The continued implementation of the commitments pledged by the Government -- to ensure democratic order, political pluralism, freedom of opinion and the press and respect for human rights, and to develop close cooperative relations with its neighbours -- will indeed contribute to the restoration of stability. Earlier this year, the Foreign Minister reiterated to me that Yemen was willing to reach a negotiated settlement of its territorial dispute with Saudi Arabia on the basis of the norms and principles of international law and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. Progress in this area will testify to the strength of that commitment and will add to security and stability in the area.
In August 1994, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs launched a consolidated inter-agency appeal focusing on the most urgent humanitarian requirements through February 1995, totalling some $21.7 million. The priority sectors covered in the appeal were health, water and sanitation, emergency food aid, agriculture and fisheries, education and limited mine clearance. Response from the donor community has been extremely disappointing, with only $3.3 million (15 per cent of the overall requirements) received to date, mainly for health and food supply projects.
Land-mines pose a continuing threat to the lives and the livelihood of civilians in the south and have hampered efforts of health rehabilitation and restoration of agricultural production in affected areas. The Department of Humanitarian Affairs, however, received limited funding ($150,000) from a mine-clearance trust fund to undertake a land-mine assistance project in the Aden region. The project began in late February 1995 and aims to provide technical advice to the government authorities. Two international land-mine specialists were recruited by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs for the purpose.
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