Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Official Web Site
CAIRO – SABA
Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi has confirmed that the Yemeni government, with the backing of brotherly and friendly countries, is bent on overcoming the aftermath of the devastating war ignited by the terrorist Houthi militia, the stooges of the Iranian regime.
He made the remarks in an address to the World Urban Forum which commenced in Cairo today with the participation of thousands of representatives of countries to discuss the most pressing urbanization issues facing the world today:
President al-Alimi made clear that the war caused by the terrorist Houthi militia in Yemen has wreaked great havoc and impact on the infrastructure and basic services supply, especially electricity, roads, transportation lines, ports, airports, bridges, factories and others.
He said the losses of the national economy and urban cities are increasing day by day as a result of the war and may rise according to estimates by the United Nations Development Program to 657 billion dollars by 2030 if the war drags on and the Houthi militia fail to heed to the calls for peace to restoring the path of development back on track.
“In the language of numbers, it is estimated that the services of Yemeni cities and urban areas have been damaged by 49% in assets of the energy sector, and 38 % in the water and sanitation sector, in addition to very costly damage to the internal road network and assets of the communications sector, while the housing sector has been severely affected and about 16 Yemeni cities have gone decades back in time,” al-Alimi said.
Al-Alimi made reference to the complex structural and financial challenges facing the Yemeni government in light of climate changes that have doubled the burdens of emergency interventions and the slow implementation of urban development plans at various levels.
He said the natural disasters Yemen has witnessed in recent years have left widespread damage, mainly the disasters of floods, landslides which left damage on infrastructure and homes.
He said from April to August of this year, flash floods, for instance, left dozens of victims, more than 100,000 people displacees, and losses in infrastructure and agricultural holdings estimated at nearly $350 million.
President al-Alimi thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the rest of the countries of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, for their efforts in mitigating the impact of the war on the Yemeni people, and averting an all-out fall of its institutions.
He also praised Egypt’s hosting of the World Urban Forum, considering the selection of Cairo to host this spectacular event as the optimal exemplification of the philosophy and objectives of the World Urban Forum.