Yemeni cabinet approves national policy addressing internal displacement

Cabinet on Tuesday approved the national policy to address internal displacement in Yemen. The policy provides a national framework to address displacement in the country and determines the current goals and priorities of an effective response to displacement. It also addresses issues of internal displacement in its various stages through three goals; protecting civilians from involuntary displacement and preparing for any potential displacement, safeguarding and assisting internally displaced people during displacement and supporting displacement-affected communities, and creating favorable conditions for safe, voluntary and permanent solutions to displacement. Based on the policy, a higher committee to address internal displacement is to be formed headed by the Prime Minister for the purpose of the strategic direction and support for the implementation of the policy and ensuring the achievement of a comprehensive and coordinated national response to displacement among all relevant ministries and local authorities. The higher committee should meet every three months at least to review progress in the policy implementation and overcome any difficulties. In its weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mohamed Salem Basindwa, the cabinet approved the establishment of an office of the Oil and Minerals Ministry in Jawf governorate, directing the Ministries of Oil and Minerals, and Legal Affairs to finalize the necessary legal procedures. The aim of establishing the office is to implement the Ministry's policy in the oil and minerals fields, to follow up the oil blocks and companies in the governorate, and coordinate among the Ministry and oil companies working in the governorate and the local authority. Moreover, the cabinet ratified Yemen's accession to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which oversees the management of the UNESCO The Convention entered into force on 18 March 2007, three months after its ratification by 30 States members of the UNESCO, in accordance with its article 29. The objective of the Convention is, inter alia, to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions.