Pratibha Mehta* UN Resident Coordinator* to the Yemen Times: - ?It is our effort to a

With a PHD in Psychology and a Mid Professional Certificate in Gender Analysis and Urban Development as well as a Master's Degree in Child Development* Pratibha Mehta has been working in Yemen as the UN Resident Coordinator/ UNDP Resident Representative since the last week of May 2008. Before coming to Yemen* Mehta was the UN Resident Coordinator/ UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia* where the Mongolian president awarded her a "Polar Star" order -one of the highest honors shown by the state of Mongolia- last May in recognition of her significant contribution toward social and economic development as well as strengthening of democratic governance in the country. Nadia Al-Sakkaf interviewed Mehta on development issues and her work in Yemen. As UN resident coordinator* what are the challenges of coordinating the various UN agencies work in Yemen? UN coordination in Yemen can be divided into three components. The first of our focuses is the coordination of development work. There are a lot of issues common to all agencies* such as gender issues and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)* so my responsibility is to make sure that there is no duplication in support to the country. Our effort in Yemen is to see how the various UN agencies can work together on issues of common interest to save on operational costs* and redirect savings toward other development work. We have various inter-agency teams who meet very often and work under the umbrella of the UN country team comprised of the heads of agencies. My job is to coordinate the entire UN mechanism. Our second focus is humanitarian. Because in Yemen we have issues regarding Internally Displaced Persons* we concentrate on handling relief for refugees through immediate humanitarian interventions when they are needed. For that* we have a UN inter-agency team which focuses on the preparedness and implementation of emergency response. Through this team* we develop joint programs and all agencies share information. The third focus* of course* is the security issue. Do you mean that security is a field of interest for UN programs in Yemen? We concentrate in two aspects of security. One is our own staff security* in terms of protecting the well being of the UN staff. Here security does not only mean the physical safety of UN staff* but also their well being* with attention to such issues stress management. The other is security in the country which we try to improve through the support of our programs. Right now* I am the designated official for UN staff safety and security [in Yemen]. It is very much internal work* but we -of course- benefit from the support of our host the government of the Republic of Yemen who shares responsibility for our staff's safety. As for security on a national scale* we can support projects to assist the Yemeni government in their efforts to further strengthen country's security and rule of law. At this stage we are not yet involved and the Yemeni government has not approached us for our help. Currently* our UN development assistance framework and programs* approved by the government of Yemen and our Executives Board in New York for 2007 to 2011* does not include support to security. Our work in Sa'ada is humanitarian-based* through supplying food* tents* nutrition* immunization and medicine. Do you think the war has stopped in Sa'ada? I think so. The President has declared the end of the war. UN agencies such as WFP and UNHCR have staff in Sa'ada town* and are now also supplying humanitarian assistance in Malaheth* and are working with the people* and they have not had any security problems in these places. What are your concerns for Sa'ada at this stage? Our work there is to assist the people in getting basic needs such as food and shelter. But we also work on long-term issues such as education in coordination with the Sa'ada governorate education department. UNICEF is exploring all possible ways for children in the area to return to school and assume a normal school life* as well as providing them with text books. Any disruption of normal life -not just war- disrupts people emotionally* and so* although it is not a part of the classical relief package* pscho-social counseling will also be a part of our work in Sa'ada. We are looking at psycho-social counseling and development. We have just completed rapid assessment of the needs in which the UN agencies can provide help. The next step will include raising awareness and training people working with grass root organizations* people working with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the government departments and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). We will also be exploring the possibility of training them to help distressed communities carry out dialogue and talk about their concerns and how they feel . If the victims cannot share for some reason* then we have to create an environment in which people feel safe to speak about what they are going through so problems can be addressed. Right now we are mostly concerned with humanitarian relief and life-saving needs. Food itself is a very big issue* as people need it daily not just once* but three times. Regarding the security of the UN staff* do you feel at the moment that* because of the terrorist attacks* the UN staff and premises are at risk? Anyone can be at risk* as in many of these incidents innocent passer-bys can get hurt. But we hope that we* as UN staff* are not at direct risk because we are here to focus on development issues* to help the government and the people of Yemen in their efforts to improve their quality of life and to help them achieve the MDGs. Our work is very development-oriented and we are not involved in politics. The political aspects of the UN are concentrated at the Security Council* which is comprised of selected member states with a mandate to discuss political issues. But the UN Funds and Program agencies which are located at the country level are limited to development work. There are now a number of security measures taken by the government such as the road blocks spread blocks all around national and international establishments and every now and then* we do issue security notices to our staff to be cautious when there is some security disturbance. Do these precautions and security notices affect your development work in the field? So far it hasn?t stopped our operations. Sometimes it can have an impact if something happens and for a few days we take extra cautions like anyone else would* but that has not stopped out operations in any way. We are working in a large number of governorates and districts all over the country . It is our effort to absolutely ensure that security threats do not compromise our mission in Yemen* which is to help the people of Yemen through our development and humanitarian work. UN Agencies mandate in any country is development* to reduce poverty* strengthen governance* improve environment* health and education* and so our primary purpose is to support the people of any country. Commenting on the terrorist bombing outside the American embassy recently* the United Nations strongly condemned the attack and the Secretary-General called on the Yemeni authorities to spare no effort in bringing those responsible to justice. What more efforts does the UN want from the Yemeni government on this front? The Secretary-General has congratulated the Yemeni government on its quick action in arresting the suspects involved in the attack. But obviously security is a much larger issue and the root cause also needs to be tackled. The root of any form of lack of security needs to be addressed. This means people need to be gainfully employed in jobs that give them enough income to take care of their families and live a dignified life. The basic needs of the people have to be satisfied to ensure security. We are talking about basic food* basic health and basic education. In order for security and stability to be* people have to be satisfied in all their basic needs for survival* and this is what we are trying to do through UN Programs and Funds. We have to look into the whole system of the delivery of social services* so all people* without discrimination* have access to the basic services and opportunities. As our previous Secretary General Kofi Annan said* there is no peace without development and no development without peace* and there are no human rights without these two. So peace and development are two sides of the same coin. The Yemeni government needs to look into human development issues in parallel with the security issues. So the Yemeni government needs to make development a more urgent priority that it does now in order to achieve stability in the country? The national mid-term plan does identify priorities in terms of enhancing the development of the country. But I think employment -definitely very important- needs to be created* and it does not get created on its own. An employment strategy has to be devised as a conscious effort to generate employment. Work is not just for income; it also gives people dignity. Yemen is dependant on its oil resources and we know oil is not going to last forever. The country needs to create alternative areas for economic development and expand economic sectors to create more opportunities for work. I also think that* in any country* all people ?both men and women- have to be engaged in national development. To change the attitude of ? what the country can do for me?* to ? what I can do for the country? people -men and women- have to be empowered. In this sense you cannot ignore 50 percent of the population* women's empowerment and involvement in all sectors is very important. Those who are involved* seem quite empowered* but we also need to reach out in rural areas and empower women there. However* without political it will be difficult to achieve gender justice in the society . I also feel that people need to have some avenues of recreation. Promotion of culturally appropriate forms of recreation is important* and can help prevent people from spending their time chewing qat. Youth development is also a priority concern . According to recent statistics* more than 60 percent of the population is 15 years old and younger. This is a huge number of people with unique needs ?and conscious* and not ad hoc* efforts are required to prepare this young group for the future. Finally* another very important issue is population growth. Yemen has one of the highest birth rates in the world and* currently it is categorized as a least developed country and has limited resources* an unchecked increase in population growth will jeopardize development aspirations of the country. . . With regards to more empowerment for women* do you think establishing a Ministry for Women's Affairs would do the trick? To have something separate initially helps in giving the issue due attention* but it can also compromise the mainstream agenda. I think that women's empowerment issues need additional attention. Although several gender issues can be addressed by the ministries of Health* Education* Social Welfare and Justice as part of their sectoral mandates *but there are also other issues* which are cross cutting* such as political empowerment that require a specific body to take care of them. Not all gender issues can be handled by the various ministries. There has to be a body that is solely concerned with women's empowerment* and this mechanism needs to be given more authority and resources for it to achieve its objectives* especially as there is so much to be done in the area of gender. A 12 article law on the right to seek asylum in Yemen is currently being drafted at the Human Rights Ministry. To what extent is the UN involved in this process? The UNHCR is involved in this process and coordinating it with the Yemeni government. Could Yemen handle more refugees* especially with its deteriorating economy? There are two aspects to this. One is: Can the economy accommodate the refugees? The other is international obligation. Yemen* being a signatory to the international convention on refugees' rights* has the obligation to host and welcome refugees* and Yemen is fulfilling its international responsibility in a very welcoming way. But refugees issue are not a solely Yemen issue; it is regional one for which there is regional dialogue and cooperation. The issue of development is a much larger issue* but the UNHCR does need more funds to handle the growing number of refugees. There is need to raise resources in order to fulfill the increasing need. There are many incidents of Ethiopian citizens being deported and not being given the same treatment as that given to others from the Horn of Africa. Are the Ethiopians considered to be refugees? There is a lot of population movement around the world because of globalization and many other factors. There is a difference between migrants and refugees. When refugees arrive* they must register with the UNHCR and be given the refugee status. There is a protocol and verification process to differentiate between refugees and economic migrants such as some Ethiopian women who come to Yemen to do housework. ...

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