The Enhancing Women’s Engagement in Track ‎II Peace Processes, a project run by Partners Yemen in collaboration with Partners Bulgaria and supported by the Embassy of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen will enhance the role of the second generation of women leaders in the peace process at Track I and Track II in order to increase women leadership and visibility at the local and national levels and to establish communication mechanisms between women and decision – makers. As part of initial project activities Partners Bulgaria and Partners Yemen designed and conducted a gender and context assessment to understand the current context and explore what is the situation of women’s political engagement and the underlying factors that create obstacles to women’s public participation in Yemen. The analysis focuses on the opportunities for success, lessons learned and ways to enable the new generation of women. It determines more clearly the challenges and opportunities available in order to support a realistic approach to women’s inclusion in Track II peace process in the four targeted governorates of Taiz, Aden, Hadhramaut and Marib.

This report is based on quantitative and qualitative data obtained through online questionnaire and through interviews and focus groups conducted with local and international NGOs, local officials, academics, judges, civil society representatives, and tribal leaders in the target governorates. Research was conducted between April and June 2024. In each governorate, two focus groups were conducted – one with female participants and one with mixed group of participants. A total of 259 respondents participated in the online questionnaire; 65 participants took part in the focus groups – 49 women and 16 men. In total, 308 people took part in this assessment.

The assessment begins with a context analysis, including the effect of changes  in the regional and local dynamics on women and the wider population. This is followed by a section outlining how communities deal with civil conflicts and what is the women’s contribution to conflict resolution. This section also provides an analysis of existing mechanisms which deal with conflicts and potential and existing roles of women in conflict resolution at local and national levels in Yemen. Special attention is given to changing gender roles and the effect of women’s economic activities on family dynamics. Women’s public participation is explored through various examples of women’s engagement or lack of engagement in government and political process. The assessment looks into the level of political parties’ openness towards women’s engagement n politics.

The assessment concludes with three sets of recommendations: strategies for enhancing the new generation of women’s participation in Track II peace process; lessons learned from national and international NGOs working in Yemen; and strategies and ways forward for the program.

Recommendations for enhancing new generation of women’s political participation are related to applying a multi-sector approach to create enabling environment and overcome the existing obstacles, discriminatory practices and multiple marginalisation which deprives Yemeni women from social participation, economic opportunities and political engagement. Recommendations from participants in the assessment include: increasing community and family awareness; education and capacity building along with continuous support and protection of women activists; networking and mutual endorsement of women; empowering women-led organisations; promoting gender equality in political process and in all areas of public life; engaging women in mediation and conciliation committees; and systematic efforts by various stakeholders to bring women to peace negotiations process.

In the final section of the assessment titled “Strategies and ways forward for the program” it is recommended that Partners Yemen has to consider the impact of their program on women and perform conflict and gender sensitive approach to understand how the program has a potential to change the family and community dynamics and consider mitigating any harmful consequences for women, if any. It is also important the team to build channels of communication between the new generation of women leaders and authorities and to apply instruments for women’s engagement such as networking, participation in communication platforms and consultative mechanisms, providing opportunities for women’s visibility, getting their voices across and bringing their prospective in the Track II peace negotiation process.

This assessment found that the overall and specific objectives of the Program are valid and necessary. The assessment reaffirms the urgent need for building freer and just environment for women to be able to assert their social, economic and political rights. The deterioration of public services and the absence or inefficiency of government strategies to address the humanitarian crisis and to deal with the ongoing conflict have left a gap which needs community mobilization, more active civil society and higher level of women’s involvement in public live – strategies which Partners Yemen is well-positioned to apply.

Yemeni women: Gender and Context analysis: Download pdf