The issues of land-grabbing, security laxity, and drug abuse by youth, have figured high on the agenda of the hearing session that took place in the Taiz district of Qahirah. The function, organized by SEMC in collaboration with Mae’n Development Center, and financed by the Yemen-based European Mission, drew in local authority leaders, as well as representatives of youth, women and civil society organizations.
During the hearing, local authority leaders underlined that they find it difficult to get lands on which to build new schools, health facilities and another service projects, as influential people are grabbing state and endowment lands due to the unrest reigning in the province. Several youth and CSOs’ representatives pointed out the spread of drug addiction amongst youths, lack of girls’ training centers, and deterioration of health, education, and cleaning services in the governorate.
SEMC Chairman, Mustafa Nassr, for his part, stressed the importance of communication between the community, represented by the NGOs , youth, and women, and the district’s local authorities, which contributed in terms of discussing the issues related to service delivery and integration of social needs and priorities into development plans.
At the start of the session, results from the opinion poll on youths’ and women’s views on the local authority and its various roles were reviewed. Also debated were the policy work-papers on unemployment, and corruption related to the rendering of services, the decrepit education system, and the role of local authorities in engaging youth in development and community services. The papers also envisioned practical solutions to the issues raised therein.
Other participants spoke of citizens’ priorities, such as education, as well as fighting bribes and corruption related to public services.
They emphasized the importance of building confidence between local authorities and citizens, and focusing on the delivery of basic services. They further stressed the need for enforcing the principle of social accountability with an aim to improve local services, forge a vital partnership involving local authorities, youth, women, the media, and the judiciary with the goal of reactivating their role in exposing and fighting corruption.
Meanwhile, Abdul Malik Ameen, chairman of the local council service committee, pointed out that the district local authority is committed to working out the mechanisms agreed during a previous workshop that identified 10 projects to be prioritized based on youths’ and women’s perspectives. He touched upon a variety of obstacle to the work of the local authority, indicating that the district’s annual budget amounts to YR 480 million.
Remarks from youth and women pointed out the educational irregularities, such as poor teacher training, weak syndicates, low salaries, the lack of crèches at public schools, the absence of quality education for talented students, and the unmeritorious appointment of inefficient school principals and deputy principals.
However, the district’s education deputy manager was on the defensive, claiming that the district ranks high in terms of the top graders who achieved excellence in secondary school exams. However, the acrimonious criticism leveled at him on the part of the participants prompted him to walk out in disgust.
Youth and women representative dwelt upon the aspects of financial and administrative corruption, the lack of official and public oversight at the local level, as well as lack of coordination amongst government institutions, let alone the absence of transparency, and exclusion of women from leading administrative positions.
Local council members touched upon the legislative irregularities that made these councils powerless and turned them into tax collection tools , indicating that the district’s local council have no authority whatsoever over police or neighborhood heads appointed by the governorate’s security chief.
Attendees also deliberated upon the lawlessness inundating the province, land-grabs and the spread of drug abuse.
The function facilitated by trainer Nader Al-Ariqi fell in line with ” Women’s and Youth Voice” project meant to boost communication amongst social actors, including youth, women, NGOs, and elected local council members, for the purpose of consolidating decentralization, local governance and response to youth and women’s priorities and needs.
It is worth mentioning that SEMC, in cooperation with the European Mission in Yemen, is undertaking the said project in five Yemeni provinces. SEMC is a non-profit NGO that seeks to spread awareness of economic issues and to prop up transparency, good governance and citizenry participation in decision making, in addition to the creation of professional media.
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