Yemen
At USAID-Supported Conference, Yemen’s Transitional Prime Minister Endorses Leadership Quota for Women
Joan Parker is President and Chief Executive Officer of Counterpart International.
History happens faster than you expect and is usually part of a chain of events. Monday, March 19, in a filled-to-capacity ballroom in a hotel in Sana’a, Yemen, I witnessed an important link in that historical chain.
Panel presentation at the first-ever National Women's Conference, the aim of which was to identify an active role for women in the democratic transition now underway. Photo: USAID
At the National Women’s Conference, co-sponsored by USAID, Yemen’s transitional Prime Minister Mohammed Salim Basindwa pledged his support for a top demand from USAID-supported women’s organizations—a quota requiring at least 30 percent of high-ranking posts be held by females.
“I truly believe that if women rule the country, that it would be peaceful and prosperous,” Basindwa said. “Yemeni women are important factors in our development, and Yemen will prosper only if women are fully involved.”
Basindwa also focused on the significance of the conference, which drew nearly 1,000 women (and a handful of men). “Today’s gathering represents an unprecedented moment in Yemeni history,” he said. “Currently, Yemen is working to build its future. There is a need to have this conference.”
“This is the Yemeni spring,” declared Yemen’s Human Rights Minister, Horia Mashur. “In this Yemeni spring, women are leaders.” Mashur recalled how women took to the streets a year earlier in uprisings that resulted in a presidential election on February 17, ushering in what is expected to be a new democratic era for Yemen.
“Discrimination has prevented women from achieving high posts in the government,” Mashur said. She is one of only three women who hold high-level national posts; there is one other woman in the Cabinet and one woman among the 301 elected legislators in Parliament.
USAID’s Responsive Governance Project, which Counterpart International is implementing, co-sponsored the conference along with Yemen’s Human Rights Ministry and the National Women’s Committee. The conference is a key step toward a soon-to-be-announced public policy dialogue among the government, civil society, and the private sector, which will include gender issues.
Conferees debated draft positions, including access to education and maternal health services, banning childhood marriage, and eliminating discriminatory practices. A final document is expected later in April. Elizabeth Richard, Chargés d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen, delivered a speech with a quote from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that tied the Yemeni spring to events in the rest of the world: “When women organize in large numbers, they galvanize opinion and help change the course of history,” said Richard.
In Sana’a, I could see and feel how they were rising to this unique moment in history.
* * *
Learn more about USAID’s Responsive Governance Project and find more information on women’s empowerment in Yemen in this short Counterpart International video.
On the Road Again: USAID’s Mobile Medical Teams Resume Serving Yemen’s Marginalized People
During my recent visit to Yemen I had the opportunity to view many of the ways in which USAID is supporting development in the country. I was particularly impressed by USAID’s successful effort to provide local communities with basic medical services.
Assistant Administrator Rudman inaugurates an MMT van, marking the resumption of the MMT program. Photo Credit: USAID
Yemen faces many challenges, but few are as daunting as providing medical care to its displaced and marginalized populations. Currently, just a quarter of rural Yemenis have access to medical care.
One way in which USAID has assisted Yemen in responding to this challenge is by developing mobile medical teams (MMTs), clinics on wheels that travel regularly to marginalized communities. USAID launched the first of its 15 MMTs in the remote governorate of Marib in February 2011.
The MMTs struggled to operate during the civil disturbances of the past year and had limited opportunities to visit local communities. But now they are back on the road. I had the pleasure of joining one such team on a sunny February morning.
It did not take long for a huge crowd to form around the MMT van when it rolled into a gray and dusty Sana’a neighborhood in the district of Sawan. A flurry of excited activity accompanied the arrival of the USAID MMT van. It was clear that these MMTs constitute a critical lifeline for many already at-risk Yemenis. The fully equipped MMT offers basic primary care, maternal and child care, diagnosis, immunization, and medications—all for free—to needy and marginalized people. On this day, however, I was told that the reappearance of the MMT vehicles after weeks without them created even more of a stir.
After a short ceremony marking the resumption of the MMT program, local men, women, and children lined up to receive basic medical services, including blood pressure readings, vaccinations for the young, and medication for the sick. I was impressed both by the warm welcome the community offered and the efficiency and effectiveness the medical team displayed. (more…)
Why Development and Diplomacy Matter in National Security
U.S. national security rests on three pillars: Diplomacy, Development, and Defense. Although other departments and agencies of the U.S. government certainly contribute to the nation’s security, these three Ds, represented by the Department of State (State), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Department of Defense (DoD or Defense) provide the foundation for promoting and protecting U.S. interests abroad. Each represents a critical component of national security with unique roles and responsibilities. The functions performed by each of the “three Ds” provide greatest value to the nation when they are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
State and USAID’s diplomats and development experts work hand-in-glove with their military counterparts to promote growth and foster stability. They don’t think about which subcommittee funded them or what their respective agency budget allocations are. All they know is that they work together, with a common purpose, and often in dangerous and deadly environments. We need a budget that reflects that reality.
Here are some examples of the integration of our civilian and military efforts in some of the most critical areas around the world:
In Afghanistan, USAID programs are designed to support US foreign policy, with military stabilization programs informed by USAID technical expertise. Funding is provided by USAID/Kabul for Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) activities in the field as well as national-level programs. It would be physically impossible for USAID to operate independently in Afghanistan without close military support. USAID field program officers serve alongside military counterparts in forward operating bases and PRTs, where they undertake jointly planned civil affairs and quick-impact development programs. (more…)
A Comprehensive Approach to Yemen
Cross-posted from The White House Blog
On Friday, U.S. officials participated in a meeting of the Friends of Yemen in New York, marking an important occasion to coordinate international support for Yemen. The meeting also provides a good opportunity to discuss the United States’ comprehensive approach to assist Yemen.
Much of the press attention about U.S. efforts regarding Yemen has focused on efforts to combat Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). There is no doubt AQAP is a serious threat to Yemen, the United States, and our allies. This was vividly demonstrated by the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, as well as by AQAP attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. In response to this threat, in the past year the Yemeni government has conducted operations that have helped disrupt AQAP’s operations, but AQAP remains dangerous. AQAP has conducted retaliatory attacks against Yemeni forces, and continues to plot additional attacks against the United States. The United States strongly supports the Yemeni government’s efforts, and is providing it security assistance to increase its capacity to counter the AQAP threat. The United States has also designated AQAP and its leaders as terrorists domestically and through the United Nations in order to prevent their travel and restrict their access to the international financial system. At the same time, the United States and our international partners are strengthening international air travel security in order to prevent future attacks by AQAP or other terrorists. (more…)
USAID in the News – May 14th, 2010
This week at USAID:
Administrator Rajiv Shah is on his first official trip to Africa since taking the helm of USAID. Shah is visiting Kenya and Sudan and his trip is focusing on the Global Health and Food Security Initiatives.
USAID, Yemeni Government officials met to discuss a new stabilization strategy. The first in a series of quarterly meetings to coordinate shared objectives identified in the assistance agreement signed by USAID and Yemen’s Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
Leaders in the Caribbean expect to receive a $100 million grant to help fight AIDS over the next five years from the US government’s President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief fund. USAID contributes both funding and staff toward the PEPFAR initiative.
As of June 1, the Louisiana National Guard will be in charge of a 500-person contingent, based in Gonaives, Haiti. USAID and other relief agencies will take on the majority of logistical and aid work performed by the Southern Command’s Operation Unified Response.
