Yemen
The two-year, $20.6 million threshold program developed by the Government of Yemen and MCC is designed to improve Yemen’s performance on MCC’s Rule of Law, Control of Corruption, Political Rights, Fiscal Policy and Government Effectiveness indicators.
Specific objectives of the grant approved by the MCC Board are to decrease public sector corruption and increase capacity in the judicial sector, enhance elections and improve the investment climate through tax reform, domestic debt management, procurement reform and customs modernization.
Program Components
Strengthen the National Integrity System
- Define an anti-corruption institutional framework;
- Support the role of the Supreme National Anticorruption Authority;
- Expand judicial independence;
- Improve the quality of judges;
- Improve court effectiveness; and
- Strengthen public funds courts, courts which prosecute corruption cases
Consolidate Democratic Governance
- Support reform of the electoral process;
- Strengthen mechanisms to resolve election disputes; and
- Improve the Central Statistics Office to allow for fair redistricting
Improve Yemen’s Investment Climate
- Strengthen the tax authority’s capacity to raise revenue;
- Improve the government’s ability to manage its debt;
- Improve government contracting regulations, institutions and systems; and
- Modernize customs procedures.
Highlights of Expected Results of the Program
- The time needed to state a verdict in the commercial courts reduced from 6 months to 3;
- Customs clearance procedures reduced from 8 days to 4;
- Forty-five percent of completed procurement requests conform to new procedures;
- Twenty-five percent of government staff submit financial disclosure forms (currently none do);
- Freedom House recognizes 2009 elections as free and fair.
- The number of high-level anticorruption prosecutions brought to verdict is increased.
Implementing Partner
The United States Agency for International Development will oversee implementation of the program on behalf of MCC. In coordination with USAID, the U.S. Department of Treasury will implement a portion of the program.
Yemen was reinstated to Threshold Program eligibility on February 14, 2007.