JEDDAH: An agreement on the “renewable energy to improve the quality of life in Yemen” project was signed on Sunday by the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, Arab Gulf Program for Development, and the Selah Foundation for Development.
The agreement aims to implement the project in Hadramout, Taiz, Lahij, Abyan, and the Western Coast governorates worth $2.1 million in the fields of energy, technology, the environment, food security, health and education, women’s empowerment, water and sanitation, and protection and shelter.
The agreement was signed by Prince Abdul Aziz bin Talal, president of AGFUND, Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber, SDRPY general supervisor and Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, and Ali Bashmakh, CEO of the Selah Foundation.
Prince Abdul Aziz applauded the efforts to improve the living conditions of the Yemeni people, empower vulnerable groups, and sustainably enhance their quality of life.
Al-Jaber said that the agreement is part of continuous work the SDRPY seeks to implement under the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, adding that they are working to ensure the sustainability of integrated efforts with effective institutions, thus realizing sustainable development in Yemen.
Around 60,000 families are expected to benefit from pumping clean drinking water, while 210 farmers will also benefit from sustainable agricultural irrigation methods and 931 families will benefit from electricity services.
This project will also offer services to the health and educational facilities and mosques in several remote areas.
The agreement will promote and coordinate cooperation between partners to implement sustainable development projects, enhancing strategic and developmental integration in Yemen.
The Selah Foundation for Development won the Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development in 2019, in Clean Water and Sanitation, which represents the sixth of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This new project is considered an expansion of that award-winning project, serving more people.
SDRPY has provided 207 projects and development initiatives across Yemen in seven key sectors: Education, health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, and fisheries, as well as capacity-building of government institutions and development projects.
Hassan Al-Attas, assistant general supervisor of SDRPY, told Arab News that to ensure the sustainability of these important projects, the program works in cooperation with the Yemeni government, local governorate authorities, and development partners.
“The program works on studying the needs on-field; submitting reports on the progress and completion of work, taking note of challenges, learning lessons on the ground, and knowing the impact and reflection of projects, programs, activities and initiatives on (our) Yemeni brothers, to find innovations and appropriate development solutions,” he added.
