The Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Social Fund for Development, Mukhtar Al-Yafaei, participated today in the interim capital, Aden, in the opening of the preparatory workshop to outline future directions and develop the Fund's strategic vision for the 2026–2030 period. The workshop is organized by the Social Fund for Development under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Chairman of the Fund's Board of Directors, Dr. Shaea Mohsen Al-Zandani.

The workshop, which runs from July 25 to 30, is being held under the slogan "Innovation Inspires Development... A Vision That Shapes the Future." It aims to review the Fund's vision and align it with current circumstances, reassess its organizational structure in a way that enhances institutional agility, develop monitoring and evaluation standards, and strengthen performance governance and compliance, thereby improving operational efficiency and enhancing the effectiveness of development programs and interventions.

The workshop's agenda includes several themes related to innovative digital transformation, spending efficiency and sustainability, expenditure rationalization, and directing resources toward field operations. It also seeks to prepare a change charter and adopt a strategic roadmap that contributes to developing the Fund's work and expanding its development impact in local communities.

In his opening remarks, Minister Al-Yafaei paid tribute to the late martyr Wissam Qaed, Executive Director of the Social Fund for Development, praising the legacy he left in the field of development and institutional work. He affirmed that the convening of the workshop reflects a national awareness of the need at this stage for a renewed vision and realistic planning that accommodates the scale of current challenges, reorders priorities, and opens broader and more sustainable horizons for development work.

The Minister stressed that the next phase requires a transition from emergency response to recovery and development, transforming need into empowerment and assistance into opportunities for production and stability. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the new vision places people at the center of development, strengthens the protection of the most vulnerable groups, empowers youth, women, and persons with disabilities, and links training and qualification programs to labor market needs.

Minister Al-Yafaei also noted that innovation should not remain merely a slogan, but should become an approach to planning, implementation, project management, and impact measurement. He underscored the importance of strengthening the Fund's position as an effective national institution, preserving its independence, consolidating the principles of governance, transparency, and institutional stability, and expanding its development impact across all governorates.

For his part, the Acting Executive Director of the Social Fund for Development, Mohammed Alban, explained that the strategic vision lays the foundation for sustaining and advancing the Fund's work in line with the requirements of the current phase. He affirmed that the coming period will be marked by innovation and that the country is moving toward recovery and sustainable development, while the Fund continues to keep pace with these transformations by developing its programs and tools and strengthening its partnerships to serve local communities.