Nine years of conflict has disrupted any sense of stable governance in Yemen, produced constantly shifting territorial lines which imperil local populations, and magnified the already prevalent socio-economic challenges facing the country. The dismantling of government institutions and destruction of infrastructure, livelihoods, and social services has weakened the resilience of communities and further marginalized women and other vulnerable populations. Children and youth, who make up 70 percent of the population, are particularly susceptible to recruitment incentives by armed groups, while declining resources have exacerbated intra- and inter-communal conflicts. Red Sea attacks by the Houthis threaten Yemen’s fragile ceasefire brokered in April 2022 and risk derailing future peace and political processes.
USAID RESPONSE
USAID promotes responsive governance, community-led peace and reconciliation processes, and the protection of human rights as a foundation for peace and stability. USAID programs strengthen local and national governance through technical and consensus-building assistance to key political institutions, encourage citizen and marginalized youth engagement in government policies and decision-making, and support women within government and civil society to participate safely and meaningfully in governance, peace, and political processes. Programs also help advance child protection by strengthening community resilience and amplifying socio-economic opportunities for youth and foster community cohesion and reconciliation through activities that mitigate disputes and promote engagement between people from different groups.
KEY RESULTS
- Awarded peacebuilding grants for 25 activities to strengthen local leaders, organizations, and networks to serve as neutral arbitrators and peace builders. These grants helped set up initiatives and clubs for 600 youth and women, providing the forums to discuss and resolve long-standing conflicts, raise awareness about discrimination, and bring people together to discuss solutions to enhance peace in Yemen.
- Contributed to a 28 percent increase in community members’ level of trust in local institutions. USAID also launched ten subgrants to Yemeni community-based organizations, including two women-led organizations, to support innovative interventions to prevent the recruitment of children by armed groups and address climate change-induced conflicts through inclusive dispute resolution mechanisms.
- Established the Hadramawt Social Peace Assembly (SPA) comprising community members, civil society, tribal leaders, and political actors to mediate and resolve local conflicts in partnership with local authorities. Within six months, the 36-member SPA successfully implemented durable solutions for the local internally-displaced persons population, sewage system failure, and tenant conflicts. Supported Yemen’s Ministry of Youth and Sports to develop the Yemen National Youth Strategy Action Plan to improve the government's engagement with Yemeni youth, resulting in 12 proposals for targeted social and economic development programs. To complement that effort, USAID strengthened the community organizing, coalition building, and program design skills of 31 civil society members of the National Network of Youth and Social Initiatives.
- Enhanced the negotiation, networking, and communications skills of 61 female political party leaders to increase women’s political participation in Yemen and supported a national advocacy campaign to combat political violence against women in Yemen during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The campaign, led by a coalition of female politicians, included a series of inspirational talks with young women, consensus-building sessions with a cross-sector of youth to discuss the challenges to women’s political participation, and the identification of concrete actions endorsed by senior government, political parties, and civil society representatives.
- USAID launched an online platform to create a space for public dialogue and to amplify messages focused on the nexus of social cohesion and natural resource management. Since its launch in May 2023, the platform has reached 9,918,716 Yemenis, generating 751,529 engagements and 2,912 comments.
