15 UN and 6 World Bank staff and their dependents, based in Eritrea, arrived in Sanaa on the morning of last Sunday, 7th Feb., following the armed conflict and hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The WB staff, who were on a mission to Asmara, had left Sanaa on Monday 8th, while the UN personnel remained in Yemen. The choice of Sanaa as the Safe Heaven was made by the UN Security Coordinator's Office in New York.

 

The United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), in coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs, is organizing a workshop, under the title "Protection and Emergency," at Nashwan Hotel in Aden, during 13 - 17 Feb. 1999. Forty five trainees from the ministry of interior, the ministry of foreign affairs, the ministry of planing, and NGOs representatives will participate in the workshop. Mr. Abdul-Karim Al-gaol Head of the Legal Advisors at the UNHCR office in Geneva will be the guest lecturer, along with Mr. Nabel Mosa from the UNHCR office in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Mazen Abo-Shanab from Aden UNHCR office, and Mr. Nabel Otman Field Program Officer. The workshop will highlight issues such as: Who is a refugee? How to control emergency conditions, and provide International protection for refugees? as well as other important subjects concerning refugees e.g., relief, development, and human rights.

 

Organized by the From Child to Child Society, and under the patronage of the governor of Taiz Mr. Ahmed Al-Hajri, the third regional meeting for future builders will start today 15 Feb. at Zaid Al-Mushiky school in Taiz. It will continue till 22 Feb. Miss. Jalilah Al-Shuja'a, Chairperson of the society told the Yemen Times that the meeting will discuss the educational system, and its methods. She also added that around forty persons from other Arab countries are expected to participate in the meeting.

 

Mr. Mohammed Al-Mujahed, Taiz Tourism Office Manager, told Yemen Times that tourism drive in Taiz was riding high in 1998. Around 30,000 tourists visited the city, where the revenues reached around $ 5 million. He also said the number of local tourists coming from other Yemeni cities was 60,000. He added that the total number of people working in tourism in Taiz is estimated at 3,000 people.

 

An agreement was signed today, February 14, 1999, in Sanaa between the Embassy of Japan in Yemen and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), an American NGO specializing in election support, regarding Japan's support for the National Conference for Elections Administration in Yemen.
The conference which will be organized by IFES during the period from March 15 until March 18 in Sanaa is aimed at enhancing the professional awareness of those who are involved in election processes, including the Supreme Election Council. The fund, which is provided by the Government of Japan under the scheme, called the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Project will be spent for inviting election experts abroad to attend the conference.
It is worth mentioning that UNDP, US Embassy and British Embassy also support the holding of the conference.

 

A painting exhibition about Yemen, by Mr. Mazher Nazar, will be held during 15-22 Feb. 1999, at the French Cultural Center, Arthur Rimbaud Hall. Mr. Nazar is a Yemeni Painter, who had participated in many exhibitions around and outside the country. In this exhibition Mr. Nazar will explore the colorful side of the rich Yemeni cultural heritage.

 

Under the auspicious of president Saleh, the first national conference on nephrology will be held during the period 16 - 18 Feb. 1999, at the Police Officers Club. More than 380 Yemeni doctors and about 40 foreign specialists are expected to attend. The conference will discuss the various kidney problems in Yemen, its history, old and new technologies used in nephrology treatment, and other issues in connection with nephrology.

 

Apollo International Exhibition Company has joined hands with the Ministry of Communications to host the Grand Al-Jazeera Information Technology and Communications Exhibition. This event will be held at Sana'a Expo Center during 28/2-4/3/1999.
The General Manager, Mr. Tofik Al-Nihmy, announced that this show will be organized annually. So far, JITCOM '99 is the largest and first of its kind to be held in the country. He added, "We believe that this exhibition will have a real impact on the local computer market." Conferences and seminars will be held during the event at the San'a Expo Center. These lectures will be presented by International companies' representatives, government officials and other professionals.
The companies that have confirmed their participation in the exhibition are: Acer, Compaq, Epson, IBM, Motorola, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, and many other well-known international brand agents.