59996 Recommendations of the Second Round Table Meeting on Qat July 11, 1999 Peer Gatter Country Department III Sustainable Development Department Middle East and North Africa Region Report for the Cabinet and the Ministry of Planning and Development Quote: Gatter, P. (1999 f): Recommendations of the Second Round Table Meeting on Qat. Held at the World Bank Resident Mission, Sana'a, July 11, 1999. Report for the Cabinet and the Ministry of Planning and Development, 6 pp. 1 Recommendations of the Second Round Table Meeting on Qat. Held at the World Bank Resident Mission, Sana'a, July 11, 1999 (10 a.m. -1 p.m.) A. Background 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 has held an informal meeting on the topic on May 31, 1999 at the World Bank Resident Mission in Sana'a. On July 11, 1999 a follow up meeting took place at the Resident Mission. It has been attended by representatives of international organizations, embassies, local and international NGOs, researchers, as well as by government representatives. The main objective of the meeting was to review activities related to study and action in the area of Qat in order to determine what future work is necessary or possible concerning Qat and to determine what sort of activities the World Bank or other agencies could adopt. Further cooperation and an exchange of information between different organizations and researchers was another important aim. B. Findings Presented Presented at this second meeting were: · the activities of different NGOs and organizations on Qat · the position of the religious and political establishment · a Qat mapping proposal · the idea of a permanent Qat forum Among the many important interventions discussed were: · an FAO TCP project proposal for a series of studies leading to a Qat policy workshop under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture. · a UNDP project to advise the consultative council, which has a component for advice and studies on Qat. · a major book on Qat with contributions from 18 different specialists which is being edited for publication by Dr. Hadrani of the Yemen Cancer Society. · a proposal by IGN (France) for a mapping of Qat showing current area and evolution over time, based on satellite imagery and GIS · an FAO project (ERARLUP) that will produce a 1:500,000 scale map of Qat in about October 1999. 2 C. Discussion of Issues In the discussion several topics were identified as being vital in the continuation of the work on Qat: · need to coordinate the work on Qat and the exchange of information · a research and studies agenda to fill the "knowledge gap" · establishing a Qat forum (knowledge determination, study agenda, coordination of work, objectives) · nature and timing of a national conference on Qat · working with the government Need for Coordination and the Exchange of Information The meeting showed that there is a wide range of activities on Qat in Yemen. However, many organizations are not aware of projects simultaneously carried out with very similar scopes. There is, hence, an imminent need to coordinate activities and join efforts. Knowledge Gap - Need for Further Research There are many areas in which research on Qat could be conducted. Therefore there is a need to prioritize. Several topics were defined as important to fully understand the implications of Qat: · Qat and water requirements (new irrigation techniques) · pesticides and their impact on health and the environment · Qat and the family budget · Qat and the rural economy · determination of the extent of Qat cultivation (possibly by mapping) Qat Forum The need for a forum that would coordinate the future work on Qat and that could take up policy issues was emphasized. Such a forum could also develop proposals for a national policy on Qat. Raising awareness was another important activity that was suggested for a Qat forum. Whereas the Society for Combating Qat Disadvantages wanted it outspokenly to be a anti-Qat forum, others made it clear that such a forum must be open to all as part of an open national debate. Oxfam stressed that a forum must be a Yemeni forum with a broad base in the country so that its legitimacy grows. The forum should consist of a group of institutions, entities, and interested individuals. A small core group is needed that will define its objectives. It was understood that such a forum needs a fixed structure and that it cannot act without government approval. Abdul Malik Al-Thawr from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation expressed that the Qat Research Unit of the AREA program should play a key role in this forum. 3 It was suggested that a forum should be lead by civil society and be supported by donors. A founders committee was identified that held its first meeting hosted by Oxfam on July 18, 1999. National conference on Qat The Qat forum was also seen as a working group to prepare a national conference on Qat which could help to develop policy proposals and an action agenda on the Qat issue to develop a national consensus on the issue. Qat and the Government It was agreed that discussions and actions concerning Qat require a partnership approach between government and civil society, with donors and external agencies in a supportive role. 4 List of Participants Name Organization Position Tel. Fax Christopher Ward World Bank Principal Operations Off. 413709 413708 Naji Abu Hatim World Bank Technical Specialist 413709 413708 T.P.N. Sinha World Bank Principal Operations Off. 413709 413708 Agricultural Sector Peer Gatter World Bank 413709 413708 Analyst Anke Lenaers World Bank Consultant 413709 413708 S.S. Mahdi FAO Resident Representative 207609 Mohammed Bazza FAO Expert 207331 208852 Wen Ting-Tang FAO CTA 207609 Habib Sherif UNDP Governance TL 415505 412541 Ministry of Agric. & Gen. Dir. Planning & Abdul Malik al-Thawr 282444 277177 Irrigation Monitoring Qathan Abdul Malik CWMU-LWCP Director 226462 213503 Dir. of Water & Environ. Yusuf al-Mooji Sana'a University 250514 250514 Cent. Adel Mohammad Kaid Soc. Combatting Qat Public Relations 240148 240148 Abdalah al-Zalab Soc. Combatting Qat Researcher 240148 240148 Ragni Khanua Oxfam Program Representative 242996 260320 Souad al-Hibshi Oxfam Program Officer 242996 260320 Aref Muharram Nahl Environ. Protect. Soc. Chairman 7906478 242469 H. Kabire Nahl Environ. Protect. Soc. Translator 7096478 242469 Ahmed al-Hadrani Yemeni Cancer Soc. President, M.D. 234463 222111 Arend Meerburg Netherlands Embassy Ambassador 264080 264094 Lynn Donovan US-Embassy Economic Officer 238843 /-52 251563 Jerome Barbieri French Embassy Deputy Cultural Attache 268888 French Center for Yemen Renauld Detalle Researcher 278459 278459 Stud. Thierry Arnoult Doctors without Borders Administrator 207800 400738 Patrick Derouet IGN France Internat. Regional Manager 252574 Olivier Bouiri IGN France Internat. Project Manager 252574 5 Annex: Guidelines for a Qat Forum Peer Gatter, July 25, 1999 Name: A neutral name that does not have pro- or anti-Qat implications. Preliminary name: "Qat Forum". Purpose: The purpose of the forum is : - the coordination of the work on Qat, - the exchange of information, gathering of literature, the determination of research gaps, and recommendations to researchers and institutions to carry out work in the identified fields. - the preparation of a national conference on Qat. Membership: The forum is open to all interested researchers and institutions who are committed to respect its neutral approach. Organizational Structure and Funding: For the present the forum will be an informal discussion round. The NGO Oxfam GB will take a lead in supplying an logistic and financial basis for the forum (if the financing is going to be beyond the means of Oxfam, other donors will be approached). Due to its informal nature, financial means required for maintaining the forum will be comparatively low (required will be funds for stationary, telephone, photocopying, mail delivery, refreshments). However, Oxfam is unable to do cope with the workload such a forum will create. A cooperating institution or individual that could give the NGO a hand is necessary (Dr. Nahdi of the World Bank could help coordinating efforts). The forum has no permanent meeting place. Discussions will be in turn going to be hosted by various institutions, such as Sana'a University, embassies, international organizations, and NGOs. However, Oxfam will provide a place to set up an archive on data and literature on Qat. The Forum and the National Conference: Set up an agenda for the national conference: make recommendations for topics to be presented at the conference and identify researchers/organizations that might present these topics. Determine financial requirements for carrying out research/preparation needed for these presentations. Achieve a cooperation and consultation between the Qat forum and the secretariat which will be set up for organizing the conference (Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture) in order to guarantee the participation of civil society in the conference. Evaluate the conference, help in putting together a documentation on the conference Develop policy recommendations that result from the conference and which will be presented to the government. 6