[18/06/2026 03:29]

BAKU - SABA
Yemen and the Islamic Development Bank have discussed ways to expand development financing, accelerate stalled projects, and address Yemen’s outstanding financial arrears to the bank, in talks held on the sidelines of the bank’s annual meetings in Azerbaijan.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Governor of Yemen at the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Afrah al-Zuba, met with the Director of the GCC States and Yemen Regional Office at the bank, Saleh al-Jalasi, to review the status of ongoing grant-funded projects and broader cooperation priorities.

The discussions focused on removing obstacles slowing implementation of existing projects and exploring increased grant allocations for Yemen, with emphasis on high-impact sectors including youth employment, small and micro-enterprises, and economic recovery programmes.

Al-Zuba described the relationship with the Islamic Development Bank as a strategic development partnership spanning more than four decades, underscoring that resolving Yemen’s arrears would be key to restoring the bank’s full operational engagement in the country. She also called for a more structured country-level framework aligned with Yemen’s upcoming development plan to better coordinate future funding.

The Yemeni side pushed for scaling up grant support during the current period of economic strain, particularly for job creation and livelihood-focused interventions.

For his part, the bank’s regional office director stressed continued commitment to supporting Yemen, noting that discussions are ongoing on flexible and innovative approaches to managing arrears while sustaining development assistance under challenging conditions.

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