By David Milliband and Douglas Alexander British Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for International Development The threat from Al-Qa'idah has put Yemen in the headlines in recent weeks. But terrorism is only one of many difficult issues that the government and people of this country have to deal with. The international community, including the UK, is determined to offer its support. So today, 24 countries and international organisations will meet with Prime Minister Mujawwar in London to discuss the challenges facing Yemen. Yemen is by far the poorest country in the Arab world. The average income is less than $1,000 a year, and unemployment stands at around 40%. Water reserves are dwindling, and oil production is fast declining. On top of this, the population is growing rapidly – it is set to double by 2035. Two years ago oil and gas revenue provided three quarters of all government income, but the World Bank predicts oil reserves will completely dry up in the next 10-12 years. This is especially problematic for Yemen, a country already heavily dependent on food imports, and where the government is struggling to provide the most basic of government services. Experts suggest little more than half the population have access to healthcare, and less than half of those in rural areas have enough water. Political and economic instability have fuelled tensions and conflicts, and the Yemeni Government has struggled to respond. Al Qaeda may have made the headlines in Europe and America, but Yemen also faces a civil war in Sa'dah, and a separatist movement in the South. There are no quick fixes to Yemen's problems. The only solutions require long-term commitment. The United Kingdom has a long history of engagement in Yemen, but our support for its government and people has intensified in recent years. In 2007 we agreed a 10-year Development Partnership Arrangement. And we will have spent over£100m by 2011, to build the Government's capacity, help it to take forward political and economic reform, and deliver services and jobs to its citizens. In our view, this is the best way to help the people of Yemen get the basic opportunities they deserve, which will, in turn, help address the drivers of instability and conflict. The London meeting on Yemen is part of this wider and longer-term international effort. It will bring together the Government of Yemen and Gulf Co-operation Council Countries, with key regional and international partners. The purpose – as agreed with President Saleh - is threefold. Our first aim is to build international consensus about the nature of the challenges faced by Yemen. By focusing narrowly on radicalisation and terrorism – dangerous though these threats are - we risk mistaking the symptoms for causes. If international support and engagement is to be effective, it requires Yemen's friends to understand and help to address not just the security problems the country faces, but the economic and political ones too. The second aim is therefore to build impetus behind the economic and reform agenda. Responsibility for tackling these challenges lies first and foremost with the Yemeni Government. But its capacity is weak and its budgetary situation precarious. As the oil runs out, the government will find itself increasingly unable to pay the high civil service wage bill and or finance expensive fuel subsidies. Diversifying the economy and increasing tax revenue is vital if the government is to maintain, let alone improve, the services it provides to its people, and so tackle insecurity and instability. Finally, if the international community is to support President Saleh effectively, we need to provide adequate resources and improve our own co-ordination. Today's meeting in London is not a pledging conference, but we hope that it will focus the attention of Yemen's key donors. We also hope it will agree steps to improve the disbursement of aid money already pledged, and to step up international co-ordination, possibly by establishing a “Friends of Yemen” group. Because just as our policy on Yemen does not begin or end with terrorism, the international community's engagement with Yemen does not begin or end with this meeting in London. The international community - and the UK - are determined to support Yemen, not just while it is in the headlines, but for the long term. The eventual goal is a stable, secure and economically sustainable country, one which can protect and provide for all its citizens. Those who know Yemen well will be aware that this is a Herculean task, but we hope that the London Meeting will be an important step in that direction.
