Action Plan to Implement the Program to Remove the Ghost Workers and Double Dippers in the Civil Service System, Including the Military and Security

Action Plan to Implement the Program to Remove the Ghost Workers and Double Dippers in the Civil Service System, Including the Military and Security

December 18, 2013

Law No. 43 of 2005 "concerning employment, wages and salaries systems" introduced the requirement of creating a Civil Service Biometric fingerprint system as well as to establish a consolidated central database based at the headquarters of the Ministry of Civil Service. To date, approximately 485,818 public employees out of an estimated total of 1,200,000 have been registered in the system. However, hardware and software limitations of the biometric database, as well as damages to the technical infrastructure and delays caused by the disorders of 2011, have hampered the completion of the registration process.


Within the overall framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council Agreement Implementation Mechanism, the Transitional Program for Stabilization and Development 2012-2014 (TPSD), and the Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF), Pillar III - Good Governance, Rule of Law, and Human Rights - the Government of Yemen (GoY) committed to implement a "Program to remove ghost workers and double dippers in the civil service, military, and security."


GoY sought the technical expertise of UNDP, through its Emergency Capacity Development Facility (ECDF) to conduct an assessment of the existing capacity of the Ministry of Civil Service to complete the biometric registration of all public employees and devise an action plan to remove ghost workers and double dippers. Endorsed by GoY in September 2013, the plan provides a clear roadmap to accelerate the implementation of this key policy reform.