Planning Minister Discusses Strengthening Partnerships in Education and Capacity Building with Save the Children and AMIDEAST

[18/04/2026 12:51]
Washington – Saba

The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Yemen’s Governor at the World Bank Group, Dr Afrah Al-Zuba, held two separate meetings in the US capital, Washington, with the Chief Executive of Save the Children UK, Most Malek, and the President of the US-based Amideast, Ambassador Greta Holtz, ways to strengthen partnership in the fields of education, institutional capacity building, and support for Yemen’s children and youth.

During her meeting with the Chief Executive of Save the Children, on the sidelines of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, Minister Al-Zuba praised the success of the education project implemented by the organisation in partnership with the Yemeni government and funded by the World Bank. She called for the accelerated launch of the next phase of the project, emphasising the importance of building the Ministry of Education’s capacity in project management and policy formulation, describing this as an essential part of any future educational project.

For his part, the Chief Executive of Save the Children reaffirmed the organisation’s long-standing commitment to Yemen, which spans more than sixty years, noting that protracted crises require development tools capable of operating in fragile contexts, rather than relying solely on humanitarian funding.

In her meeting with the President of AMIDEAST at the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, the Minister of Planning called for the expansion of the organisation’s programmes to include capacity building for civil servants in government institutions, including the provision of specialised English language courses for staff at the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance and service ministries. She put forward a proposal to link AMIDEAST’s programmes with World Bank projects as a component of institutional capacity-building support.

For her part, the President of AMIDEAST confirmed the organisation’s readiness to expand its programmes in Aden and to submit a comprehensive proposal, highlighting its successful experience in training diplomats and noting the potential for transferring this model to Yemen.

Dr Afrah Al-Zuba, in the presence of the Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Yemen in Washington, Imad Bamtarif, emphasised that education, job creation and child protection are top priorities on the Yemeni government’s agenda.