Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Governor of Yemen to the World Bank Group, Dr. Afrah Al-Zouba, participated in the extraordinary meeting of World Bank Governors for the Middle East and North Africa, held in Washington, D.C., to discuss the impact of the ongoing regional crisis and the World Bank Group’s operational response.

Held on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings, the meeting brought together governors from across the region, who outlined the humanitarian and economic consequences of the current crisis on their respective countries and presented their priorities for enhanced support from the World Bank Group.

In her intervention, Dr. Al-Zouba highlighted the profound humanitarian and economic repercussions of the regional crisis on the Republic of Yemen, stressing that Yemen is among the countries most severely affected and least able to absorb additional shocks after more than a decade of conflict.

On the humanitarian front, she noted that the crisis has intensified the suffering of millions of Yemenis who depend on humanitarian assistance, worsened child malnutrition, and further reduced people’s ability to access food, fuel, and essential medicines at affordable prices.

From an economic perspective, Dr. Al-Zouba explained that the crisis has significantly increased import and shipping costs through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, while also weakening the flow of remittances from Yemenis living abroad, thereby placing additional pressure on the country’s balance of payments.

The Minister reaffirmed that the Government of Yemen remains committed to advancing its reform agenda despite these challenges. She highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to prepare a National Development Plan, strengthen public financial management, establish a comprehensive Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, and rebuild national institutions.

Dr. Al-Zouba called on the World Bank Group to ensure that Yemen can fully benefit from its crisis response instruments, to continue supporting fragile and conflict-affected countries, to accelerate projects that promote job creation and institutional development, and to support Yemen’s sovereign debt resolution efforts in coordination with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).