The decision to transform Yemen into a federal state consisting of six regions was based on the recommendations of the regions committee, a presidential panel formed following the conclusion of the National Dialogue Conference on 25 January 2014. According to the Yemeni state news agency Saba, the aim of dividing Yemen into six regions within the framework of a federal state was to promote the establishment of modern administrations in the regions that could deal with questions of development, progress, security and stability. The committee took as its starting point the principles that emerged from the National Dialogue, among them that all citizens should have the rights and duties of equal citizenship; that there should be constructive competition between the regions; and that the regions should be integrated in a manner that ensured the equitable utilisation of the resources of each region. There should be the social and economic stability needed to meet the needs of the people, and every level of government should be endowed with the powers and competencies designated in the constitution for the building of a federal state.
Number of regions: Most committee members agreed on the option of six regions, with two in the South and four in the North. The decision was based on political factors discussed during the National Dialogue and the desire to fulfill the principles on which the Yemeni people had decided to establish a federal state: just partnership in wealth and power; the preservation of social peace and security; and the affirmation of national unity, security and stability. In designating the provinces of each region and the name of the region and the regional capital, the committee worked with criteria that included the economic capacity and potential of each region, geographical contiguity, and social, cultural and historical factors. The majority approved the following regions of the new federal state: Region 1: Hadramawt Provinces: Al-Mahra, Hadramawt, Shebwa and Socotra Capital: Al-Makalla Region 2: Saba Provinces: Al-Jawf, Mareb and Al-Bayda Capital: Mareb Region 3: Aden Provinces: Aden, Abyan, Al-Lahj and Daleh Capital: Aden Region 4: Al-Janad Provinces: Taez and Ibb Capital: Taez Region 5: Azal Provinces: Saada, Amran, Sanaa and Dhamar Capital: Sanaa Region 6: Tahama Provinces: Hudaydah, Rima, Al-Mahwit and Hajja Capital: Hudaydah The committee agreed to designate the national capital of Sanaa as a federal city that would not fall under any region. Special arrangements for it would be included in the constitution to guarantee its autonomy. It also agreed to designate the city of Aden as an economic and administrative centre with a special status in the framework of the Aden region. The city will have autonomous legislative and executive authorities, as stipulated in the federal constitution. General provisions: The borders of each region will be defined by the current borders of its constituent provinces. The committee agreed that the law governing the regions must include provisions making it possible for each region to modify current internal boundaries in accordance with established regulations after one or more electoral term. The process should be organised by a law issued by the legislative authority of each region. To ensure true partnership in the legislative authority of each region, there must be guarantees of rotation in the office of speaker of the legislative assembly and of the just representation of each province in the federal parliament. To ensure true partnership in the executive authority of each region, there should be a guarantee that no one province will be allowed to dominate the composition of the regional government. To ensure the just distribution of wealth, criteria must be drawn up, in consultation with the regions, for the just and transparent distribution of revenues from natural and other resources. These criteria should take into consideration the needs of the revenue-producing regions and the need to allocate a percentage of such revenues to the federal budget. Free trade and economic activity must be guaranteed in order to strengthen the relationship between the regions. Citizens, goods, products, money and services must be free to move between the regions, directly or indirectly, and there should be no barriers, obstacles or customs, tax or administrative restrictions to their passage from one region to another. Each region should play a leading role in its own economic development. The federal state should guarantee equal standards of living among the regions by enhancing cooperation and mutual support between them. Thecommittee's report has been submitted to the constitutional drafting committee, such that its conclusions may be incorporated into the Yemeni constitution. The committee held its first meeting on 29 January 2014, when it was chaired by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Four subsequent meetings were held, all chaired by the president, and a series of consultative meetings were held with representatives from various political and social constituencies.
