KEY DEVELOPMENTS

· The Republic of Yemen Government (RoYG) and representatives of various Yemeni political groups met on March 18 to begin National Dialogue talks. The six-month, U.N.-backed process seeks to address Yemen’s political rifts and facilitate both the creation of a new constitution and successful 2014 elections. Several pro-autonomy and pro-secessionist groups in southern Yemen have refused to participate in the process, while thousands of people continue to protest against the talks in the southern city of Aden.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• On March 7, the fifth Ministerial Friends of Yemen meeting was held in London. Foreign ministers and delegations from approximately 30 countries attended the meeting, including U.S. Department of State Deputy Secretary William Burns. Meeting participants discussed a number of topics, including the need for continued humanitarian support for IDP and refugee populations. The 2013 YHRP requests $716 million and aims to provide assistance to 7.7 million vulnerable people in Yemen.

The United States Government, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, has completed a major rehabilitation of Imam Al-Shafi School in the Al-Rawdha neighborhood of Sana’a. The more than 1,300 girls and boys in grades one through nine who attend Imam Al-Shafi are already benefitting from major renovations through funds provided by the American people.

Media Note Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
February 11, 2013

The United States is pleased to announce an initial contribution of over $171 million toward the 2013 operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

· On December 14, the U.N. released the 2013 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP), requesting $716 million for humanitarian interventions in Yemen. The 2013 YHRP reflects growing humanitarian needs, enhanced capacity of the humanitarian community, improved access in certain areas, and increased focus on Yemen’s transition toward early recovery and development.

The U.S. Government provided an upgrade to water facilities in the Thula district of Amran, providing thousands of residents with a reliable source of clean drinking water. Prior to the upgrade, the water pumping system would often break down, leaving residents to fetch drinking water directly from the town’s untreated reservoir, or else pay for private water delivery. The U.S.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

JOHANNESBOURG, 6 novembre 2012 (IRIN) - La Loi sur la prévention de l’utilisation des enfants soldats (Child Soldier Prevention Act, CSPA) est un bon exemple de législation bipartite en matière de droits de l’homme. Parrainée par des sénateurs démocrates et républicains et promulguée en 2008 par le président républicain George Bush, la loi est entrée en vigueur sous la présidence démocrate de Barack Obama. Malgré ce consensus politique toutefois, les États-Unis répugnent à appliquer strictement la loi et invoquent, pour se défendre, les intérêts sécuritaires nationaux.

JOHANNESBURG, 5 November 2012 (IRIN) - The Child Soldier Prevention Act (CSPA) was a prime example of US bipartisan human rights legislation: sponsored by Democratic and Republican senators and signed into law in 2008 by Republican President George Bush, the law entered into force under the Democratic presidency of Barack Obama. But even armed with this political consensus, the US consistently shies away from using the full spectrum of the law, citing national security interests.