His Excellency the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Mukhtar Al-Yafaei, held discussions today at the Ministry’s headquarters in the capital, Aden, with His Excellency Dr. Thomas Oertle, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Yemen, on ways to enhance joint cooperation and support social protection programs, particularly in the areas of child welfare and sustainable development.

During the meeting, Minister Al-Yafaei was briefed on the areas of Swiss support and funding. He expressed the Ministry’s aspiration to strengthen partnership efforts in a way that contributes to advancing humanitarian and development programs. He also emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to regulating the work of civil society organizations in accordance with standards of efficiency and transparency.

The Minister reaffirmed the government’s support for expanding the activities of international and local organizations to cover all governorates, and for contributing to addressing labor market imbalances while promoting economic and social stability. He reiterated the government’s welcome to organizations wishing to operate from the capital, Aden, and its commitment to providing the necessary facilitation and ensuring the neutrality of humanitarian work, thereby enabling assistance to reach beneficiaries without discrimination.

His Excellency also referred to a planned consultative meeting aimed at organizing the relationship between the government, international partners, and local institutions, as well as addressing the challenges facing their work. The objective is to ensure the optimal use of support, correct its course where needed, and place greater emphasis on localizing humanitarian action and building national capacities.

Furthermore, the Minister revealed the Ministry’s intention to convene an international conference to mobilize support for child protection programs, stressing the importance of backing from international partners, especially in light of ongoing economic challenges that negatively impact families and, in turn, affect children.

For his part, the Swiss Ambassador reaffirmed his country’s support for partnership with Yemen, noting a strategic direction toward increasing funding directed to local entities and implementing sustainable projects focused on capacity building and strengthening self-reliance.