Yemen: advocating for a greater role for women in the peace process

Women’s role in consolidating peace in Yemen: this was the main theme of the second online meeting organised on 20 May, which brought together civil society organisations, the media and journalists. This was an important opportunity to enter into discussions about how to change the collaboration between these organisations and journalists in Yemen, in order to ensure a greater impact in terms of women's participation in peacebuilding in Yemen.

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Alongside these discussions, the women and men participants defined the action needed to establish and maintain a lasting partnership between civil society organisations and the media.
Randa Al-Hammadi, journalist and member of the Makanati network (CFI's previous project implemented in Yemen and Iraq) shared her experience: “We need to work together to find practical ways of facilitating communication and collaboration, because often it’s difficult for journalists to get information from civil society organisations.”

During the final part of the meeting, the participants reflected on the strategies to be adopted so that these organisations can successfully collaborate with the media on issues of social change. The aim is to give women a greater voice in the peacebuilding process in Yemen, and more significant impact.

This meeting forms part of a work programme that aims to develop an advocacy plan to strengthen women’s involvement and participation in peacebuilding in Yemen. Face-to-face training was organised in advance on defining and implementing advocacy actions, as well as an initial coordination meeting. Two working meetings are scheduled for July and September 2024 to finalise the advocacy plan.