On 27-29 February 2024, the OECD organised a seminar in Amman, Jordan, aiming to strengthen the institutional underpinnings of Yemen’s key economic institutions. The capacity-building event brought together key local stakeholders from ministries, alongside international experts, including  representatives of the public authorities (Ministries of Finance, Planning and International Cooperation, Education and Health), international organisations, the European Union and the OECD.

The capacity-building seminar considered ways to strengthen Yemen’s key government institutions to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of basic government services, focusing on health care and education and highlighting the potential role of digitalisation.

The objective of the capacity-building event was to provide a platform for Yemeni authorities to discuss the relevant policies and necessary actions to strengthen the foundations for economic growth and to support a sustainable and inclusive recovery in Yemen. More specifically, international experts shared knowledge and experience with representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Planning and International Cooperation, Education and Health to provide recommendations on actions to supply public services in an effective and inclusive way. Experts elaborated on how to:

• Ensure adequate access to health care services and efficiency of delivery
• Offer broad access to education and build up human capital
• Use digital tools to facilitate access to public services and raise efficiency

Yemeni officials highlighted key challenges facing Yemeni institutions:

• The Ministry of Education of Yemen’s representative described the challenges faced by the education system, which includes destroyed schools, lack of financial resources and qualified teachers and children struggling with mental health problems due to the conflict.
• The Ministry of Health of Yemen’s representative described the challenges facing the Yemeni health system, in particular poverty, low public spending, reliance on donors, logistical and financial difficulties in accessing health care, brain drain and poor infrastructure. Supervision is also fragmented with the health, defence, education and public works ministries all exercising some responsibilities.
• Yemeni Ministry of Energy and an electricity expert from Yemen described the challenges facing the electricity sector in Yemen, including destroyed infrastructure, lack of investment and difficulties to access fuels. Renewables offer promises, but development is still limited

A round table on ways to strengthen health care and education and to expand the use of related digital tools in Yemen, gathered local policymakers, international organisation officials and international experts.  The capacity-building seminar also included targeted peer-learning training activities to provide concrete advice and tools to strengthen Yemen’s institutional capacities.

Some key insights emerged from the capacity-building seminar focused on strengthening Yemen’s core economic institutions

• Strengthen the link between Yemen’s monetary and financial system and consider both the fragmentation of the monetary system and the fiscal administration
• Support Yemen’s institutional arrangements that regulate public-private sector partnerships to facilitate investment and reconstruction of infrastructure
• Encourage tripartite collaboration among MoPIC, CB and MoF to support the macroeconomic recovery
• Provide capacity building for macroeconomic forecasting and impact assessment of the different ongoing programmes
• Provide support for channeling donor and humanitarian assistance to the treasury account at the Central Bank.