UN General Assembly
2013

strategy. That is why the fulfilment of pledges by donor countries and the Friends of Yemen must be accelerated, particularly since the Government of Yemen has been working in partnership with donors to earmark and allocate all those funds to various development areas. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all our donors, especially those who have already made good on their pledges and financial commitments to Yemen. That is particularly important in view of the fact that Yemen, owing to its geographic location, social composition and economic status, has been plagued by various problems and challenges. They include the activities of Al-Qaida and of cross-border organized crime and national and international criminal groups trafficking in drugs, weapons and people, as well as the piracy off Yemen’s coasts. Addressing all those problems requires international cooperation for the security of the country and the region as a whole. We would also like to bring up the issue of refugees in Yemen, especially from the Horn of Africa. We have been hosting more one million of them, with