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Viewing cable 04SANAA718, MEPI FY 2004 FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
04SANAA718 2004-03-31 11:13 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Sanaa
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 000718 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMPI KPAO EAID ECON PREL YM ECON COM DEMOCRATIC REFORM
SUBJECT: MEPI FY 2004 FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 55472 
     B. SANAA 710 
     C. 03 SANAA 
 
1. (u) Post welcomes the MEPI FY 04 funding recommendations 
(ref a) and appreciates the opportunity to comment.  Post is 
pleased to see the continuation of a number of successful 
programs, including MEET the U.S., WTO accession training, 
and political parties strengthening.  Reftel a requests 
comments on timing.  Post is willing to begin MEPI programs 
when funding becomes available.  Post offers the following 
pillar-based comments and recommendations: 
 
--------------- 
ECONOMIC PILLAR 
--------------- 
 
2. (u) Trade Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) assistance 
will expand on the already successful WTO accession workshops 
that several Yemeni officials attended.  Post would 
appreciate additional guidance on the structure of available 
TIFA assistance.  While Yemen's financial market is still in 
the planning stage, Post believes technical advice through 
the Partnership for Financial Excellence (PFE) might assist 
Yemen as it prepares its legal and regulatory framework 
necessary to build a stronger banking sector, financial 
institutions and, eventually, a stock market. 
 
---------------- 
POLITICAL PILLAR 
---------------- 
 
3. (u) Post enthusiastically supports the overall political 
pillar programming outlined in reftel and has a few specific 
comments.  Regarding election assistance, Post would like to 
note IFES' 10-year history in Yemen and existing strategy for 
election support.  Therefore, Post hopes that the development 
of a regional strategy does not unduly delay ongoing IFES 
programming in Yemen.  Regarding parliamentary strengthening, 
as discussed between Ambassador and A/DAS Romanowski in 
February, Post proposed to NEA/PI to further divide the $2 
million FY03 allocation to support representative 
institutions more generally by also including local councils. 
 
 
4. (u) Yemen's inclusion into the program for higher judicial 
councils and continuing education for judges will be an 
important step forward for judicial reform in Yemen.  At the 
same time, Post has identified commercial law reform as one 
its priorities (ref c) and requests inclusion in the CLDP 
program.  As Post's earlier request noted:  Foreign investors 
are discouraged from investing in Yemen because the 
commercial legal system is ill-equipped to adjudicate 
disputes. Judges are often unfamiliar with commercial law, 
and since unification, conflicting laws remain on the books. 
Courts are burdened with large caseloads and, often, a case 
may take years to be heard and then stagnates in the 
appellate process.  If a commercial ruling is won, it is 
rarely enforced.  Without a clear land-titling system, 
limited ability to collateralize against property, and 
courts' reluctance to enforce default judgments against 
property collateral, domestic investors are also reluctant to 
invest their money into new businesses. 
 
---------------- 
EDUCATION PILLAR 
---------------- 
 
5. (u) The Ministry of Education is implementing a program of 
education reform entitled "The National Strategy for 
Development of Basic Education in Yemen for 2003-2015."  The 
goals are to increase enrollment, increase equality of access 
and opportunities for girls, train teachers and school 
administrators, decentralize the education system and 
increase community participation.  Post will prepare funding 
proposals under the MEPI Education Pillar Education Activity. 
 
6. (u) As the ROYG seeks to implement broad governmental 
reform, consensus within the ROYG and donor community is that 
the lack of public administration skills in Yemen constrains 
reform.  Civil service employees who are not effectively 
trained hinder the ability of the ROYG to achieve national 
level reform and achieve decentralization goals.  Under the 
MEPI Education Pillar/education reform and university 
linkages activities, Post intends to submit a proposal to 
establish a Center for Public Administration through a 
partnership with Yemeni University, a U.S. school of public 
administration and a respected Middle East university.  The 
program will be structured to provide in-service training for 
Yemeni public officials who will remain on the job as they 
pursue a certificate in Public Administration. 
 
-------------- 
WOMEN'S PILLAR 
-------------- 
 
7. (u) As noted in ref b, MEPI programs assisting women find 
excellent results in Yemen and Post hopes to continue 
increasing programming in this pillar.  While most of Post's 
women's pillar programs will fall under other pillars 
(political, for example), the ABA CEELI program will find 
enthusiastic interlocutors in Yemen, where women have served 
as lawyers and judges for decades but still face challenges. 
Post also hopes that Yemen might be included in the Freedom 
House survey. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
8. (u) Comment: Yemen is fertile ground for MEPI programs 
(ref b).  Our MEPI alumni universally praise the training 
that they attend.  Post looks forward to future programs that 
encourage the Yemenis to further their reform goals.  End 
comment. 
HULL