Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Governor of Yemen to the World Bank Group, Dr. Afrah Al-Zouba, held separate meetings in Washington, D.C., with Moazzam Malik, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children UK, and Ambassador Greta Holtz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amideast, to discuss strengthening partnerships in education, institutional capacity building, and support for Yemen’s children and youth.

During her meeting with the Chief Executive of Save the Children, held on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings, Dr. Al-Zouba praised the successful implementation of the education project delivered by the organization in partnership with the Government of Yemen and financed by the World Bank. She called for the swift launch of the project’s next phase, emphasizing that strengthening the Ministry of Education’s capacity in project management and policy development should be an integral component of any future education programme.

For his part, Moazzam Malik reaffirmed Save the Children’s long-standing commitment to Yemen, which spans more than 60 years, noting that protracted crises require development-oriented approaches capable of operating effectively in fragile settings rather than relying solely on humanitarian financing.

During her meeting with the President of Amideast at the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen in Washington, Dr. Al-Zouba called for expanding the organization’s programmes to include capacity building for civil servants across government institutions. She proposed specialized English-language training for staff at the Central Bank of Yemen, the Ministry of Finance, and other service ministries, and suggested integrating Amideast’s programmes into World Bank-funded projects as a dedicated institutional capacity-building component.

Ambassador Greta Holtz expressed Amideast’s readiness to expand its programmes in Aden and prepare a comprehensive proposal. She highlighted the organization’s successful experience in training diplomats and noted that this model could be adapted and implemented in Yemen.

Dr. Al-Zouba, in the presence of Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen in Washington, Imad Bamataraf, reaffirmed that education, job creation, and child protection remain among the Yemeni government’s highest priorities.