On 19-20 July, 2022, our Head of Peace Process Support, Alex Shoebridge and Programme Analyst, Farah Abou Harb joined Yemen Policy Center to talk to Yemen experts, peace practitioners and researchers to rethink peacemaking in Istanbul. our Peace Process Support team’s shared the four key outcomes from the two-day event.

1. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to peacemaking and peacebuilding across the country, given the fragmented and contested nature of the state. The situation has exacerbated suffering and created very different conditions and realities for the population.
2. More can be done to connect different actors from diverse communities – local authorities, civil society, businesses – so they can learn from each other and find ways to coordinate and scale up their collective peacemaking efforts.
3. Civil society engagement has been a challenge, but the role of civic actors in the city of Taiz shows there is real value in drawing on the expertise and influence of civic actors to shape peacemaking efforts in the country.
4. More can be done by the international community to better understand and adapt to people’s different realities in Yemen in rural and urban areas. This requires longer-term engagements that get behind locally-led efforts.

Photo source: Hito Ortake (Flickr)