The European Union and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) yesterday signed an agreement aimed at improving the economic and social wellbeing of Yemenis.

The UNDP office in Yemen said in a statement that the €69.8 million ($82.4 million) partnership “will be the largest of its kind and will work to strengthen local authorities, bridge life-saving humanitarian and longer-term development work, and engage the Yemeni private sector to fight poverty.”

“A three-year initiative, the Strengthening Institutional, and Economic Resilience in Yemen (SIERY) intends to rebuild community trust in the Yemeni state and help redefine the central-to-local relations,” the statement added.

European Union Ambassador to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said the new initiative will focus in particular on critical sectors for vulnerable populations such as health, water, food, and education.