59992 First Round Table Meeting on Qat May 31, 1999 Peer Gatter Country Department III Sustainable Development Department Middle East and North Africa Region Report for the Ministry of Planning and Development Quote: Gatter, P. (1999 e): First Round Table Meeting on Qat. Held at the World Bank Resident Mission, Sana'a, May 31, 1999. Report for the Ministry of Planning and Development, 7 pp. 1 First Round Table Meeting at the World Bank Resident Mission Sana'a, May 31, 1999 (10-12 a.m.) There has recently been some interest within government and civil society in re-examining the role of Qat in Yemeni society and economy. Some approaches have been made to donors, including the World Bank, to support this re-examination. The World Bank is interested in responding to these requests, and therefore invited a group of concerned institutions and individuals to an open discussion that took place at the World Bank Resident Mission in Sana'a on May 31st 1999. The aim of the discussion was to: · learn about previous activities of the invited NGO's and researchers in the field of Qat. · get to know their views on the Qat-phenomenon · determine what sort of policy/activities the World Bank or other agencies could adopt. · determine what future actions are necessary or possible concerning Qat. · see how the invited NGO's, agencies and experts could participate in a future program regarding Qat. List of Participants Name Organization Title Fax Phone Gianni Brizzi World Bank Head of Mission 413709 413708 Christopher Ward World Bank Agriculture 413709 413708 Qaiser Khan Human World Bank Development 413709 413708 Peer Gatter World Bank Agricultural Sector Analyst 413709 413708 Hamid al-Awadhi Soc. Combatting Qat Public Relation 240148 240148 Zaida Shiban Soc. Combatting Qat Public Relation 240148 240148 Ragni Khanua Program Oxfam Representative 242996 260320 Souad al-Hibshi Oxfam Program Officer 242996 260320 Samira A. Buidani Development Oxfam Office 242996 260320 Nizar Ghanem Sana'a Univ. Medical Faculty 234384 234384 Mohammed al-Eryani Sana'a Univ. Water Resources 417203 234403 Pieter Dorst Netherlands Head of Dev. Embassy Coop. - 264080 Renauld Detalle French Center for Yemen Studies 278459 278459 Thierry Arnoult Doctors without Borders Administrator 207800 400738 2 1. Activities on Qat Oxfam The NGO works since 20 years in Yemen fighting poverty and furthering the interests of rural women. In the 3-year plan launched in 1997, Qat was identified as the most important factor hampering development. Confronting the Qat-phenomenon was thus made one of the three strategic aims of the organization. The objective was to stimulate a debate on Qat in society, support any NGO's that would like to contribute in raising awareness and sensitizing society for the problems associated with Qat. Hence, in March 1998 a one week awareness campaign of the Scout-organization of Taiz was supported (£ 3636). This included a leaflet campaign, a banner march through the streets, as well as a discussion forum with local politicians. In April and May 1999 Oxfam cooperated in a further awareness campaign with the National Society for Combating Qat Disadvantages (short: Soc. Combating Qat) which it supported with $ 24.000 (see below Soc. Combating Qat). Oxfam's main aim is creating awareness for the Qat problem. Through local partners (NGO's, researchers) the organization wants to: · start a national debate on the problem; · influence decision-makers to take action against Qat; · reduce levels of consumption and production; · create and support alternative social events or pastimes; · search for production alternatives (crop substitution); · set up a coordinating committee for working together with other organizations taking action against Qat. Oxfam hopes to continue its activities in this field, but is in the needs of cooperating organizations or individuals. Action/research-proposals submitted to the NGO in the past, have in the most cases been turned down, because they have not met minimum requirements. Nizar Ghanem (Medical Faculty of Sana'a University) Prof. Ghanem of the Medical Faculty of Sana'a University is taking part in the social mobilization of Yemenis in the framework of the Sana'a Health and Cultural Center (Merkez as-Sihha wa-l-Thaqafi). The activities of this center, that has mainly been founded by physicians, aim in two directions. On one side health services are provided on a cost recovering basis. In addition to primary health care, the center provides psychological treatment. A psychotherapist and trained psychologist gives, among others, support to people who got their "lives hooked around Qat". The second activity of the organization is running an art center. Here music lessons are given and once a week discussion rounds are held. At these gatherings, that are open to both male and female, a wide range of cultural, social, and political topics is covered. With its work, Ghanem points out, the center gives an example to the public, of how to enjoy life without Qat. In the past the organization had branches in four Yemeni governorates (Ibb, Dhamar, Aden and the Hadramaut). Due to financial difficulties, however, the Dhamar and Aden branches ended their activities. 3 Mohammed al-Eryani (Faculty of Engineering, Sana'a University) Prof. Al Eryani is the Dean of Sana'a University's faculty of engineering and a specialist in water resources. He supervised students working on the subject of Qat water use and conservation (e.g. Mohammed al-Hamdi). He pointed out that due to extensive irrigation Qat is a serious threat to urban water resources, especially in the area of Sana'a. Pieter Dorst (Embassy of the Netherlands) Mr. Dorst is head of the development cooperation of the Dutch Embassy in Sana'a. The embassy is not active in the field of Qat. He, however, is rather critical of approaches to reduce the consumption and production of Qat in Yemen. He compared the plant with other psychoactive stimulants as heroin or marijuana and stated that all attempts to fight the spread of these controlled substances had so far failed. For him Qat is an ideal product for the farmer and responsible for keeping people from migrating from the rural areas to the cities. Eradication of Qat would create poverty in rural areas. Donors should be very careful in their actions, because they might cause more harm than good. If the activities of the Society for Combating Qat prove successful, Dorst believes that farmers might unite and take action against this trend (e.g. pro Qat campaigns). Renauld Detalle (French Center for Yemeni Studies) Mr. Detalle of the French Center for Yemeni Studies is representative of the Geopolitical Drugs Watch, for which he wrote a report on psychoactive stimulants in Yemen (emphasis on Qat) (La Dépêche Internationale des Drogues 65, March 1997, p.1-5). In another paper on Yemeni youth (prepared for the WB Country Assistance Strategy), he holds the lack of leisure activities and the high rate of unemployment responsible for encouraging Qat consumption. Mr Detalle has also done field research on agricultural areas in the north of Yemen that export qat to Saudi. Doctors without Borders/Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) MSF is not active in the field of Qat until now, but sees the phenomenon as a key to Yemen and therefore in the future wants to consecrate more attention to the topic. National Society for Combating Qat Disadvantages (Soc. Combating Qat) 4 (See attached profile of the society, its activities, and its board-members) The 1999 awareness-campaign was carried out with the financial support of Oxfam ($ 24.000). For the 1999 campaign a total of 5 million Rial were allocated (ca. $ 30.000, ). Apart from this, the budget of the organization is 750.000 Rial annually (ca. $ 5000). 2. Discussion Political Dimension Despite recent remarks by president Ali Abdallah Saleh and other high government members to quit chewing Qat, and to campaign against it, the official approach on Qat is quite unclear and remarks in the past contradictory: A year ago the president had still praised Qat. This makes it difficult for donors to start activities in this field. The Head of the Word Bank resident mission Gianni Brizzi considered that the government has to adopt a clear standpoint in this question, before a move against Qat can be successful. Political leadership is needed to affect change. A clear statement from the highest government level would provide impetus for change. Religious dimension In Saudi Arabia Qat has been put under control on the basis of the fatwa of a religious scholar. The same could be possible in Yemen. Qat as such is not prohibited by Islam, it could, however, by means of a fatwa be considered makruh (non desirable). In the past centuries there had been numerous such attempts by Islamic scholars in Yemen, but they never proved to be very effective (see Kennedy 1987, p. 68: The Flower of Paradise). To prove effective, a religiously based prohibition of Qat would need to be enforced by the state (see Saudi Arabia). There seems, however, no political will to carry out such an policy. Despite this, a fatwa issued by a generally acknowledged faqih, as the grand mufti of Yemen, even without government pressure could lead religious Yemenis to reconsider their chewing habits. Legal Dimension The Society for Combating Qat refuses to accept any comparison of Qat with marijuana or heroin. It prefers a comparison with the status of alcohol in Europe. A similar legislation for Qat would be desirable. Due to its economic profitability it is, however, unlikely that such legislation would be implemented on the production side, because it would meet fierce opposition from farmers and traders. Regulating the sale and purchase side seems more realistic. Such legislation could e.g. set an age limit for chewing Qat, comparable to a law in the United States restricting the purchase of alcohol below 21 years of age. As another guideline the US-law restricting smoking in public places could serve. The Society for Combating Qat is aware of the difficulties to enforce such laws, considering Yemen's chronically weak governance, but states that a legal framework, even if not applied, would have a symbolic value. 5 Social Dimension The need to create other leisure opportunities was emphasized. More clubs are said to be necessary to wean people from their chewing habits and reduce consumption. This is especially true for rural areas where up to now no such institutions exist (Prof. Ghanem mentions a 1989 Univ. of London publication with the Title "Withdrawal from Qat" that addresses this need). It was, however stated that such forums can only reach a limited number of people and not absorb everyone. It was also pointed out, that especially among young urban women Qat chewing is a new and apparently rapidly growing phenomenon. There have not been any studies conducted so far in this environment. Agricultural Dimension/Water Dimension As many other dimensions, also the agricultural one produces a lot of unanswered questions. This is especially true for figures that are often not known or only roughly estimated. To address the Qat phenomenon there, however, a pressing need for correct figures in areas such as production volume, water use, land use (size of production area). The water problem is especially in the area of Sana'a quite pressing. Due to extensive farming in the Sana'a basin (largely Qat), the groundwater level decreases per year by 5-7 m. To guarantee the water supply for the fast growing city, Qat production has necessarily to be reduced here in the future. Education/Health Dimension The Doctors without Borders stressed that education measures should be taken at an early stage. Action such as the French natal policy concerning AIDS are desirable, where targeting the right population is vital, in that case the young (as older people will not change their habits). For a national campaign government backing is needed. The Society for Combating Qat is also targeting the young. The NGO sees not much hope to change the Qat-habits of the older generations. 3. Conclusions The Qat-phenomenon appears to be very complex, which confronts activists and donors with the problem where to start addressing it. Change can therefore be only gradual. Two kind of activities seem possible: Studies could produce the data so urgently needed to understand and deal with the phenomenon. · A study of the rural economy of Qat could be carried out in cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture. The World Bank is currently examining a proposal on 6 "Assessment of Water Use by Qat" (Dr. Mohammed Bazza, Irrigation Agronomist). · The social dimension of Qat could be addresses by a proposed study of the Dutch researcher Anke Lenaers on Yemeni women and Qat. The phenomenon of young rural women chewing Qat could be examined in this framework. · To get a clearer picture on Qat production and land use, a mapping of the production areas could be undertaken (the cartographic service IGN France International would be able to carry out such a project (P.O. Box 19898, Sana'a, Tel. 207443, Fax 207 442)). Action could be taken in the following fields by: · programs of crop substitution · public awareness campaigns as that of the Society for Combating Qat and Oxfam · publishing papers · supporting research on Qat · "testing the leadership" and its will to get active. This could by organizing a conference on Qat (earliest after this years elections) and asking the government, and especially President Saleh for his support. The Society for Combating Qat is planning such a nationwide conference for the year 2000. This conference could possibly be supported by the World Bank. 4. Action Steps As a result of this meeting, the next steps will be: · documenting and evaluating the work of different institutions and researchers that deal with Qat in Yemen. This will not only show in what fields there are activities on Qat, but also will help to understand where/with which partners action could successfully be taken. In the month of June World Bank researcher Peer Gatter will visit these organizations and meet with relevant people. · meeting again in the beginning of July to discuss the findings and try to determine a future strategy. Following the above, the subsequent steps recommended for the World Bank will be defined. 7