Minister of Planning Discusses Ways to Strengthen Development Cooperation with German Minister of State and the Kuwait Fund for Development

[30/06/2026 11:59]
Hamburg – Sabanet

The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr Afrah Al-Zuba, today discussed ways to strengthen development cooperation with the Director-General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Walid Al-Bahar, on the sidelines of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2026.

The meeting, attended by Yemen’s Ambassador to Germany, Lu’ay al-Iryani, and Kuwait’s Ambassador to Germany, Reem al-Khalid, reviewed priority development projects funded by the Fund, foremost among which are water, roads, energy and vocational training projects, as well as ways to complete and reactivate stalled projects.

Minister Al-Zuba emphasised the importance of transitioning from humanitarian response to development, strengthening institutional resilience and ensuring the continuity of essential services, whilst expressing her appreciation for the State of Kuwait’s continued support for Yemen during this phase.

For his part, the Director-General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development affirmed the Fund’s readiness to continue supporting development efforts in Yemen and to dispatch a technical mission to explore the completion of projects, noting the importance of joint coordination to overcome challenges.

In another meeting, the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation discussed with Niels Annen, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the development partnership between the two countries, the government’s efforts in the field of economic reforms, the preparation of the National Development Plan for 2027–2029, and the strengthening of the private sector’s role through public–private partnership policies.

Minister Afrah Al-Zuba praised Germany’s continued support for Yemen through its development institutions and the impact this has had on vital sectors and national institutions. She emphasised the importance of continuing this support in light of declining international funding, and reiterated the call not to leave fragile states to face crises alone, and to include their issues on the G20 agenda.

For his part, the German official affirmed that Germany is a reliable partner committed to maintaining its level of support for Yemen, and praised the cooperation with national institutions in implementing development and humanitarian programmes.