The Complexities of the Post-conflict Reconstruction In Yemen
Analytics
Sat, 02-10-2021 12:45 AM, Aden Time
Eman Zahran (South24)
While the conflict in Yemen is heading toward a new phase based upon the “first briefing” delivered by the fourth UN Envoy Hans Grundberg in front of the Security Council which carried various messages to all parties and actors involved in the Yemeni Issue, the horizons and challenges related to the reconstruction became more obvious in spite of many tangled and complicated handlings that impose themselves upon the whole matter. This stirs questions about Yemen's ability to engage in a successful reconstruction process in the post-conflict stage, and how it can achieve this in light of many interlocking complications and current challenges, In spite of the efforts and roles made by the international official institutions and the non-governmental organizations as well as the initiatives made by the regional and international powers for rebuilding or reconstructing Yemen in the post-dispute phases, there are “grey areas'' which may hinder those efforts in one way or another, as shown in the following points:
Entangledcomplicated handlings:
There are local internal situations and regional interactions as well as recent international moves which necessitated different handlings of the “reconstruction” problem for the countries affected by the armed conflicts like the Yemeni pattern, the most important of which are:
1- Humanizing the reconstruction: is one of the most important treatments regarding the reconstruction of states in the post-dispute stages, as there is often a frequent prioritization mistake, where the focus is firstly directed towards fixing the infrastructure including health and educational facilities, sewage, transportation lines and getting rid of the war debris without exerting efforts to rehabilitate people/individuals who suffered the horrors of the conflict. It is worth noting that there are many writings which deal with the different dimensions of the psychologies of those individuals who have been classified as “the lost generations” who were born in the midst of these conflicts. Those people within the affected areas need more support to help them and their children to face the psychological destruction and shocks which have immense impact over their behaviour patterns, and detach them from their geographical surroundings. Therefore, the reconstruction efforts are not limited to the financial resources but the humanitarian dimensions have to be considered.
2- The reconstruction timing: the second handling is related to selecting the appropriate times to start the reconstruction process, and whether it will be implemented during the conflict or after the political settlement. Some regional and international powers depend on the “reconstruction steps” as a proactive entrance for a political settlement, and don’t not wait for the post-settlement and peace establishment to adopt such moves. For example, the KSA and the UAE play parallel roles for reconstructing a number of areas devastated by the Yemeni conflict regardless of the Houthis’ continuous misleading and violation of all political settlement efforts. The “Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen” (1) supported 7 vital sectors in Yemen including health, education, electricity and power, agriculture, fisheries, water and dam, roads, ports and airports, and the governmental buildings. The positive results of those moves were presented in the last third of September 2019, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, headed by the General Supervisor of the Program, Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber.
3- The reconstruction identity: This is related to the objective scope of the reconstruction process and the target determinants, as some think that this process is only connected to the material aspect and the regular financial allocations that it entails to rebuild what the conflict has destroyed. However, on the other hand, the reconstruction process requires other non-economic/financial mechanisms, the most prominent of which are reforming the security sectors, rehabilitating the security forces, promoting community reconciliation, and good governance related to setting standards for the post-deterioration stages of institutions in order to build their capacities and gradually develop their tasks.
4-The reconstruction funding: is one of the most significant barriers in the way of the reconstruction regarding how to provide the financial resources allocated to this operation, especially in light of the difficulty in the Yemeni situation to currently talk about the principle of “the national exclusive franchise of solutions” amid the deteriorating economic conditions, whether because of the outcome of the conflict, or related to the negative repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the main challenge in the post-conflict phase is how to build real and effective partnerships to face all political and economic challenges.
5- The reconstruction partners: this is represented in the qualitative problem related to the regional and international power conflict about sharing the investment allocations for reconstruction processes in the countries that witnessed internal armed conflicts or battles against non-state actors as in the case of “the Houthis”. So the question is how to manage this issue without violating the national interest.
Experiences prior to the “reconstruction operation in Yemen
There are discussions among many of the forces involved in the Yemeni file about the recovery process and how to start reconstruction. However, so far, there is no clear and comprehensive plan to determine priorities and clarify the requirements for reconstruction. While the World Bank is working on developing a plan for recovery and reconstruction,, it does not appear that there is any other international movement in this direction except in rare cases. On the other hand, the regional moves were translated into the comprehensive humanitarian operations program in Yemen, launched by the KSA and the UAE as it achieved little outcome including fixing some roads on a limited and short-term scale, and it is still limited in the areas controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Accordingly, there are many experiences prior to the reconstruction operation in Yemen, most prominent of which are 5 initiatives that formed the vital history of such reconstruction processes as shown below:
1- The initiative launched by the Dhamar Reconstruction Council, after the 1982-Earthquake.
2- The initiative launched by the Sa’dah Reconstruction Fund after the Third Sa’dah War in 2007.
3- The initiative launched by the Hadhramaut and Almahra Reconstruction Fund after the 2009-floods.
4- The initiative launched by the Reconstruction Executive Office after the 2011 Uprising.
5- The initiative launched by the Abyan Reconstruction Fund after the AQAP seized control of Abyan in 2012.
On the other hand, evaluating the previous efforts to achieve reconstruction reveals that they lack independence, transparency and adequate funding in addition to the poor coordination among all participants in the reconstruction efforts in each of these initiatives.
The “reconstruction” challenges in Yemen
The successive developments of the political and field conflict in the Yemeni file led to more complexities which forced special handlings, top of which are creating specific mechanisms to connect the humanitarian file, the financial challenges confrontation mechanisms, the social protection structure, resetting of the infrastructure and enhancing the rule of law along with the endorsement of strategies that strengthen the local governance pattern and the participation of local residents in the reconstruction operation, especially in the process of planning and setting priorities, in a way that poses many challenges when completing reconstruction treatments as shown below:
1- The humanitarian situation challenge:
The widespread food insecurity crisis has become one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges in Yemen, along with the destruction of sanitation infrastructure, in addition to the worsening economic conditions, as well as the negative repercussions of the Corona pandemic on all humanitarian, health and economic sectors, as Yemen suffers from unprecedented humanitarian crisis which made several Yemenis depend on aids and financial transfers. Moreover, The devaluation of the currency, trade turmoil, high food prices, severe shortages in fuel supplies, disruption and downsizing of humanitarian activities have led to the deterioration of social and economic conditions, in a way that indicates the possibility of Yemenis being exposed to the risk of starvation. (2)
Accordingly, when talking about the structuring of “reconstruction” priorities, it is better to consider measures of combating the inflation in the Yemeni food security strategy which directly related to the importance of adopting moves that secure the economic growth with all its dimensions and direct impacts on paving the way for aid and fulfilling food security’s requirements.
2-The financial challenges:
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