In exclusive statements to Prensa Latina and in the context of the G77+China Summit held at the Havana International Conference center (HICC) in Cuba, Minister Ahmed Awad Binmubarak stressed the significance of working together on certain changes that contribute to facilitating the technology transfer between the North and the South. Awad Binmubarak stressed that training professionals in the field of science and innovation is pivotal as well as boosting the interest of young people in these fields.
Prensa Latina: In the past BRICS Summit, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel pointed out that the international financial architecture reform is a historical demand of the G77+China. In your own opinion, what policies could be promoted to achieve this goal?
Yemeni Foreign Minister: Many developing and least developed countries are facing up poverty, unemployment and worsening debt. There is a real need for a more effective global financial system to help get these nations out of their crises in order to catch up with and work towards sustainable development by 2030. Such a purpose requires, among other things, exempting troubled countries from debt and facilitating access to funds, loans and guaranteeing an increased capital flow with positive privileges to benefit from it in infrastructure, development and education. It is necessary to guarantee the active involvement of developing nations in the decision-making processes and in the rule-setting process of international financial institutions to ensure that policies and business in the fields of finance, trade and investment are development-oriented.
Prensa Latina: The G77+China Summit is being focused on science, technology and innovation. How can these three branches benefit your country which has been at war for over eight years described by the United Nations as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world?
Yemeni Foreign Minister: Education in Yemen has been facing the impacts of a devastating war launched by the Houthi militia for over eight years, especially as a large group of children and young people in Yemen have dropped out of basic and university education and the Houthi militia has forced them to join their ranks to fight through summer centers. So, we really need international partners and bodies to work on this sector to support Yemen, to bring the best practices and technologies to these children and young people so that they can return to schools and universities. We also need assistance to rebuild the country´s health system which has suffered 50% damage, and we are working with the Yemeni government to empower the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Plus, Yemen is presently facing major challenges in the economic recovery area, basic service delivery and reconstruction. These three aspects can be used to accelerate the building, rebuilding process and achieving sustainable progress that will have a significant positive impact on economy and society.
Prensa Latina: What steps do you think developing and underdeveloped nations should take to meet the 2030 Agenda objectives amid a context marked by the crisis generated by the pandemic, international war conflicts and the shortage of raw materials?
Yemeni Foreign Minister: Our nations must be aided to overcome such drawbacks and we must focus on allocating resources to mitigate poverty, which is the overarching goal of the 2030 Plan. In this context, any source of development-oriented funding must be consistent with national priorities, so each country must possess its full sovereignty over all its wealth, natural resources and economic activity. Developed countries must fulfill pledges made with respect to official development assistance to achieve the UN´s goal of reaching 0.7% of their national income.
Prensa Latina: Cuba and Yemen have maintained diplomatic relations for over half a century and collaborate in a great number of fields. As to your standpoint, what areas could bilateral cooperation be boosted to?
Yemeni Foreign Minister: Yemen’s bilateral relations with Cuba are historic and distinguished, and throughout this period, the two countries have been working on strengthening different aspects of cooperation, whether on the bilateral side or in international forums.
We focus on benefiting from the experiences reached from Cuba in the field of education and health. Annually there are a number of Yemeni students to whom the Cuban government grants scholarships in several fields, in addition there was a program to benefit medical collaboration, but it was stopped due to the war waged by the Houthi militia and we are currently trying to review the possibilities of reactivating such a program.
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