British Ambassador to Yemen
16th February 2015 Sana’a, Yemen
On 11 February, the UK took the decision on security grounds to temporarily suspend operations at the British Embassy in Sana’a and withdraw diplomatic staff. I would like to explain why. The UK wants to see success in Yemen. We have our national counter-terrorism objectives against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. But we have […]
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9th December 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Today, 9 December, is also the ninth UN International Anti-Corruption Day. Yemen is the 11th most corrupt country in the world, ranking 161 out of 174 countries, on a par with Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti and Venezuela, according to Transparency International’s 2014 Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The scope of the CPI is limited to public perceptions […]
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13th October 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
The National Dialogue outcomes made clear that tackling corruption was important to Yemenis. The Peace and National Partnership Agreement (PNPA) signed by all parties on 21 September has rightly put the fight against corruption back at the top of the political agenda in Yemen. When youth, women and civil society took to the streets in […]
9th October 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Friday the 11th of October is International Day of the Girl and an opportunity to reflect on the challenges that girls all over the world still face every day. In July of this year, the UK and UNICEF sponsored Girl Summit, an event held in a school in London which aimed to galvanise a global […]
15th September 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Today is the International Day of Democracy. This year’s theme – Engaging Young People on Democracy – is particularly relevant for Yemen. Three years ago, young Yemenis took to the streets in pursuit of democracy. Yemen’s democratic journey has been guided by the National Dialogue Conference, which led to the agreement of a new social […]
15th September 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
اليوم هو اليوم العالمي للديمقراطية. وموضوع هذا العام – إشراك الشباب في الديمقراطية – هو ذات أهمية خاصة بالنسبة لليمن. قبل ثلاث سنوات، خرج الشباب اليمني إلى الشوارع في السعي لتحقيق الديمقراطية. وقد استرشدت رحلة الديمقراطية في اليمن بمؤتمر الحوار الوطني، الذي أدى إلى اتفاق لعقد اجتماعي جديد، معترفا بمطالب ومصالح جميع اليمنيين والأهم، تلك الفئات الضعيفة والأقليات. اليوم، […]
18th August 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Since the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003, August 19 has been honoured as a day to remember those who face danger to help others. In 2014, more people than ever are in need of humanitarian assistance. With ongoing conflict in thirty three countries and an increasing number of natural disasters affecting […]
13th August 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
قال الفيلسوف الاسباني جورج سانتايانا “أولائك الذين لا يستطيعون تذكر الماضي يُحكم عليهم بتكراره”. لدى اليمنيين ذاكرة ممتازة ومع هذا فأن دورات العنف، والثأر والسلطة مستمرة. كما رأينا في مؤتمر الحوار الوطني غالبية الشعب اليمني يريدون السلام والاستقرار والحقوق الاقتصادية والاجتماعية الأساسية. وقد أعطت مخرجات مؤتمر الحوار الوطني اليمنيين خارطة الطريق للوصول لهذا الهدف بالرغم […]
13th August 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Spanish philosopher George Santayana said that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Yemenis have very good memories and yet the cycles of violence, revenge and power continue. As we saw in the National Dialogue, most Yemenis want peace, stability and basic economic and social rights. The NDC outcomes gave Yemen a plan to get […]
26th June 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Like so many of those I have spoken to in the past week, I am looking forward to Ramadan. I am conscious that this Ramadan is an opportunity for all of us who live in Yemen to think about the values at the heart of this holy month of reflection, consideration for others and avoidance […]