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Local Governance

The 2001 local elections responded first and foremost to the immediate need to increase state legitimacy and establish state presence at the periphery of the country, rather than to a broad developmental rationale. Three years after the elections no significant devolution of responsibilities and resources had followed.

Local governance is an excellent tool in expanding popular participation in the management of public affairs. A well functioning decentralized system helps strengthen democracy by devolving state powers to the local level and empowering peoples's representatives at district and governorate levels.

Law Number 4 0f 2000, called the Local Authority Law 17, is based on the following objectives: (a) broadened popular participation through elected local councils: (b) financial decentralization; and (c) decentralization of administrative and services delivery functions. Local councils were elected in 2003. Since then, a number of developments have taken place including, awareness raising and training of councillors and local administration staff; an assessment of infrastructure and personnel needs at the District level; and transfer-ring still limited budgets to all Governorates and some Districts. In 2003, the Ministry of Local Administration (MoLA) drafted a national plan for training and rehabilitation, targeting more than 16.6 thousand senior officers and staff of local authorities. MoLA was unable to implement the plan due to financial constraints, and preoccupation of staff with the Parliamentary Elections of April 2003.

A Higher Committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, was established through Republican Decree No 264, to support and enhance decentralization. A technical committee operates as secretariat to the Higher Committee, with the mandate of accelerating the transfer of authority to local administrative units. However, both committees lacked clear and specific action plans and had not managed to carry out their functions in the desired manner.

The successful achievement of the overall political, economic and administrative reform program launched in the mid-1990s is dependent upon the realization of a consensus within society about its contribution to the management of the country's affairs. Notwithstanding the Government's commitment to decentralization and the popular enthusiasm for strengthening democracy and Yemen's positive traditions, the conceptual and operational frameworks for this bold initiative are yet to be defined.