Almotamar.net, Saba - In its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ali Mujawar, the Cabinet approved on Tuesday a document of fast-track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The document, submitted by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, included five key axes aiming to alleviate poverty and find sustainable water sources and promote heath conditions and make basic education for all and achieve the principle of equality of opportunity between the sexes.

The fast-track program is an integrated and operation plan of action for a period of five years consisting of selected priorities in the framework of the MDGs, which have been adapted in light of the circumstances and facts of the national economy.

The fast-track program, which comes within the fourth five-year plan, is distinguished with mechanisms of direction, finance and more effective implementation in order to achieve as many as possible of goals.

The estimated total cost expected for reaching the goals of this fast-track program amounts to USD 2.43 billion.

At the axes' level, the fast-track program aims to decrease the rate of population under the higher national poverty line by about 4.10 percent and by 9.8 percent for the population who do not have access to adequate food by 2015.

In addition, the program aims at making basic education for all in 2015 to reach 93 percent for the stages from 1 to 6, narrowing the gap of net enrollment between the sexes in the basic education phases to reach 87 percent, and increasing the rate of health services coverage to reach out 75 percent of the population, as well as decreasing the mortality of children under five to 40 deaths per thousand and the maternal mortality to 88 death per hundred thousand live birth.



The cabinet approved also a loan agreement to finance the 2nd phase of the Marib Gas Power Plant Project as well as enlarging the transmission network.

The agreement (of an extra loan) was signed on February 5, 2011 between Yemen and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), under which the Fund offers $150 million as a loan to contribute to the project.

In its weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ali Mujawar, the cabinet directed to submit the agreement to the parliament to finalize the constitutional procedures required to the final approval.

The project costs totally $392 million funded by the government, AFESD and Saudi Fund for Development.

The project comes within the executive measures to enhance the generation capacity of the electrical system and eliminate the deficit of the generating capacity in power plants.

On the other hand, the cabinet ordered to submit a loan agreement to contribute to finance a transmission lines project and power transfer stations for Habilain, Yafa'e and Baidha'a to the parliament for discussion and completing the constitutional procedures.

The agreement was signed between Yemen and Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) on February 14, 2010.

Based on the agreement, the KFAED grants $31 million as a contribution to the project, in which the government's share reaches $16 million.