UNITED NATIONS GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Since 1990, when North and South Yemen unified, the country has had to deal with the merging of two different political and administrative systems, the effects of the Gulf war, and the impact of the 1994 civil war. Traditionally, North Yemen has been a very closed society with very little contact with the outside world and where education was confined only to religious schools. It is only during the last two to three decades that educational opportunities have been made available and enrolment in basic education has increased significantly. With the unification of North and South Yemen, the fight against poverty is the main theme of Government's poverty policy for the years to come and the need to improve the situation of children and women is emphasized.