more than two-thirds of the seats. Yemen’s first ever free and fair presidential elections in 1999 resulted in victory for Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh who had previously filled the presidential role for both the Yemen Arab Republic (former North Yemen) and ROY.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh © Mohamed al-Qadhi / United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Network

The 2006 election saw the President facing real opposition for the first time, coming under public pressure on issues of corruption and unemployment. Nevertheless the final results gave Saleh 77.1% of the vote while his main challenger, Faisal bin Shamlan, a former minister and the main candidate of the coalition of opposition parties known as the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), received 21.8%. If Saleh survives the term, he will have served for 36 years at the helm; recent constitutional amendments permit a president to serve a maximum of two seven-year terms.

Despite irregularities alleged by opposition groups, a preliminary report by the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) suggests that the elections were “an open and genuine contest.” The report observed a definite media bias as evidenced by the extensive use of state resources in support of the ruling party even though all participants were guaranteed fair and equal air time.

In a bicameral legislature, the Shura Council (111 seats) is appointed by the president whilst the House of Representatives (301 seats) is elected by popular vote. The prime minister – currently Ali Muhammad Mujawwar - is appointed by the president (along with the vice president and deputy prime ministers). Yemen’s civil society organizations have been active since the 1950s, playing crucial roles in the country’s turbulent history. NGOs are expected to register with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour but have been known to work in relative freedom.
Conflict in Yemen

Yemen has a Sunni majority whilst approximately 35 per cent of the population is Shiite. Its history is marred by numerous conflicts; the most virulent being those motivated by internal power struggles. The devastating civil war in May of 1994 was considered the climatic end to years of distrust and malevolence. Although President Saleh’s control is regarded as extending across the country as a whole, there remain pockets of violent dissent, often provoked by resentment of the economic and political dominance of the powerful North.

Protests in Yemen against rising fuel prices © United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Network

Sunni insurgency results mainly from a volatile mix of tribalism, foreign mercenaries, and the increasingly centralized role of government which has failed to meet the basic needs of its citizens. Analysts suggest that the increasing support for extremist ideologies is indicative of a worsening socio-economic situation with almost half the population under the age of 15 stymied with poor future prospects and nothing to lose – all the makings of instability.

Alongside militant Sunni groups is a Shiite rebellion concentrated in the northwestern region of the country. Inspired by former leader Hussein al-Houthi who was killed in 2004 by government troops, the group calls itself The Young Believers. The royalist Zaidi Shiite sect denounces these rebels’ actions, pointing fingers at Iran and its alleged involvement in the insurgency. Hundreds of people have died on either side although numbers cannot be confirmed due to restrictions placed on foreign media access. Early 2007 saw an escalation of violent clashes between heavily armed government forces and al-Houthi supporters in the province of Saada forcing over 50,000 people to flee their homes. An uneasy ceasefire in currently in place.

17 million weapons in Yemen © Edward Parsons / United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Network

Yemen’s new role in the international political arena is that of a US ally in the fight against terrorism. Although the Gulf War saw a freeze in US-Yemen relations, September 11 forced policy makers in the US to take a closer look at the porous borders of this small Arab nation. Not only is Yemen home to former militiamen of the USSR-Afghan war, but also to disgruntled Islamists – discontented partly by the government’s failure to address poverty, corruption and economic stagnation and partly because of its close association with the US. Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen were implicated in the 2000 bombing of the destroyer U.S.S. Cole and the 2002 attack on French supertanker Limburg. Although Yemeni authorities have charged numerous people for terrorist activities since then, twenty-three prisoners (13 of which were allegedly Al-Qaeda members) escaped in February 2006 through a tunnel that ended inside a mosque. Jamal al-Badawi, the alleged architect of both the Cole and Limburg attacks, is still at large and has been implicated in the 2007 attack on Spanish tourists visiting an archaeological site in the eastern province of Marib.
Human Rights in Yemen

The US led war on terror has indirectly sanctioned the harassment, illegal detention and imprisonment of political opponents and individuals involved in vocal criticism of government policies - on grounds of national security. Human rights watchdog organizations are also concerned about the imposition of death penalties and traditional punishments like flogging. Prison conditions also come in for criticism, The Yemen Times in a recent article dubbed the prison crisis as one of “human conscience”.

Gender related statistics in Yemen are amongst the most discouraging in the Arab region. Especially hard hit are women in rural areas where low school enrolment translates into low adult literacy rates, dislocation from economic opportunities and institutionalized discrimination. Although the emergence of three women on the shortlist of candidates for the 2006 presidential elections was an encouraging sign of changing attitudes, a recent proposal for a quota system to ensure female participation in coming parliamentary elections was overwhelmingly rejected by political parties. In recent council elections only 137 women entered the contests against nearly 19,000 men.

As a gateway to the Gulf, Yemen is besieged with immigrants from the Horn of Africa - mostly Somalians hoping to escape civil strife that has ravaged their country since 1991. Poor conditions for Somali refugees in Yemen coupled with the threat of repatriation create increasing tension in their relationship with the government and with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). According to UNHCR, an average of 100 people a day are attempting to cross from Somalia to Yemen, often suffering appalling treatment by traffickers and risk of drowning.
Information and Media in Yemen

Of late, the media in Yemen has come under increased scrutiny and harassment by government officials. During the fighting in Saada in 2007 the government closed down opposition websites accusing them of misreporting events. In 2006 the arrest of Mohammed al-Asadi, editor-in-chief of the Yemen Observer, an independent English language newspaper, on charges of insulting Prophet Mohammed has led to condemnation by press organizations worldwide. Al-Asadi reprinted three thumbnail sized images of the controversial Danish cartoons – purportedly obscured by a thick black cross. His trial resulted in a heavy fine.

On a positive note, the press law in Yemen is in the process of being amended in light of much scrutiny and criticism by journalists. For the moment, the clause in the original law which allowed the imprisonment of journalists has been abolished. A tight fist approach towards press freedom is still expected. Private ownership of television and radios is also banned under current legislation.
Health in Yemen

Poor literacy amongst women in part contributes to the fact that Yemen has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Arab world – eight women die giving birth every day with only 20% of births assisted by a trained health worker.

After being polio-free for almost a decade, Yemen saw an outbreak in the southwestern part of the country in April 2005. The disease spread rapidly with almost 500 infections in Yemen accounting for the largest share of worldwide cases for that year. With the assistance of the World Health Organization, continuing intensive immunization campaigns have restored the polio-free status for the time being. Malaria is considered another major health threat with 60 percent of Yemen's population at risk of the disease.

So far, this South Arabian country has not been touched significantly by the AIDS pandemic, although data collection is regarded as poor. The MDG progress report notes that Yemen lacks the institutional capacity to support a sustained prevention campaign if the disease were to take hold. On a positive note, the incidence rate of tuberculosis in Yemen is on the decline due to a concerted awareness campaign and training of health workers.
Environment in Yemen

Yemen is facing several environmental sustainability issues which include a deepening water crisis, degradation of soil resources, forest depletion, eradication of biodiversity and a deprived urban environment. Scarcity of water is considered the most serious of these. The MDG report warns that, at current rates of consumption, “it is expected that most water basins would be depleted within a period of 15-50 years”. A recent World Bank study however has updated that figure to “within 10 years”. The uncertain threat of climate change only hastens a potential water shortage as well as disrupting agriculture. Indeed Yemen’s arable land is already fighting a battle on two fronts, namely the virulent ug99 wheat disease and the most serious attack of locusts since 1993.

A related source of concern is the use of scarce water for the cultivation of qat (a mild narcotic with amphetamine-like properties) on a substantial part of arable land in Yemen. Qat is available all year round making it an immensely profitable crop. However, when a country lacks the food security to sustain its growing populace - Yemen imports most of its wheat and food self-sufficiency is as low as 37 per cent - harvesting a non-nutritional crop like qat can be perceived as irresponsible.



Merium Kazmi is a Pakistani national pursuing an M.A. in Development Policy from De La Salle University in Manila. She is presently working as an intern at UNDP Bahrain while simultaneously completing her masteral thesis on gender gap analysis.
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