Partnership Framework between the Government of Yemen and Civil Society Organizations

Partnership Framework between the Government of Yemen and Civil Society Organizations

March 4, 2014

The Government of Yemen is proud to put forward this Document of partnership between the Government and civil society organizations, which plays a vital role in advancing and strengthening partnership, for the benefit of Yemeni citizens. The role of civil society has become more important following the 2011 revolution; this revolution gave people new space for freedom of expression, as well as opening the way for emerging civil society organizations to engage in formal and informal civil society activities and public dialogue.

The Government believes that the role of civil society, as a strong and independent partner, is very important in furthering developments goals, improving the level of service provision and making them more responsive to the needs and expectations of citizens. Building a strong partnership with civil society is a top priority for the government, which regards this partnership as a cornerstone in the country’s plans for sustainable development. This was the context for the Government’s commitment to create this framework for partnership during the Friends of Yemen meeting in Riyadh in September 2012.

The formulation of this document is a fulfillment of the government’s obligations. It is a historic step towards achieving democratic change, instilling the concepts of transparency and accountability, empowering civil society organizations and opening new opportunities for cooperation. However, it also challenges the way in which the Government of Yemen (GoY) works with civil society organizations. The main objective of the partnership is to help lay down the foundation for a successful and sustainable partnership to deliver better outcomes for the citizens of Yemen. Nonetheless, the real indicator of success will be when the Government and civil society organizations no longer require a partnership document, because partnership with civil society should be  a second nature to the Government and its institutions.

On behalf of the Government of Yemen, I am grateful to the United Nations Development Programme and its Emergency Capacity  Development Facility program, and to the Technical Committee and the Taskforce Group for the tremendous effort and hard work they put into producing this document. During last year’s Yemen Donor Conference in Riyadh, the GoY expressed its strong commitment to building a sustainable partnership with civil society. This convention is the first step in creating this partnership.

We have successfully delivered on this commitment with the help of the civil society organizations. It is now time for us to work together to ensure the implementation of the partnership and that it is successful in achieving its goals.