Almotamar.net - Yemen's premier Dr Ali Mujwar asked Wednesday Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)'s donor states and traditional donors to finalise allocations and sign the agreements for the implementation of projects and to provide financial allocations so that his government can carry out the general investment program and achieve goals of the third five-year plan.

Addressing the 1st consultative follow-up meeting between the government of Yemen and its partners in development today the prime minister said the proportion of what has been allocated of financial pledges since London donor conference amounted to 66% despite the elapse one year and a half since the beginning of the third economic and social development plan for alleviation of poverty 2006-2010.

Dr Mujwar added there are many challenges and problems of structural characteristic that still block development in Yemen, indicating government efforts working within the framework of the agenda of the national economic, institutional and legislative reforms and their mechanisms for fighting corruption, reforming civil service and upgrading efficiency of the state's administrative apparatus.

The premier lauded the role of London conference foe donors in the establishment of real developmental partnership with the community o donors to support development efforts in Yemen and to overcome the challenges facing development and evolvement in a way allowing Yemen to achieve the goals of the development plan.

He has also reviewed the Yemeni government plan in the economic and social development, deepening the democratic pursuit, protection of human rights, empowerment of the woman, enhancement of decentralization and expansion of partnership in the local development.

On his part the Yemeni minister of planning and international cooperation Abdulkarim al-Arhabi said the 1st consultative meeting aims at pondering the challenges confronting the process of allocations and dealing with them, working together to accelerate the procedures concerning agreements and beginning in implementing the projects that have been adopted. Al-Arhabi disclosed increase in London pledges by donors from $4.7 billion last November to $5.66 billions in June 2007.
The representative of the GCC general secretariat Abdulaziz al-Uwaishiq delivered a speech saying the third development plan and the investment programme in Yemen are two documents deserving praise because they succeeded to a great extent in determining priorities of in investment needs in a harmonious form with the general economic framework of Yemen.