In commemoration of International Population Day (IPD), the Al-Thawra newspaper conducted an interview with Hans Obdeijn, UNFPA representative in Yemen . The interview reviewed the new Country Programme—as well as tackling other issues related to population—and UNFPA activities in Yemen .

Q1. You have recently returned from a mission to UNFPA headquarters in New York where Yemen 's new Country Programme was approved. Could you provide some insight into this program and the meaning of the approval?

I am very happy that our Executive Board approved the new Country Programme (CP) for the 2007-2011 cycle. We have worked very hard on this programme in the past year together with our Yemeni partners, UN agencies and development partners. The approval clears the way for UNFPA's continued assistance in addressing Yemen 's population issues. Currently, we are in the process of developing our Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP), which establishes more concretely the programmes to be implemented and actions to be taken. As with the establishment of our CP, we will apply a participatory approach by calling for proposals from different potential partners in Yemen , both governmental and non-governmental.

Q2. When will implementation of this program begin?

We are currently finalizing the programmes of the 2002-2006 cycle. We have embarked on a process with our current, key partners of reviewing and adjusting our implementation modalities and capacities in order to be in the best position for an effective start of the new in program cycle in January 2007.

Q3. What are the main components of this new program?

Reproductive health; population and development; and gender are the three main components.

Q4. Is there any difference between the new program and the current one?

As you can see, we have three main components in the new CP where we added the gender component. The differences regarding each component are as follows:

Reproductive Health Component

This entails a greater focus on reproductive health logistics (e.g., contraceptive logistics), midwife training, and emergency obstetric care.

Population and Development Component

We have supported the government in establishing national strategies on population and reproductive health (RH) during the 2002-2006 cycle. From now on, UNFPA wishes to assist in effectively implementing these strategies through line ministries. In addition to the above, we will work to enhance local capacity in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data on RH and population in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Gender Component

The Gender issue was a crosscutting element during the 2002-2006 CP. In the new CP, we deal with it as an independent component. We will try to achieve growing national and local support for women's rights, including reproductive rights.

Q5. How long have you spent preparing this program?

The UN system started working on a Common Country Assessment in 2005, followed by the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). Our new CP follows logically from the UNDAF.

Q6 . In which areas will the new program concentrate on?

Regarding the RH component, we plan to work in the following areas: (a) enhancing the capacity of health providers to deliver high-quality, basic RH services, including emergency obstetric care and counseling; (b) expanding mobile services to hard-to-reach areas; (c) securing the national supply of RH commodities and strengthening national logistics management systems at all levels; (d) improving curricula, training materials and courses for service providers, with a focus on midwives; and, (e) improving the analytical and management capacity of health managers in RH at central and sub-national levels.

In relation to the population and development component we will carry out the following activities: (a) incorporating national strategies into annual national plans at all levels, with a focus on line ministries and regional authorities; (b) supporting the appointment, sensitization and training of focal points at sectoral and regional levels for population and RH planning; and, (c) supporting institutions, including NGOs, to work with communities and religious leaders.

The gender component will cover the following issues: (a) integrating gender concerns into national programmes and plans; (b) supporting the review and implementation of gender-friendly national legislation, including legislation on reproductive rights and safe motherhood; and, (c) addressing the eradication of harmful practices, including gender-based discrimination.

Q7. How do you think the new CP will help the Yemeni people to solve their population-based problems?

The government of Yemen is spearheading the work of addressing the National Population Challenges with financial and technical support from UNFPA in accord with its mandate. I think the more we are successful in cooperating with government and non-government agencies in implementing the new CP, the more the people will benefit from our programme.

Q8. How do you assess the fruitfulness of co-operation between UNFPA and the Yemeni government? Could you highlight any problems?

UNFPA's mandate is to build national capacity and assist the government in RH/FP (family planning) service delivery. Challenges include working to improve the motivation of civil servants and working with civil society groups and the private sector to complement the role of the government.

Q9. Who are the new Yemeni partners that have been added this year to UNFPA's new CP?

The implementing partners have not been selected yet, but some new potential partners include the National Association for Yemeni Midwives. Further, we plan to strengthen direct partnerships with some institutions such as the Higher Institute for Health Sciences.