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Middle East and North Africa
Yemen |
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| Last updated: 03 September 2009 |
Country information
Full Country Name:Republic of Yemen
Area: 528,000 sq km
Population: 22 million (est.)
Capital City: Sana'a 918,727 (2004 est)
People: Arab
Language: Arabic
Religion: Muslim
Climate: Mostly desert, where it is very hot and dry. Hot and humid along the west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon
Currency: Yemeni Rial
Major political parties: General People's Congress (GPC), Islah, Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP); Nasserite Unionist Party; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party
Government: Democracy
Head of State: President Ali Abdullah Saleh (since 22 May 1990)
Prime Minister/Premier: Ali Muhammed Mujawwar (since 31 March 2007)
Foreign Minister: Dr Abu Baker al Qirby
Membership of international groups/organisations: Arab League, Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: US$ 28.7 billion
Annual Growth: 4.1% (2002)
Inflation: 10.%
Major Industries: oil, agriculture
Major Trading Partners: India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Thailand, China, South Korea
Aid & Development: The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, EC, USA, UK
Exchange Rate: £1 = 327.82 Rials, US $1 = 160 Rials
In 2005 there was considerable social unrest throughout Yemen, sparked off by rapidly rising fuel and food prices as subsidies were withdrawn in order to meet IMF targets. The increase in oil prices in 1999/2000 boosted Government revenues and export earnings, but coincided with a significant downturn in tourism due to the poor security situation. Corruption, smuggling and insecurity, along with the growing problem of increased piracy off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, have also damaged investor confidence and the economy is not recovering quickly.
International donors from 39 countries and development agencies met in London in November 2006 to agree a package of development support. Around $4.7 billion was pledged at the conference, to cover a four year period 2007 - 2010.
HISTORY
Recent History
In May 1994 large scale fighting broke out between military forces supporting the south and those supporting the north following a breakdown in political co-operation. Fighting continued until July when Aden fell. Since then the Government has attempted to promote reconciliation between the north and the south. However a conflict between the Government of Yemen and a minority religious (Shi’a) group headed by Al-Huthi is on-going in Sa’dah Governorate, northern Yemen, with sporadic outbreaks of renewed fighting. There also remains some civil unrest in the south.
Longer Historical Perspective
The Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), also known as North Yemen, came into being on 26 September 1962 following a military coup which ousted the Imam of the Mutawakkilite. The People's Republic of South Yemen (later known as the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen) was formed on 30 November 1967 from the territory of the former Federation of South Arabia and the Aden Protectorate. The two countries united on 22 May 1990 to form a single nation-state for the first time, The Republic of Yemen (ROY).
BBC News Country Timeline: Yemen
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Yemen has no outstanding disputes with any of its neighbours. A border agreement with Saudi Arabia was signed in 2006 which brought this long-standing dispute to a close.
Yemen's Relations with the UK
After the low ebb of the 1994 civil war, which followed a period of political isolation after the Gulf war, Yemen embarked on a programme of political and economic reform. Relations were strained by a series of kidnap incidents, including that in December 1998 in which three British tourists were killed, and by the conviction of eight British citizens for terrorist activity in Yemen.
The UK and Yemen have a longstanding bilateral relationship and cooperation exists in a number of areas, including security and development.
UK Development Assistance
The UK has provided development assistance to Yemen since the early 1970s, with some interruptions. In 2007, the Department for International Development (DFID) signed a 10 Year Development Partnership Arrangement (DPA) with the Government of Yemen to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the country tackle its challenges over the long term. DFID has also scaled up its aid programme in Yemen from £12m in 2008 to £20m in 2009. The current programme includes support for basic and secondary education, maternal and neonatal health, community development through a social fund, justice and policing and promoting non-oil growth. In addition, as part of the DFID White Paper – Building our Common Future – launched in 2009, Yemen is one of five vulnerable countries identified as part of a specific focus on jobs where 7.5 million people will benefit from jobs and economic opportunities.
Cultural Relations with the UK
The British Council have an office in Sana'a. The British Museum held a major exhibition from June to October 2002 featuring many exhibits from Yemen.
Recent Visits
Inward
November 2004: Dr Adnan Al Jifri, Minister for Justice
August 2004 and November 2006: President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Dr Al Qirby, Foreign Minister
May 2004: Dr Al Qirby, Foreign Minister,
July 2002: Dr Bajammal, Prime Minister
March 2002: Dr Al Qirby, Foreign Minister.
Outward
August 2009: Keith Vaz, Head of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Yemen .
May 2008 and January 2006: Dr Kim Howells, FCO Minister of State visited Yemen
January 2004: The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith
GEOGRAPHY
Yemen lies at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula and has frontiers with Saudi Arabia and Oman and controls the strategic straits at the Southern entrance to the Red Sea (Bab al Mendab). The north of the country has three well-defined areas: a coastal strip along the Red Sea, the highlands inland and a desert area to the east. The south consists largely of mountains and desert. The population is poor and largely rural, but there has been large-scale urbanisation in the last decade and almost half of the population now live in towns.
TRADE AND INVESTMENT WITH THE UK
In January – May 2009, UK exports to Yemen were £30 million. This is an increase of 26% on the same period in 2008.
Yemeni exports to the UK between January – May 2009 were £2 million. This is an increase of 12.3% on the same period in 2008. However in 2008, Yemeni exports to the UK were down 76% compared to 2007. This is due to a 100% reduction in Yemeni petroleum exports to UK.
UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: Yemen
POLITICS
Recent Political Developments
Yemen has had a democratic system and is pursuing decentralisation.
Elections
Parliamentary elections were held in April 2003 (Yemen's third since unification), with the General People's Congress (GPC), the Party of the President, winning 238 seats. The largest opposition party, Islah, gained only 46 seats. The next Parliamentary elections were due in April 2009 but following a dispute between the main parties were postponed until 2011. Yemen's first direct Presidential election (September 1999) was won comfortably by President Saleh. A referendum held in 2001 extended the presidential term from five years to seven years. The next Presidential elections are scheduled for September 2013. Local elections were held for the first time in February 2001.
HUMAN RIGHTS
The British Government has a number of concerns about human rights in Yemen. These include aspects of the judicial system; arbitrary detention, freedom of expression and capital punishment. The Yemenis did, however, create a new position of Minister of Human Rights in April 2001 and has established a full Ministry. The current Minister is Houda Al-Ban.
