[09/04/2025 02:15]

ADEN - SABA
Minister of Water and Environment Engineer Tawfiq al-Sharjabi discussed Wednesday with Mohamed Othman, the country director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in the Middle East enhancing coordination efforts between the two parties.

The discussion included identifying priorities and essential development project needs for the sectors, institutions and agencies under the ministry.

During the meeting, which included relevant officials from the ministry and UNOPS, they discussed the general situation in the country, its impact on humanitarian work, the level of project implementation amidst dwindling financing, and the potential to open communication channels with donor agencies to expand activities and enhance services provided to citizens.

They also addressed several topics related to the office's support and interventions across various fields, particularly for the Urban Cities Unit and the challenges facing the operations of the UNOPS office.

The Minister of Water and Environment presented the plans and priority projects required by some facilities under the Ministry of Water and Environment, which touch on the needs of citizens and the areas affected by conflict, such as basic services to tackle challenges related to water and sanitation, climate change, capacity building, and involving local organizations in project implementation.

Engineer al-Sharjabi praised the tangible partnership between the government and the UNOPS office through the implementation of high-quality projects and interventions aligned with the national plans submitted by the government to achieve a significant positive impact.

He emphasized the importance of continuing the joint cooperation between the two sides to execute more service and development projects that meet the citizens' requirements for a dignified life and better services, as this is a fundamental pillar for advancing the country's reality.

For his part, the country director of UNOPS commended the level of coordination, cooperation and the significant facilitation provided by the government and the Ministry of Water and Environment, which greatly contributes to the successful implementation of projects in Yemen.

He reaffirmed UNOPS's commitment to building the capacities of the units working within the ministry and to covering the costs of all projects implemented during the current year.

In another context, during a meeting in Aden today, the Minister of Water and Environment met with Naif Abu Lohoom, Lead Water Resources Management Specialist at the World Bank in Yemen, and Samraa Al-Shaibani, the World Bank's coordinator in Aden, in the presence of the ministry's specialists and technicians.

They reviewed the projects scheduled for implementation this year by the bank in the water sector in the country.

The presentation included three projects: climate and water system management, water discharge management, desalination and water treatment plants, along with their objectives, activities, and integrated outputs that align with the project designs based on the urgent needs provided by the Ministry of Water and Environment.

The meeting highlighted the importance of enhancing the efforts between the ministry and the bank during the implementation of projects, the level of achievements made through the partnership between the two parties.

The meeting also highlighted the necessity of working within a new mechanism for interventions and project designs that suit the recent developments in the current reality to ensure maximizing benefit from the available funding from Yemen's donor partners.

---