Enhancing the Role of Women in Yemen’s Peace Processes

Despite the ongoing conflict, Yemeni women continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience, leading local initiatives for peace and community cohesion. Since 2011, their role - particularly as mediators - has gained increasing importance, yet further research is needed to fully understand its impact and its connection to national peace processes. For this reason, UNDP Yemen and the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen have launched a study to explore women’s contributions to local reconciliation, map their experiences and challenges, and identify concrete solutions to enhance their involvement in future peace efforts.

More details

The research entrusted to Lattanzio KIBS has clear objectives: to highlight the local and national reconciliation processes in which women have participated, to understand how these mechanisms operate, to assess their legal and social role within mediation frameworks, and to capture the cultural and regional differences that shape these dynamics. The study also collects and documents the personal experiences of ten women mediators, whose stories offer valuable lessons and new inspiration.

The research focuses on six key areas - Taiz, Hadhramaut, Aden, Lahj, Abyan, and Marib - and adopts an integrated approach. It combines socio-political analysis and a review of the developments since 2011 with an extensive literature review, 50 semi-structured interviews with key informants, and ten focus group discussions with civil society representatives. Storytelling plays a central role, providing a direct voice to the protagonists and revealing the human dimension of women’s mediation efforts.

The study will deliver multiple outputs: an initial methodological report, interview transcripts and summaries, a narrative documentation dedicated to the mediators’ experiences, a final analytical report with concrete recommendations, and a presentation of findings supported by a dissemination plan designed to maximize impact.

Lattanzio KIBS oversees the overall management of the research, ensuring technical, financial, and logistical coordination, mobilizing international experts, supervising quality assurance, and acting as a bridge between the institutions involved.

Project Impact

The study addresses a critical knowledge gap concerning the role of women in mediation and peace processes in Yemen. It helps to understand how local experiences can connect with broader national political pathways and provides actionable recommendations to strengthen women’s mediation as a driver of stability and inclusion. The collected testimonies offer not only analytical evidence but also inspiring narratives capable of motivating new generations of women mediators. In doing so, the research lays the groundwork for linking community reconciliation with institutional efforts towards a sustainable and inclusive peace in Yemen.