Under the Title:

"Building Resilient Societies for Inclusive Peace and Sustainable Development in the MENA Region"

With a special focus on the Yemeni context as a model  for analyzing the structure challenges facing the feminist peace.  

This five‑year strategy (2026–2030) provides a guiding framework for the work of the Women’s Solidarity Network in the coming period, in response to the complex challenges facing feminist leaders and women working in the public sphere in Yemen amid ongoing conflict, institutional fragmentation, weakened protection systems, and the expansion of violence and targeting—particularly in public and digital spaces. The strategy aims to strengthen the Network’s role as an inclusive feminist platform and an institutional actor capable of protecting women leaders, organizing feminist action, expanding women’s presence and influence in decision‑making, peacebuilding, and advocacy.

The policy paper “Prospects for Peace in Al-Hudaydah”, authored by researcher Basim Al-Janani for the Peace Track Initiative, examines the political, security, and humanitarian realities in the governorate. It highlights the challenges faced by local communities as well as opportunities for building sustainable peace. The paper also presents actionable recommendations, including strengthening the role of the UN, landmine clearance, providing security and economic guarantees, and fostering inclusive dialogue among all parties.

This guide is available in Arabic only. Readers are therefore kindly requested to refer to the Arabic version published on the Peace Track Initiative website.

The paper examines the situation of marginalized and minority communities in Yemen—including Al-Muhamasheen, Baha'is, and Christians—amid ongoing conflict and state collapse.
Based on interviews and in-depth research, the paper highlights legal, social, and political challenges facing these communities and proposes targeted solutions to improve protection, inclusion, and representation.

The paper outlines urgent, medium-term, and long-term recommendations, including the establishment of local representative councils, reform of national laws, inclusive humanitarian aid, and support for international investigations into rights violations.

It concludes that ensuring the rights of these groups is not only a matter of justice but a key foundation for sustainable and inclusive peace in Yemen.

New York – March 6, 2025 – Nesmah Mansoor Ali, Senior Policy & Communication Officer at the Peace Track Initiative (PTI), delivered a briefing to the United Nations Security Council, marking PTI’s third engagement with the Council. Her intervention highlighted the compounded crises of armed conflict, climate change, and environmental degradation in Yemen, with a particular focus on their disproportionate impact on women and marginalized communities.

Ali underscored the urgent need for climate-responsive peacebuilding, stronger environmental governance, and the inclusion of women in all peace and political processes. She called on the Council to address environmental destruction as a war crime, ensure accountability, and support local peace initiatives tackling resource-based conflicts.

This marks PTI’s ongoing commitment to amplifying the voices of Yemeni women and advocating for inclusive and sustainable peace at the highest international level.

The December 2024 iteration of the Feminist Peace Roadmap (FPR) for Yemen represents a further development in the ongoing efforts toward a just, sustainable, and inclusive peace. Building on previous editions, this third version—formulated through consultations led by the Peace Track Initiative (PTI) and a broad coalition of Yemeni women leaders, feminist organizations, and partners—introduces and expands attention to a number of emerging and persistent issues. This overview is designed for the general public and for peacebuilding actors in Yemen, and offers insights into the roadmap’s approach, particularly its increased emphasis on climate change, the situations in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah, and the rights and inclusion of minority communities.

Context and Evolution

FPR 2024 is the outcome of years of engagement involving more than a thousand participants from varied political, civil, cultural, security, and military backgrounds across local and national contexts. It reflects a set of shared priorities and serves as a practical reference for mediators and negotiating teams. The roadmap defines “Feminist Peace” as “the achievement of peace and security for all, led by women, through a local and national peacebuilding process grounded in consensus and common ground. The process promotes broad and diverse participation and draws on the frameworks of human rights, gender equality, justice, and the rejection of violence.”

This edition incorporates input from the Feminist Peace Allies Group in Yemen—comprising civil society actors, politicians, and experts—whose contributions have shaped its inclusive content and perspective on long-term peace.

New and Expanded Areas of Focus in the 2024 Roadmap

While maintaining its overall structure centered around a multi-phased peace process (De-escalation and Ceasefire; Comprehensive Peace Negotiations; and Governance and Transitional Priorities), the December 2024 FPR integrates new areas of focus, including:

1. Climate Change as a Compounding Factor

The 2024 Roadmap places greater emphasis on the intersection between climate change and Yemen’s humanitarian and socio-economic challenges. It outlines the country’s increasing vulnerability to environmental disruptions such as floods, cyclones, droughts, and rising temperatures. These phenomena have led to adverse consequences for many communities, especially women and other groups with limited access to services, livelihoods, and protection mechanisms. Areas such as Al-Hudaydah and Al-Mahrah are cited as particularly exposed to these impacts.

The roadmap notes the specific effects on women, including repeated displacement, barriers to healthcare, and heightened risks of gender-based violence in environmentally affected areas. It therefore recommends that climate considerations be systematically included in peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts. It suggests that overlooking these issues may contribute to further societal tensions and resource-based conflicts, and may reduce the ability of marginalized groups to participate in long-term recovery and peacebuilding.

2. Dynamics in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah

The FPR 2024 allocates detailed attention to the situations in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah, two governorates that have experienced significant humanitarian and political challenges.

Taiz: Formerly a cultural and economic hub, Taiz has undergone extended conflict and siege, resulting in infrastructure destruction and limited access to water and basic services. The roadmap references the partial reopening of Al-Qasr Street in June 2024 as a development that facilitated some movement within the city, while also emphasizing that such steps remain fragile in the absence of broader political and security agreements. Localized peace initiatives are proposed to address the particular circumstances in Taiz.

Al-Hudaydah: As a principal port serving northern Yemen, Al-Hudaydah plays a central role in the delivery of food and fuel. The roadmap reiterates the significance of the 2018 Stockholm Agreement in maintaining port operations and preventing escalation. However, it also acknowledges continued risks, including military activity and environmental stressors such as rising sea levels and erosion. The document calls for responses that take into account the overlapping security, humanitarian, and environmental dimensions in the governorate, and that consider the port's strategic function within national recovery efforts.

3. Rights and Representation of Minority Groups

The December 2024 Roadmap expands its discussion on the multiple forms of exclusion affecting minority populations in Yemen. It outlines the particular challenges faced by (Religious minorities,Socially marginalized communities,Other underrepresented groups) whose inclusion in the peace process is seen as necessary for equitable representation.

 The recommendations related to minority inclusion were developed in consultation with members of the Men Feminist Peace Allies Group.

Ongoing Commitment to Inclusive Peacebuilding

In addition to the thematic updates, the December 2024 Roadmap reaffirms its initial commitments, including the aim of securing at least 30% women’s representation in all phases of political and peace processes, with additional efforts to ensure youth participation and balanced representation between southern and northern regions. The roadmap continues to support a multi-track peace approach responsive to the priorities of various segments of Yemeni society, particularly those affected most directly by the conflict.

This updated edition is intended as a reference for national and international actors involved in peace and reconstruction initiatives in Yemen. Through its examination of climate-related risks, local conflict dynamics, and minority representation, the December 2024 Feminist Peace Roadmap outlines a set of approaches designed to support inclusive and sustainable peace outcomes. It reflects the contributions of Yemeni women and civil society actors engaged in shaping future peace frameworks.

This paper examines the intersection of climate change, gender equality, and peacebuilding in Yemen, with a specific focus on Aden, Hadramout, and Al-Mahra.

The policy paper highlights the challenges faced by women due to climate change, particularly in the context of Yemen’s ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis. It also assesses the gaps in Yemen’s National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), emphasizing the need to integrate climate considerations into national and international peace efforts.

The publication provides key recommendations for policymakers, civil society, and international stakeholders to ensure a gender-responsive approach to climate resilience and sustainable peace in Yemen.

Linda Al-Obahi, Senior Advisor on Political Affairs and Mediation, delivered a briefing to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the deteriorating situation of women's rights in Yemen. Representing the Peace Track Initiative (PTI) and the Women Solidarity Network, she highlighted the urgent humanitarian needs and the systemic violations against women and girls in the country.

Linda’s briefing shed light on the severe restrictions on women’s freedom of movement, the rise in gender-based violence, and the increasing use of child marriage and forced displacement as survival strategies. She also emphasized the targeted attacks on women human rights defenders, activists, and marginalized women, many of whom face arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence.

She called on the Security Council to ensure the release of arbitrarily detained women, include women in peace negotiations, and integrate gender-sensitive policies in Yemen’s transition process. PTI stands committed to supporting Yemeni women and ensuring their voices are heard in all efforts toward sustainable peace.

This mapping was developed by Peace Track Initiative to provide a comprehensive overview of environmental policies and climate actors in Yemen, examining the intersection between climate change, gender, and peacebuilding. The mapping identifies key initiatives and organizations working in the climate field, assesses their impact on women and marginalized groups, and evaluates the inclusion of environmental priorities in civil society agendas. This work is part of PTI’s efforts to ensure that climate justice is central to feminist peacebuilding in Yemen.

The "Glossary of International Protection Terms for Human Rights in Sign Language" is a specialized resource aimed at enhancing access to protection and human rights concepts for people with hearing disabilities in Yemen. The guide provides 65 key legal and rights-related terms in Yemeni Sign Language, many of which were previously unavailable in the national sign language dictionary. It was developed with the active participation of sign language experts, interpreters, and members of the deaf community from the governorates of Aden, Lahij, and Abyan.

The initiative was carried out under the supervision of Iman Omar Hashem, a certified sign language interpreter with over 25 years of experience. The process involved translating the meaning of each term, developing its sign, performing and filming the signs with deaf participants, and printing the final version of the guide. The printed guide has been distributed to professionals working with the deaf community across the three governorates, marking a pioneering step toward inclusive human rights engagement.

This guide was developed as part of the project “Strengthening the Resilience of Women Human Rights Defenders in Yemen,” led by the Peace Track Initiative, in partnership with Elbarlamaent (Germany), TOBE Foundation for Rights and Liberties, and with funding from the European Union (EU).

This study seeks to understand the role of the feminist movement in advancing human rights in Yemen and the extent of its influence in the face of ongoing political, social, and sectarian challenges. By using a descriptive analytical methodology and drawing on interviews with gender experts, political activists, human rights defenders, and supporters of women’s issues—as well as relevant literature and data—the study provides valuable insights into the contributions and resilience of feminist actors within Yemen’s complex and conflict-affected context.

This study was done as As part of a project led by the Peace Track Initiative (PTI), in partnership with Elbarlamaent and the TOBE Foundation for Rights and Liberties, and with funding from the European Union (EU), the Qarar Foundation. 

The policy paper entitled “Impacts of Enforced Disappearance and Arbitrary Detention on Women and Children in Yemen” was launched by the Abductees’ Mothers Association as part of a broader project led by the Peace Track Initiative (PTI), in partnership with Elbarlamaent and the TOBE Foundation for Rights and Liberties, with funding from the European Union (EU), and on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The paper represents a qualitative and necessary contribution to the protection of women human rights defenders from the violations they continue to face as a result of the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

The paper highlights the gendered impacts of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention, particularly the suffering endured by women and children whose husbands and fathers are subjected to such practices. It aims to inform practical, locally grounded solutions that reduce harm, uphold rights, and advance accountability.

The Self-Referral Guide for Protection is designed to be an easy-to-use reference for women human rights defenders inside and outside Yemen. It is designed to facilitate their access to information on services available to them locally, nationally and internationally.

The Gender-Based Conflict Analysis and Peace Advocacy Toolkit aims to empower women activists, civil society and humanitarian workers, as well as government representatives, with skills to integrate gender into peacebuilding work. It also enables women’s needs to be met effectively and sustainably.

The Gender-Based Conflict Analysis and Peace Advocacy Toolkit aims to empower feminist activists, civil society and humanitarian workers, as well as government representatives, to integrate gender into peacebuilding work and ensure that the needs of women and girls are effectively and sustainably met.

The Gender-Based Conflict Analysis and Peace Advocacy Toolkit aims to empower women activists, civil society and humanitarian workers, as well as government representatives, with skills to integrate gender into peacebuilding work. It also enables women’s needs to be met effectively and sustainably.

At a high-level side event hosted by Luxembourg on 6 March 2023 during the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Peace Track Initiative's Protection Coordinator, Nadia Ebrahim, delivered a statement on the rising threats faced by Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) in Yemen.

The intervention highlighted the sharp increase in violations—ranging from physical violence and digital harassment to defamation campaigns—targeting women advocating for peace, rights, and justice. Nadia Gamal called for robust international and national mechanisms to document abuses, ensure protection services, deliver justice, and guarantee reparations.

The statement also reflected on PTI’s engagement with the Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) and stressed the urgent need for gender-responsive, intersectional, and sustainable approaches to protect WHRDs in conflict settings. This advocacy effort reaffirms PTI’s commitment to defending civic space and amplifying the voices of women at risk.

This statement, delivered during the 48th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2021, highlights grave human rights violations in Yemen and calls for urgent action to support a sustainable and inclusive peace. Endorsed by the Peace Track Initiative, the statement welcomes the report of the Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) and stresses the importance of a gender-responsive approach to peacebuilding and accountability.

Key points addressed in the statement include:

• The imperative of inclusive peace processes that amplify the voices of women, youth, and marginalized communities.

• A clear condemnation of arms transfers to parties to the conflict, which fuel violence and undermine peacebuilding efforts.

• A strong critique of the exclusion of women from Yemen’s political processes, particularly the formation of an all-male government in 2020, which contravenes Yemen’s commitments to gender equality.

The statement calls on the international community to:

• Immediately halt arms sales contributing to the conflict,

• Ensure accountability for human rights violations,

• And advocate for the meaningful participation of women in all peace and governance processes.

In June 2021, the first draft of the Feminist Peace Roadmap was introduced. This document was the outcome of extensive consultations led by the Peace Track Initiative (PTI) in collaboration with a broad group of Yemeni women leaders, political figures, civil society representatives, and independent experts, both in Yemen and the diaspora. The 2021 Roadmap was developed as a comprehensive framework intended to consolidate and reflect the shared perspectives of various feminist groups on building a more inclusive and equitable peace process in Yemen.

The drafting of the 2021 Feminist Peace Roadmap was a collaborative process. PTI facilitated a series of consultations throughout 2020 and 2021, involving approximately 30 women leaders from political and civil society backgrounds, as well as experts. These discussions initially centered on key elements of the ceasefire process, particularly in response to the Joint Declaration proposed by the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY), and sought to identify women’s priorities in this context. Participating groups included the Women Solidarity Network, the Yemeni Women Pact for Peace and Security, the National Reconciliation Movement, and several women-led organizations such as Food for Humanity, the Mothers of Abductees, AWAM Development Foundation, Wogood for Human Security Foundation, To Be Foundation for Rights and Freedoms, Sam Initiative, the Women Alliance for Peace, the Southern Feminist Movement, the Democratic Social Forum, and the Taiz Women for Life Initiative. In total, 148 women and 38 men participated, representing various constituencies across Yemeni society, including displaced individuals, families of detainees, community leaders, and professionals from multiple sectors.

The principles and structure of the Roadmap are based on international human rights standards and established peacebuilding practices. It adopts a rights-based approach with attention to gender and conflict sensitivity and calls for the implementation of international treaties ratified by Yemen, such as CEDAW and UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The Roadmap outlines guiding principles including equal citizenship, non-discrimination, a victim-centered approach, accountability, democratic participation, civilian protection, access to justice, and enhanced decentralization.

The draft Roadmap was formally discussed during the High-Level Convening on Feminist Peace in Yemen, held virtually from June 28 to July 2, 2021. The event was co-hosted by PTI, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The convening provided an opportunity to reflect on the contributions of Yemeni women to peace processes and to collect input on the draft Roadmap.

The main objectives of the convening were to offer a space for Yemeni women to present their perspectives and work on peace-related issues, facilitate exchanges with diplomatic stakeholders including UN representatives, and gather feedback on the Roadmap. The agenda addressed a range of topics relevant to the peace negotiations, with presentations from grassroots actors, scholars, government officials, and diplomats. The interaction between community-based initiatives (Track II and III) and formal diplomatic processes (Track I) was among the key aims of the event.

The Feminist Peace Roadmap, as shared during the conference, proposed a set of policy recommendations emerging from two years of consultations on topics such as security sector reform, economic recovery, prisoner exchange, salary payments, local governance, humanitarian priorities, transitional justice, and the broader importance of an inclusive and gender-responsive peace process. Following the convening, the intention was to finalize the Roadmap and circulate it through UN diplomatic mechanisms, including the Arria Formula meetings, to inform Member States and Security Council representatives about gender-relevant aspects of Yemen’s peacebuilding challenges.

The 2021 Feminist Peace Roadmap and its presentation at the Feminist Peace Conference represented an important stage in coordinating and elevating the contributions of Yemeni women and feminist organizations. It offered a structured and inclusive approach to supporting sustainable and equitable peacebuilding in Yemen. The process also reflected the depth of engagement and expertise among Yemeni women working in this field.

As a living document, the Roadmap remains open to further input and adaptation. Once finalized, it is intended to serve as a practical reference for policymakers, mediators, and international actors committed to supporting peace and stability in Yemen.

On 8 March 2021, International Women’s Day, Rasha Jarhum, co-founder and Director of the Peace Track Initiative, addressed the UN Security Council during an Arria-formula meeting. Speaking on behalf of more than 300 Yemeni women leaders represented by the Peace Track Initiative and the Women Solidarity Network, Jarhum underscored the critical yet consistently overlooked contributions of Yemeni women to peacebuilding, and called for their full, meaningful, and sustained inclusion in all formal peace processes.

Jarhum’s statement highlighted a striking paradox: despite playing pivotal roles in mediating local ceasefires, facilitating humanitarian access, and securing landmark gains—such as the 30% gender quota in the 2013 National Dialogue Conference—Yemeni women have been systematically excluded from Track I negotiations, including the Kuwait and Stockholm talks. She denounced the patriarchal justifications for their exclusion and criticized the international community’s failure to enforce accountability under UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and Yemen’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security.

The statement further drew attention to the growing violence against women, including arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence by parties to the conflict, particularly the Houthis. Jarhum urged the Security Council to ensure that future peace processes are inclusive, transparent, and representative—stressing that sustainable peace is unattainable without gender equality and the direct participation of women, youth, and civil society actors.

This statement remains a powerful advocacy tool and a timely reminder that women's inclusion must be a non-negotiable pillar in all UN-supported peace efforts for Yemen.

The statement provided recommendations to the group of eminent experts in Yemen as well as echoing some of their recommendations that focused on women’s rights.