H.E. Mukhtar Al-Yafaei, Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, met today at the Ministry's headquarters in the interim capital, Aden, with Mr. El Khidir Daloum, Country Director and Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and coordination and elevate the relationship between the Ministry and the Programme into a strategic institutional partnership. Such a partnership would contribute to strengthening Yemen's social protection system, improving the coordination of humanitarian and development interventions, and enhancing the quality of services provided to the country's most vulnerable individuals and communities.

The meeting, attended by Deputy Minister Dr. Sadiq Al-Jamaei, reviewed the World Food Programme's activities and strategic objectives in Yemen, as well as ongoing efforts to address food insecurity and malnutrition, strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities, and support sustainable livelihoods. Discussions also covered linking food assistance programmes with local production and the domestic economy, developing a unified national beneficiary registry, building the capacities of national institutions and organizations, and leveraging opportunities within the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors.

Minister Al-Yafaei expressed the Ministry's appreciation for the World Food Programme's efforts and services in Yemen, reaffirming its commitment to expanding cooperation and drawing on the Programme's international expertise. He emphasized that this partnership should be based on jointly identifying priorities, aligning programmes with national plans and policies, and delivering measurable and sustainable results. He further noted that the Ministry is currently developing national plans to strengthen the social protection system and facilitate a gradual transition from emergency relief to recovery, resilience-building, and sustainable development.

The Minister explained that the years of conflict and the exceptional circumstances in Yemen had significantly expanded the role of national and international organizations in responding to the needs of citizens. He stressed that the current phase requires organizing humanitarian action, addressing the shortcomings that have accompanied it, and restoring the Ministry's legal and institutional mandate in oversight, coordination, and monitoring. At the same time, he underscored the importance of creating an enabling environment for humanitarian organizations and facilitating their work to ensure that interventions are aligned with national priorities, prevent duplication and resource wastage, and promote complementarity with state institutions.

Minister Al-Yafaei further affirmed that the Ministry regards national and international organizations as genuine partners in serving society. He noted that the desired partnership extends beyond funding and implementation to include joint priority-setting, decision-making, programme implementation, and results monitoring. He added that the Ministry's planned broad consultative meeting will provide an opportunity to hear the perspectives of government entities, civil society organizations, international organizations, and development partners, with the aim of reaching common ground that will establish a balanced and effective institutional partnership, produce clear and actionable outcomes, and help unify efforts while directing resources toward the actual needs of citizens.

For his part, the World Food Programme's Country Director and Representative in Yemen reaffirmed the Programme's commitment to strengthening its strategic cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and establishing a broader institutional partnership. He explained that the WFP is currently developing its new country strategy to support the transition from life-saving assistance to resilience, livelihoods, and sustainability programmes, while also focusing on institutional capacity-building, improving targeting systems, enhancing aid coordination, and actively participating in the upcoming consultative meeting.

The meeting was attended on behalf of the Ministry by Mr. Redha Hajib, Undersecretary for the Development Sector. Representing the World Food Programme were Mr. Al-Rasheed Hammad, Senior Programme Policy Officer and Deputy Head of the WFP Office in Yemen, and Ms. Hala Suleiman, Programme Manager.