Yemeni planning minister Mohammad al-Saadi meets USAID official

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Mohammad al-Saadi discussed on Friday with the head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Rajiv Shah ways of promoting cooperation between Yemen and the USAID. In a meeting held on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the IMF and the WB in Washington, al-Saadi briefed Shah on outcomes of the Riyadh donor meeting and the 6th meeting of the Friends of Yemen, which was held in New York last September. The Yemeni official also talked with the USAID official about the Yemeni government's efforts to implement financial and administrative reforms, pointing out that President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi had reformed the Supreme National Anti-Corruption Commission (SNACC). Al-Saadi praised the USAID's decision to provide US$5.7 million to supporting the management of water resources in Yemen and US$ 13 million for the political process, constitutional referendum and national dialogue conference in the country. For his part, Shah said that the USAID is working to develop its own strategy for Yemen in order to keep up with upcoming changes and outcomes of the national dialogue conference. He reiterated the USAID’s commitment to support Yemen during its transition and help the government address the humanitarian needs for internally displaced persons in the country. Since the beginning of Yemen’s transition in November 2011, US aid to Yemen has totaled over US$600 million. The US has provided nearly US$39 million since the transition began in 2011 to support the political process in the country.