Yemen | Bank Information Center: Monitoring the projects and policies of the World Bank, IMF and other international financial institutions


bicusa.org/yemen Home Regions Middle East and North AfricaYemen Yemen Overview Key Issues Problem Projects Updates Resources Contacts RSS Press Clipping \| 3 February 2012 World Bank Lifts Suspension on All Credits and Grants to Yemen The World Bank announced on January 23rd, 2012 that it would be re-establishing a presence in Yemen after several months of suspended disbursements to the country. The re-engagement is limited however; staff travel to Sana'a is restricted to essential missions, with much of the work continuing to be done out of the Bank's Amman and Cairo offices. A reassessment of the security situation will be done after Yemen's scheduled elections in February. Read more Update \| 2 February 2012 World Bank’s MENA department opens up to inputs from the region’s citizens The Bank Information Center welcomes the World Bank’s initative to open up and create a larger space for civil society from the MENA region. Read more Update \| 6 October 2011 Civil society comes out of meeting with new MENA VP Andersen with a renewed sense of enthusiasm MENA civil society representatives met with the Bank’s new MENA Vice President, Inger Andersen, to discuss Bank-civil society relations in the post-revolution era. The Bank responded positively to civil society’s demands for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development with full civil society participation. Read more Update \| 6 October 2011 MENA civil society extends Arab Spring demands for participation & transparency to WB BIC/MENA and civil society representatives from across the region engaged World Bank officials at the 2011 Civil Society Policy Forum of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings, drawing commitments to inclusive and equitable development strategies and greater participation for civil society. Read more Update \| 5 October 2011 Reaching out: MENA civil society representatives meet with Merza Hasan, WB Executive Director Civil society representatives from Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon and Tunisia find Executive Director Merza Hasan receptive to their concerns and willing to break new ground in future engagement with civil society. Read more Update \| 5 October 2011 MENA civil society wins commitments to engage from World Bank officials at 2011 Annual Meetings With goals of achieving greater participation for civil society organizations in World Bank operations alongside a commitment to inclusive and equitable development strategies, BIC/MENA and civil society representatives from Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Yemen among others successfully engaged the Bank at the 2011 Civil Society Policy Forum of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings Read more Update \| 18 August 2011 Aid to Yemen continues to dwindle as World Bank announces suspension of disbursements BIC/MENA comments on the string of donors cutting aid to Yemen, including the World Bank which recently stopped disbursing funds to Yemen. Read more Update \| 18 January 2011 BIC holds workshop in Sana'a on CSO engagement with the World Bank Read more Press Clipping \| 7 December 2010 New World Bank Group Managing Director addresses Arab economic cooperation Mahmoud Mohielden, Managing Director of the World Bank Group since October, visited Yemen for exploratory talks about how collaboration across the Arab world can help the agenda of this developing nation between the Red and Arabian seas. Read more Update \| 18 May 2010 Civil society writes letter opposing general capital increase More than 100 civil society organizations from around the globe signed on to a letter demanding an end to all fossil fuel projects at the World Bank with aims other than energy access for the poor. Until the Bank halts the financing of such projects, bringing them into line with the G20 and APEC pledges to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, these CSOs will oppose the Bank's recapitalization ask. Read more Update \| 16 March 2010 The World Bank Group's strategies in MENA countries Find out what the World Bank's strategy is in your country. In some instances, there is a Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), and in others, the Bank has used a more collaborative approach in designing and defining the pillars of their development program, to design a Country Partnership Strategy (CPS). Read more Press Clipping \| 11 March 2010 Mining law which IFC helped to draft in Yemen to be submitted to Parliament A mining law which the International Financial Corporation has been helping the Yemeni government to draft has recently been completed and will be submitted to Parliament. According to this article, one of the main hindrances for potential investment in Yemen's mining sector is the security issue, leaving us with a few questions: Is the IFC willing and planning to invest? Would the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency provide insurance for investors? Read more Press Clipping \| 1 March 2010 CSOs help train Bank staff on engaging civil society Amy Ekdawi and Nadia Daar of BIC's Middle East and North Africa Program participate in four training sessions for the World Bank's MENA staff on engaging civil society in the region. This training is part of the Bank's Enhanced Action Plan for the MENA region which includes improved consultations, increased translation, and more engagement with civil society. Read more Update \| 4 February 2010 Nine Executive Directors write to President Zoellick about U.S. coal guidelines On January 13th, nine executive directors representing China, India, and other countries in the Global South wrote a letter protesting the recently announced guidelines from the U.S. for what coal projects it could support. The directors objected to the United States declaring it wouldn't support coal projects while maintaining its own reliance on coal power. Read more Update \| 14 January 2010 Inspection Panel case plants seeds of cultural change at World Bank What was at first a seemingly simple and non-provocative Inspection Panel case, has now led the Bank to re-evaluate its relationship with civil society across the MENA region and develop an action plan for engagement. Nadia Daar of BIC's MENA program examines the importance of this development. Read more Press Release \| 12 January 2010 More involvement of stakeholders in Bank operations in Yemen In December 2009, the World Bank held two consultative meetings on the Social Welfare Fund Institutional Support Project with Yemeni civil society. These meetings come in the context of the Bank's MENA Management's Enhanced Action Plan. Read more Update \| 23 September 2009 WB commits to enhanced action plan in MENA region: more translation and better consultations The Inspection Panel is to defer its recommendation to investigate into case of the World Bank's "Institutional Reform Development Policy Grant" to Yemen, until after the implementation of Bank Management's enhanced action plan, which seeks to address concerns raised by the Yemen Observatory for Human Rights in their Request to the Inspection Panel in April 2009. Read more Update \| 27 August 2009 Where is the Inspection Panel's Eligibility Report for the Yemen case? For the first time in Inspection Panel history, an Eligibility Report is being held for board discussion. With little information, we are left wondering what is happening with the investigation into the Yemeni DPL case. Read more Update \| 30 June 2009 The Bank of Babel Read a BIC opinion piece from the FP blog, The Argument, explaining why the World Bank must reconsider its current policies on translation and information disclosure in order to promote substantive civil society engagement. Read more Update \| 30 June 2009 Activist Q&A: Meet Yahya Saleh Mohsen BIC highlights the work of Yahya Saleh Mohsen of the Yemen Observatory for Human Rights. Yahya played an instrumental role in bringing a case to the World Bank Inspection Panel involving the Bank's translation policies in Yemen and beyond. Read more Update \| 16 June 2009 World Bank's Inspection Panel meets with civil society organizations to discuss transparency issues The meeting took place during the Inspection Panel's trip to Sana'a to determine the eligibility of a complaint about Yemeni civil society's inability to access a translation of a key Bank document. Read more Update \| 12 June 2009 Yemeni civil society finally get their translation 1.5 years after the Yemen Observatory for Human Rights first requested a translation of the World Bank's 2008 Development Policy Loan for Yemen, the Bank has finally made this translation available. Read more Update \| 20 May 2009 Yemen's Inspection Panel Case: the up-side of bad news traveling fast Yemeni group files complaint with the World Bank's Inspection Panel and now change might already be in the air? Read more Update \| 22 April 2009 IFC's role in Yemen mining Trends in the relationship between World Bank and IFC technical assistance policies and the IFC’s investment portfolio raise questions over possible conflicts of interest. Disclosure at the IFC remains opaque, making details of projects and policies hard to come by. Read more Update \| 22 April 2009 Yemeni group says lack of translation inhibited transparency Yemeni civil society group take their complaint regarding the World Bank's refusal to translate a key program document, to the Inspection Panel Read more Update \| 8 April 2009 BIC’s MENA program organizes regional workshop in Beirut The workshop discussed the World Bank’s Disclosure Policy Review, and introduced the World Bank’s Inspection Panel to our regional partners. Read more Update \| 9 March 2009 Yemeni civil society to consult on World Bank's Country Assistance Strategy On March 11 and March 14 2009, the World Bank will be consulting with civil society in Yemen to discuss their new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) 2010-2013. Read more Update \| 13 March 2009 GTI Update: World Bank to review transparency standards As the World Bank launches a review of its policy on access to information, the Global Transparency Initiative will track the review process and provide analytical support to civil society groups concerned with transparency standards at the Bank. Read more Update \| 19 December 2008 IFC convenes conference to encourage greater mining investment in the MENA region Meanwhile, the IFC’s advisory services in revising the region's mining policies reinforce concerns over the lack of transparency of these types of operations. Read more Update \| 8 December 2008 As Yemen suffers from water crisis, Bank support for water sector hinges on private sector solutions A recent meeting between the World Bank and the Yemeni Planning Minister focused on preliminary negotiations on a proposed water sector project. However, the central question remains whether the Bank is ensuring water access for the poor. Read more Update \| 3 November 2008 As WB Group committments in MENA region surpassed $3bn in 2008, questions about effectiveness remain The World Bank Group is adhering to its pledge for greater engagement in the Middle East and North Africa. However, data on the development impacts on the poor are lacking, while other data suggest that many Bank projects in the region are at risk. Read more Update \| 19 June 2008 Islamic Development Bank joins efforts to alleviate food crisis Jeddah-based development institution announces $1.5 billion contribution toward food security programs in its member countries. Read more Update \| 29 May 2008 World Bank sets up $1.2 billion facility for food aid The World Bank announced today that it has set up a financing facility in the order of $1.2 billion to assist with the global food crisis. Read more Update \| 13 March 2008 IFC takes the lead on Yemen’s tax reform While IFC meeting with government and private sector is expected to lower corporate taxes, World Bank and IMF conditions will double the General Sales Tax in 2009. Read more Update \| 7 March 2008 IFC advises Yemeni government on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in priority sectors Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) presents investment opportunities that could hurt the poor, who have already been hit by increasing food prices. Read more Update \| 2 January 2008 World Bank pressed to disclose documents on controversial Yemen reform program Policy conditions attached to the $50 million grant include a reduction of the civil service, land reform, and lower corporate taxes. Read more Update \| 7 December 2007 World Bank to support Yemen's economic reform agenda The World Bank approved the $50 million grant yesterday without disclosing relevant project documents. Read more Update \| 4 December 2007 BIC's MENA program organizes first workshop in Yemen The workshop introduced BIC's work to Yemeni media and civil society organizations, and focused on the activities of the international financial institutions in the country. Read more Update \| 30 November 2007 BIC now has an Arabic page for its MENA program! Partners and readers from the Middle East and North Africa region can now access information on BIC's MENA Program in Arabic. Read more Print this page Email this page		Search Regions Africa Asia Europe/Central Asia Latin America Middle East and North Africa See also African Development Bank European Investment Bank in Africa International Finance Corporation International Monetary Fund Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency World Bank (IBRD & IDA) Middle East and North Africa Stay Informed! Sign up for our e-newsletters. SignUp

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