San‘a’ (Arabic: صنعاء‎ Ṣana'ā') is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is San‘a’, which is also the national capital. However, the city of San‘a’ is not part of the Governorate but instead forms the separate district of Amanat Al-Asemah. The Governorate covers an area of 13,850 km². As of 2004, the population was 918,379 inhabitants.

Coordinates: 15°21′N 44°12′E / 15.35°N 44.2°E / 15.35; 44.2

Sana'a (Arabic: صنعاء‎ Ṣanʿāʾ pronounced [sˤɑnʕaːʔ], Yemeni Arabic: [ˈsˤɑnʕɑ]), also spelled "Sana", is the capital of Yemen and the centre of San‘a’ Governorate; however the city itself is not part of the Governorate, but forms the separate administrative district of "Amanat Al-Asemah".

Sana'a is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. At an altitude of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft), it is also one of the highest capital cities in the world. Sana'a has a population of approximately 1,748,000 (2010) making it Yemen's largest city. The old city of Sana'a, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a distinctive visual character due its unique architectural characteristics, most notably expressed in its multi-story buildings decorated with geometric patterns.

Sana'a is one of the oldest populated places in the world. According to popular legend it was founded by Shem, the son of Noah. It was known as "Azal" in ancient times, referring to Uzal, a son of Qahtan who was a great-grandson of Shem. Its current name likely derived from the South Arabian word for "well-fortified". Arab historian al-Hamdani wrote that Sana'a was walled by the Sabeans under their ruler Sha'r Awtar who also built the Ghumdan Palace in the city. Because of its location, Sana'a has served as an urban center for the surrounding tribes of the region and as a nucleus of regional trade in southern Arabia. It was positioned at the crossroad of two major ancient trade routes linking Marib in the east to the Red Sea in the west.

Bruno Geddo is an Italian national, born in Milan, and a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) official with over 20 years’ experience in Africa. After completing his degree in law and international politics in Milan in 1988, he began his career as a Protection Officer in Sudan, first in Gedaref and then in Khartoum. Between 1991 and 1993, he was posted to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he oversaw the repatriation of South African refugees who had fled the apartheid regime. He then returned to UNHCR Headquarters, Geneva where he served as Senior Legal Advisor to the Africa Bureau. From 1997 to 2001 he was Assistant Regional Representative (Protection) in Pretoria, South Africa with responsibility for refugee issues across southern Africa. He spent the subsequent four years back in Geneva as Head of the Legal Advice Unit, Africa Bureau, before being appointed UNHCR Representative in Central African Republic from 2005 to 2008. There he oversaw the repatriation of Chadian and Sudanese refugees, among others. He then undertook a number of special missions in Darfur, South Africa (Zimbabwean refugees) and Dadaab, Kenya. He became Representative for Somalia in December 2009, based in Nairobi, and since June 2011 has been managing UNHCR’s famine emergency response.