On 03-04 October 2023, the OECD organised consultation meetings in Amman, Jordan, aiming to strengthen collaboration and establish Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) to support economic policy cohesion.  The PPD event brought together key private sector stakeholders in Yemen, including representatives from chambers of commerce, business associations and companies, with the dedicated OECD team working on the EU-funded Project on Promoting Economic Resilience in Yemen.

The primary aim of these consultation meetings was to engage with selected key private sector representatives in Yemen and discuss the implementation of the PPD component of the Project. The meeting, designed as a consultation, will allow stakeholders to offer valuable advice and guidance to the Project. It will also serve as a platform for establishing the fundamental pillars of an effective and sustainable PPD mechanism in Yemen.

The consultation meetings’ goal was to encourage a unified voice capable of interacting in constructive discussions with public authorities. Over the course of the project’s implementation and following local dynamics and ongoing initiatives, the participants to the consultations may form a network or a platform that will continue to provide advice and contribute to the activities and that could become a more structured and institutionalised group.

During the consultation meetings, the private sector’s representatives discussed the major constraints that they face, the feasibility of a PPD platforms and the economic policy priority that the private sector could address within a PPD platform.

Throughout the consultation meetings, it was agreed that supporting PPD in Yemen in the current context would:

• Entail a bottom-up approach.
• Address issues where a certain consensus could be reached without political implications,
• Have a local and/or sectoral focus.
• Start with pilot dialogues to assess the relevance and usefulness of PPDs and subsequently replicate and expand successful approaches.
• Support the representativity of private sector actors in an inclusive manner.
• Involve to the extent possible the public authorities, from Aden through their relevant ministries and from Sana’a at a technical level whenever possible.

At the end of the Yemeni private sector representatives agreed on the following:

• Mapping of private sector representatives
  • Expand OECD mapping with SMEPS and other stakeholders.
  • Include sectoral representatives, women’s institutions and diaspora associations.
  • Clarify legal frameworks and classify actors more effectively.

• Supporting business associations
  • Build capacity for business associations through training and peer-learning.
  • Support governance structure, decision-making mechanisms, networking capabilities and digitalisation.
  • Support sectoral business associations or councils within existing institutions.

• Supporting businesses on governance and compliance
  • Develop effective corporate governance and enhance compliance with local and international business regulations to prepare for economic recovery and reconstruction
  • Involving local SMEs in reconstruction efforts and promoting domestic industry.

Additionally, Yemeni private actors discussed the PPD governance structure, especially with the engagement of the divided public authorities towards the private sector. The Yemeni private sector exhibited a higher level of preparedness and institutional capacity for PPDs despite the challenge. Finally, the Yemeni private sector’s representatives decided on key sectors to priorities with PPDs.