Yemen calls for unified mechanism to address disasters' effects

Undersecretary of Ministry of Public Works and Roads Dr. Abdulmalik al-Jolhi called on Friday the international community to raise the ceiling of financial and technical assistance to Yemen and create a unified mechanism to address the risks and effects of disasters.
In his speech, which he delivered at the Second World Conference on Reconstruction organized over three days by Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) in Washington, al-Jolhi praised the level of the existing partnership between Yemen and the World Bank Group and its various partners, who have contributed directly to the success of projects to address the effects of the floods disaster in Hadramaut and Mahrah provinces in 2008.
He reviewed, in this regard, the reconstruction efforts in the areas affected by the heavy rains and floods disaster in the two provinces.
The conference discussed the mechanism of disaster risk management, which includes identifying and reducing risks, preparedness and readiness, the financial protection and the reconstruction operations.
The administration of the World Bank and the GFDRR decided to insert the reconstruction experience in the provinces of Hadramaut and Mahrah to tackle the effects of the 2008 disaster in its official database of the successful projects in the fields of disaster recovery.
The 2008 floods disaster in Hadramout and Mahrah caused damage worth $ 1.6 billion, equivalent to six per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country, according to World Bank reports.