[11/September/2005] By Abdul-Salam Al-Korary.
The Republic of Yemen has obted for democracy since the country reunification in 1990.The constitution ststes:
1- The political system of the republic of Yemen is based on the political pluralism and multi-parties . (Article 5).
2- Every citizen has the right of the participation politically , economically , culturally and socially. (Article 43).
3- Citizens all over the country have the right to organize themselves politically , occupationally and in the syndicates provided that to be in compliance with the constitution and the state shall have to guarantee this right . (Article 58)
4- The national economy is based on the liberal economical activity. (Article 7)
The most important indicators to the public participation in the process of decision are:
Civil society has been developing rapidly since 1990 within the course of the democratic transformation and the multi-parties that coincided the establishment of the unityís state.
The civil society are being given much attention by the consecutive Yemeni governments so that the governmentís program has emphasized on the vital role of the civil society organizations and stated that it is the core of partnership between the state and the society.
There are some signs to the positive steps the government has made to boost the role of the civil society in the development drive and to give it more mandates in the process of monitoring and auditing. The most significant signs are the following:
1- Setting up a ministry of Human rights and appointing a woman as a minister of this portfolio for the first time since ( 2001).
2- Enacting the law no (1 for the year 2001) of the Civil Foundations and Associations .
3- Over the recent years civil society organizations played an active role in the process of monitoring on the elections and raising the citizensí awareness of their civil and legislate rights. About more than (15) conference , seminar and workshop were organized in this area.
4- The national committee of woman in cooperation with the supreme national committee of human rights reviewed more than (50) of Yemeni laws which are pertaining to womanís rights in the course of the Islamic Sharaía and the international conventions and treaties that Yemen had signed on.
5- The total number of civil society organizations has increased over the period 1990-2001 from (285) to around (2.786). These organizations have been participating actively in the development process in all walks of life , however their activity is still not up to standard.