Humad affirms UNICEF's programs assessment importance in Yemen

SANA'A, July 12 (Saba) - Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Amat al-Razaq Humad
has affirmed the importance of assessing the programs executed by UNICEF
organization in childhood field in Yemen.

In the mid-term review meeting for 2007-2011 between the Yemeni government and
UNICEF held in Sana'a on Sunday under the motto" Together for Children," Humad
indicated the activities achieved since the assessment program inauguration in 2006
aiming at constituting to achieving the Millennium Goals by 2015.

She praised cooperation program between the Yemeni government and UNICEF in fields
of health, education, social protection,juvenile justice, care and combating
children trafficking carried out in cooperation with the Yemeni-Saudi Technical
Committee and UNICEF's offices in the two countries.

Meanwhile, Humad made it clear that her ministry is currently preparing for a social
protection strategy which will represent a guidance in preparing programs of child
protection under the global financial crisis' negative effects.

On the other hand, Minister of Public Health and Population Abdul-Karim Rase'a
reviewed activities carried out by his ministry in the field of health services
improvement and reducing the maternal and newborns mortality.

About 17 million children and women were vaccinated during the past period against
Tetanus ,Polio and Measles and Yemen was declared free of Polio, in addition to
reducing infection of Malaria from 900,000 cases to 50.000 cases, Rase'a said.

He pointed out that issuing legislation of limiting age marriage will contribute to
reducing mothers mortality by 50 percent.

The health ministry executes programs in cooperation with supporters and partners to
eliminate diseases of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and to reduce malnutrition
among children, Rase'a confirmed.

UNICEF's Representative in Yemen Abdo Karim Adbjawi spoke about Yemen's successes in
field of child rights, calling on the child concerned authorities for preparing
strategies and programs taking in consideration needs of children and women.