political context

The Republic of Yemen is a semi-arid country situated on the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen comprises 555,000 sq kms of diverse landscape, primarily terraced mountains, deserts and coastal plains. It is one of the world's least developed countries and in 2006 was ranked 150th poorest out of the worlds 177 countries ranked on the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index. 

Yemen is undergoing rapid change. The past 10 years have seen major political and economic upheavals, beginning with the unification of the two different political systems of the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) in 1990. The process of unification has not been smooth: a costly three-month civil war broke out in 1994 between the two former states, causing massive destruction of services and infrastructure and loss of lives.

The 1991 Gulf War had a lasting impact on Yemen's economy and development. Its stance of calling for a peaceful solution and its abstentions in the UN on the issue caused neighbouring Saudi Arabia to expel almost one million Yemeni migrant workers who had been making an important contribution to Yemen's economy through remittances. Gulf and Western states reduced or curtailed their foreign aid. However, in June 2000 Yemen and Saudi Arabia signed the Treaty of Jeddah, resolving a longstanding border dispute, which opened up opportunities for increased Saudi trade and investment in Yemen.

Yemen has a multi-party political system. National elections were held in 1993 and 1997, both of which were won by the General People's Congress Party (GPC) headed by the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh. The first nationwide direct presidential election took place in 1999, at which President Saleh won 96 per cent of the vote in circumstances in which the opposition candidate was an unknown lightweight with no popular support. The two other most significant political parties are the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), which ruled the PDRY prior to unification, and the Yemen Congregation for Reform (Islah).

Although oil production, which is in decline, provides 70 per cent of government revenue and export earnings, agriculture remains the mainstay of the Yemeni economy, employing some 60 per cent of the economically active population. There are also possibilities of developing liquefied petroleum gas. An estimated 70-75 per cent of all agricultural activity relies on women. 

The main crops grown are maize, qat and cash crops, including coffee, fruits and vegetables. Pastoralism accounts for 40 per cent of Yemen's land use and nearly 10 million heads of livestock, mostly sheep and goats, are raised.

Environmental degradation, soil erosion and desertification are problems, leading to low productivity and reduced farmer incomes. There is also a scarcity of ground water resources which increased qat production will accentuate and worsen. 

Steps have been taken towards democratisation, including: a rapid growth in the number of local non-governmental organisations and other civil society groups; increased awareness of gender issues; and the expansion of development programmes aimed at poverty alleviation. Yemen is the first country in the Arabian Peninsula to give women the right to vote and have women elected as Members of Parliament.

Following the 2001 national elections Abdul Kader Bagammal was appointed prime minister and, in the most sweeping changes for years, 22 new ministers entered the government, with only six from the previous government retaining their positions. The number of ministers increased overall from 30 to 35 positions and included a new position of Minister of Human Rights - a first for the region and one that is held by a woman, Amat Al-Aleem Al-Sosowah.

A lack of surveillance and reporting combined with a reluctance to discuss sexual matters in Yemen has made it difficult to assess the magnitude of HIV and AIDS. The UN estimates an overall infection rate of around 0.2 per cent. However, the infection rate among commercial sex workers is increasing and estimated at 7 per cent. 

The development of human rights in Yemen grew throughout the 1990s on the part of government, local non-governmental organisations and international development organisations. But following the attacks of 11 September 2001, organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reported an increased provision of military aid and security training to Yemen by the US and a sharp increase in allegations of torture, arbitrary arrest, detention and deportation of 'terrorist suspects' by Yemeni security forces. There are also been concerns about the treatment of journalists and the government's commitment to freedom of expression.