Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Discusses Strengthening Economic and Development Partnership with UK Foreign Office Official

[21/05/2026 04:46]
London - Saba

The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr Afrah Al-Zuba, today discussed with Chris Bold, Head of the International Financial Institutions Division at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ways to strengthen the economic and development partnership between the two friendly countries, and prospects for developing cooperation with international financial institutions in the coming period.

The meeting addressed the latest developments in the Yemeni government’s cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, the progress of the Staff Monitoring Programme (SMP) by IMF experts, the new Country Partnership Framework between the government and the World Bank for the years 2026–2030, and the importance of maintaining support for key sectors, foremost among them the health sector.

The two sides also discussed the importance of strengthening the national economy’s resilience to regional and international shocks and developing mechanisms to respond to them in advance, as well as the prospects for cooperation with the United Kingdom in the context of its presidency of the G20 next year, and the opportunities this presents to assist fragile states, including Yemen.

During the meeting, the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation expressed the Yemeni government’s appreciation for the UK’s continued support, outlining the government’s approach and the priorities of the government programme in the areas of economic and financial reform, the development of essential services, the strengthening of institutional capacity, the facilitation of investment, and the enhancement of partnerships with local authorities.

Minister Al-Zuba emphasised the importance of sequencing reforms and the timing of reform packages, in a way that protects the most vulnerable groups, and the importance of releasing approved funding on schedule, thereby supporting the sustainability of the reform process and enhancing its credibility in the eyes of both citizens and international partners alike.

For his part, the British official commended the new government’s commitment to pressing ahead with its reform programme, emphasising the UK’s interest in hearing directly from the Yemeni government regarding its vision for the coming phase and the challenges it faces.

Chris Bold reiterated the United Kingdom’s support for the Yemeni government in its reform programme and its engagement with international financial institutions, confirming the UK’s readiness to explore further support in priority sectors and to work with regional and international partners to strengthen Yemen’s path to recovery and stability.

The two sides agreed to arrange follow-up technical meetings between the working groups of the Department for International Financial Institutions at the British Foreign Office and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, in coordination with the British Embassy in the Republic of Yemen, to ensure the practical implementation of the meeting’s outcomes and the continuation of regular consultations on various issues of mutual interest.

The meeting was attended by Yemen’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Arwa Noman, the Head of the Technical Office, Engineer Shuaib Al-Saghir, and the International Financial Institutions Management Team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development.