Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of Yemen
General Supervisor of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jabir
His Excellency supervised the establishment of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen and led a group of Saudi experts and specialists in designing SDRPY’s development strategy. The strategy, developed in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SDRPY's objectives in providing sustained economic and development support in several areas to the Republic of Yemen, included raising the standard of basic services for the people of Yemen, creating jobs opportunities, and the capacity-building of Yemeni government institutions. Through its projects, SDRPY has partnered with various agencies and institutions, including the Yemeni government, local authorities, civil societies, and regional and international development organizations, such as the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
To date, the Program has implemented more than 200 development projects and programs in Yemen and across various sectors, including health, education, transportation, energy, water, agriculture, fisheries, and the development of government institutions. Some of the Program’s development projects and programs include:
· The $422 million oil derivatives grant to operate more than 80 power plants in various Yemeni Governorates
· The King Salman Medical and Educational City project in Al Mahrah
· The Rehabilitation of Aden General Hospital project
· The Highway Expansion and Rehabilitation project, which focuses on developing the roads linking the governorates of Marib and Hadhramout
· The establishment of 28 model schools in various Yemeni governorates
· The rehabilitation and equipping of solar-powered water wells in several governorates
· The capacity-building program for the Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in Yemen.
Prior to SDRPY, and from 2017-2018, His Excellency served as the Executive Director of the Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations (YCHO). Along with its various responsibilities, the Centre was also responsible for the management and coordination of humanitarian and relief operations by international and regional organizations, local non-governmental organizations, and relief and development agencies in Yemen. Additionally, the Centre has implemented several economic and development initiatives in Yemen, such as the $2.2 billion Saudi deposit to Yemen's Central Bank in 2018 to shore up the Yemeni currency and support the imports of essential food commodities to the Yemeni people. Furthermore, in 2018, YCHO funded the UN Humanitarian Response Plan in Yemen with $500 million, the project for maintaining and rehabilitating arterial roads with $4.7 million, the oil derivatives grant with $60 million per month, and the Saudi Cranes Grant to boost the capacity of Yemen's sea ports.
His Excellency was appointed as the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of Yemen in 2014. Given the 2014 Houthis coup d'etat against the legitimate Yemeni government, the time of His Excellency’s appointment was marked with great tension and instability in Yemen. His Excellency soon participated in the Kingdom's efforts to support the international efforts to resolve the conflict in Yemen and to achieve peace and security for the people of Yemen. He participated in several rounds of peace talks, including the 2015 peace talks in Geneva, the 2015 talks in Biel, Switzerland, and the round of peace talks held in Kuwait in 2016 between the Yemeni Government and the Houthis, which lasted for 111 days. Recently, His Excellency participated in the 2018 talks in Stockholm and fully supported the 22 United Nations Truce and the call for a ceasefire in Yemen. Additionally, His Excellency supervised numerous political and diplomatic activities related to the Yemeni crisis.
Continuing the Kingdom's efforts towards sustainable development in Yemen, His Excellency met with numerous international and foreign officials as well as members of parliaments of various nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. In 2019, His Excellency headed the Kingdom's delegation to the UN to support the United Nations' humanitarian response plan in Yemen. Additionally, His Excellency visited the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and a number of other countries to discuss diplomatic, humanitarian, and development efforts in support of the Yemeni people. His Excellency has also participated in several think-tank events and development workshops and conferences, worked with research centers, delivered talks on the situation in Yemen, appeared on news programs, and has written several articles in national and international newspapers addressing the political, humanitarian, and development situation in Yemen.
His Excellency is a lifelong learner. He holds a master's degree in Business Administration with first honors from the King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since then, he has enrolled in numerous training courses from local and international institutes and universities.