Saudi Arabia helps Yemen launch vital development projects

ADEN -- As all parties in Yemen work towards a deal on humanitarian and economic measures, a permanent ceasefire and the resumption of a political process, the truce continues to hold and reconstruction efforts are under way.

Despite a fragile military situation and dire economic and humanitarian challenges, the truce in Yemen continues to deliver beyond its expiration, United Nations (UN) special envoy for Yemen told the UN Security Council on May 17.

Parties to the conflict are demonstrating willingness to engage constructively, he said, underscoring the need for a more comprehensive agreement and continued support from a coherent, co-ordinated regional and international community.

As these efforts continue, Saudi Arabia has been helping Yemen launch development projects in the health, transportation, education, agriculture and fishery sectors.

Yemeni Presidential Command Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi inaugurated the latest projects in Aden on May 10 with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Programme for Yemen general supervisor, Mohammed Al Jaber.

Since the Saudi programme's inception in 2018, it has launched 229 projects and development initiatives, including the rehabilitation of the 270-bed Aden General Hospital and the establishment of a cardiac centre.

Al-Alimi inaugurated the first and second phases of the Aden International Airport rehabilitation project, and laid the foundation stone for the third phase.

The project aims to upgrade the airport and the quality of passenger services.

Education sector projects include the opening of 31 schools across the country, including four modern model schools, the printing and distribution of 548,852 textbooks and provision of 12,978 pieces of school furniture and 26 buses.

The second phase of the "adequate housing" project includes the rehabilitation of 170 housing units in Aden province in partnership with the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Alwaleed Philanthropies.

The first phase of the project culminated with the handover of 150 housing units to beneficiaries.

'Secure, stable and developed'

The Saudi role in Yemen's development is a testament to the strategic partnership between the two countries, al-Alimi told regional news outlets.

"Our goal is clear: a secure, stable and developed Yemen," the Saudi envoy, Mohammed Al Jaber, told AFP after a tour of Aden General Hospital, nearby apartment buildings and Aden's international airport.

Riyadh's reconstruction drive includes $1 billion deposited earlier this year in Yemen's central bank, a $600 million oil derivatives fund and $400 million worth of projects like the hospital and airport, al-Jaber noted.

The Aden General Hospital rehabilitation will be "a quantum leap in improving the quality of health services in Aden and neighbouring provinces", cardiologist Mohammed Ahmed Nasser told Al-Mashareq.

The new cardiac centre is "the only one in Yemen that provides free services including open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterisation", he said.

The hospital staff "is a distinguished and outstanding cadre that within a short period of time performed advanced surgeries that are only performed outside Yemen", Nasser said.

Aden General Hospital has treated many patients, especially those with limited income, public sector worker Nashwan al-Akhali told Al-Mashareq.

Al-Akhali said some elderly patients in Aden had "lost hope in receiving treatment for common illnesses or outpatient surgeries, including my father, who was able to see again after undergoing cataract surgery".

Development projects

The focal point of other Saudi initiatives in Yemen is on "implementing projects that serve the productive sectors and increasing the pace of production", economist Abdul Aziz Thabet told Al-Mashareq.

The projects create job opportunities for the labour force in the agricultural and fishery sectors, road rehabilitation and other areas, he said.

The Saudi programme has contributed to supporting agricultural and fish production by promoting the use of modern agricultural technologies and systems, Thabet said.

These projects include the launch of the second phase of a project to provide 35 agricultural irrigation systems powered by solar energy, in addition to rehabilitating fish stocking sites to stimulate fishing in several provinces.

Thabet highlighted the great importance of these projects, noting that all of them will alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

He stressed the need for school rehabilitation "as well as rehabilitating the Hayjat al-Abed road, which is the only road linking Taez province to the city of Aden".

The road to Taez was closed for an extended time under Houthi blockade, at one time sparking near-daily demonstrations against the Iran-backed group.