World Refugee Day 2013
NGOs displeased by Donor Conference selections
Doctor Mohamed Al-Hawri, the deputy of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, said in a statement to state-run Saba News Agency that all the steps for finishing conference planning is now complete, as is arranging all the documents to be exhibited in the conference, such as the Transition Development Planning Program (2012-2014).
On Aug. 22, a number of civil society organizations operating in Yemen published a statement about their dissatisfaction with the selection of organizations that will participate in the Donor Conference.
“We have learnt that the Ministry has pecked out representatives for Yemen’s civil society to participate in the conference based on partisan power-sharing standards, rather than specialization, professionalism and proactive engagement in civil action in Yemen,” the statement read.
Al-Saleh Social Foundation Development, Taiba Charity, Soul Organization, Nama’a Network for Development and Al-Eslah Charitable Association are the groups that were chosen by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to participate in the Donor Conference.
“The government has selected a specific and special number of the NGOs and excluded others,” Wadah Al-Jalil, the spokesman of the Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, said.
The government made these selections to make present itself in a good way and to be presented as the government wishes to be, according to Al-Jalil.
“Most of the selected organizations have a close connection to regime,” Al-Jalil said. “Thus, the choice is intended to convince others that there is a real partnership with the NGOs.”
Al-Jalil said that there is no real partnership with the selected organizations because they do not represent organizations working in the field with concrete ideas about what Yemeni society needs.
Khalid Al-Mulud, manager of foreign relations at the International Humanitarian Forum said that they prepared a program to discuss the function and the roles of NGOs and how they affect the Donor Conference.
He said there are more than 65 organizations set to participate in this program in order to exhibit the Transition Development Planning Program from the viewpoint of most NGOs in Yemen.
“In the program we will focus on the educational, health, media, human rights sides to highlight these issues in the Donor Conference,’’ he said.
Mansoor Al-Bashiri, The General Manager for economic forecasts at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation said the NGOs selected were chosen according to specific criteria.
“Existence, activities, the geographical distribution for the services and the relations with the donors in order to mobilize the support for the humanitarian aids the country are the reasons behind their selection,” he said.
