Women in Development and Peace – Hebah Mohammed
Yemeni women persistently strive to overcome significant societal and security obstacles with courage and unwavering determination. They aim to prove their capabilities in all fields traditionally dominated by men, particularly in the realms of politics and diplomacy. Despite the ongoing conflicts that have cast their shadows over Yemen, affecting all members of society, women have demonstrated their ability to participate effectively in the diplomatic and international relations arena.
In this report, we shed light on the role of Yemeni women in diplomacy, their efforts to enhance international relations, and highlight distinguished Yemeni female diplomats, their accomplishments, and the challenges they face in their diplomatic work.
Yemeni Woman & the Journey of Resilience
Over the past years, Yemeni women have excelled in the field of diplomacy, making a distinct and visible impact on the international community, despite the enduring and overwhelming effects of the ongoing conflicts in Yemen. Through their resilience and achievements in various complex sectors such as diplomacy, politics, and the economy, women have achieved honorable presence and remarkable accomplishments for decades. They have also actively participated in various social issues on the domestic level, providing a clear picture of the local reality and presenting it to the international community.
Yemeni women have made significant strides in diverse areas of public life, particularly in education, health, economics, and social sectors. This has further strengthened their determination to continue their steady progress towards political and diplomatic empowerment, which has been a pivotal turning point for them in the face of societal obstacles and complex traditions that govern women’s lives. In 2001, Yemeni women were elected as members of parliament (House of Representatives) and were chosen for legislative positions. They were appointed to various professional roles. However, despite these accomplishments, which were achieved after prolonged difficulties, the participation of Yemeni women in the diplomatic field is still extremely limited, with few appointments as ambassadors representing Yemen abroad.
Numerous studies on the work of Yemeni women in diplomacy and their impact on international relations confirm that Yemeni women face various challenges in their journey towards political and diplomatic empowerment. These challenges include cultural customs and traditions that limit their role in the public sphere, a lack of awareness regarding the importance of women’s participation in decision-making, and insufficient support from certain official and societal entities. Despite their ability to actively contribute to building Yemen’s future and working towards achieving sustainable development on the international level, their participation remains restricted.
Laila Lutf al-Thawr is the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Political Bureau and Relations of the Arab Hope Party. She explains that the participation of Yemeni women in governmental diplomacy remains very limited, despite the presence of a significant number of qualified women leaders capable of engaging in this field. Since the September 26 Revolution, many women have entered the political arena despite the difficult societal circumstances at the time. However, their participation has been extremely limited and weak, leading to a concentration of women’s participation in decision-making positions and depriving them of their right to participate externally in diplomatic missions representing various Yemeni embassies abroad.
She clarified, the presence of women in diplomatic work has been limited to serving as employees and staff within the attachments of diplomatic missions. Their numbers have not exceeded the fingers on one hand, as political and diplomatic representation of women does not exceed 1% compared to 99% for men. Therefore, there is a call to reconsider the appropriate proportion of women’s work in the diplomatic field, especially in this period that Yemen is going through. Yemeni history is rich with successful female models in various fields, including diplomacy, and some women have reached high leadership positions, which confirms the Yemeni woman’s ability to prove her competence in any field she chooses.
Regarding whether there has been noticeable progress in increasing the representation of women in high-level diplomatic positions and strategic roles, Laila Lutf pointed out that despite some progress, women still represent a very small percentage of Yemeni diplomats in high-level positions and strategic roles, especially when compared to the large number of qualified female leaders in Yemen who work in many political, human rights, economic, and civil society fields. These women have proved their competence in representing Yemen in various areas and peacebuilding.
She also affirms that female leaders have worked so far to highlight the Yemeni cause and support it strongly in various international forums. They have succeeded in raising the level of international political and financial aid and peacebuilding. However, there is still a significant level of denial of this role and a systematic exclusion of female leaders from all political and diplomatic appointments.
Despite the challenges they face, Yemeni female leaders have proven their ability to influence various international issues related to Yemen. They have effectively participated in international conferences and seminars and have successfully conveyed the voice of Yemen to the world in various fields.
Yemeni Women’s Role in Diplomacy & International Relations
Laila al-Thawr mentioned in her discussion that since the beginning of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, a number of Yemeni female leaders have been appointed as ambassadors or in high positions in embassies in several countries, including Poland, Hungary, and Jordan. Despite their small number, this is considered a significant milestone in the history of Yemeni diplomacy under the difficult circumstances Yemen is going through. This step represents a good start for building a bright future for women in this field.
She emphasizes that Yemeni female leaders have proven their ability to succeed in diplomatic work and have achieved numerous accomplishments. For example, they have followed up on cases of Yemenis who went missing in Poland and Ukraine, which was supervised by the Yemeni ambassador in Poland, Dr. Mervat Mojali. She helped in pursuing these cases by coordinating with the relevant authorities, which confirms that women have effectively succeeded in addressing all issues without exception and participating in building a better future for Yemen.
Percentage of Yemeni Women’s Participation in Diplomacy
The participation of Yemeni women in diplomatic work remains extremely limited, and this minimal representation underscores the need to increase women’s participation in this sensitive field, especially given the current circumstances in Yemen.
In this regard, Ms. Maha Awad Head, of Wogood for Human Security (WHS) and the Women’s Summit in Aden, confirms that according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in 2018, it was evident that women’s representation in high-level diplomatic positions is extremely low. Currently, there are only three female ambassadors, including retired ambassadors, which confirms the scarcity of women in this field.
She further explains that looking at the negotiation process that took place after the conflict, Security Council Resolution 2216 was not responsive to gender issues, and women’s participation in the third round of negotiations in Kuwait in 2016 was limited to only three women, accounting for 10%.
According to Ms. Maha Awad, despite the National Dialogue Conference’s mandate for women’s participation to be no less than 30%, the reality contradicts this, especially in the appointment process. Since 2014, there have been only three female ministers appointed in the Competencies Government, constituting a mere 7% of the agreed-upon number. In 2015, the number of appointed female ministers was only two, and following the government change in 2018, the percentage dropped to an extreme level of marginalization. This was particularly evident during the formation of the Competencies Government in 2020, where women encountered violations of their right to equality, marginalization, and exclusion, resulting in a complete absence of political and diplomatic participation, reaching 0%.
Journalist and human rights activist Widad Al-Badawi also participates, indicating that there is an insufficient number of appointed women in Yemen’s diplomatic corps under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or officially appointed ambassadors. This is due to the lack of trust in women’s ability to handle significant responsibilities, especially in such exceptional circumstances. Women feel that their role does not exist officially, as we have only three female ambassadors, including Ambassador Dr. Mervat Mojali, who is an activist and our ambassador to Poland, in addition to Sahar Ghanem, Yemen’s ambassador to the Netherlands, who also serves as a non-resident ambassador to Norway and Sweden, and Asmahan Abdulhameed, Yemen’s ambassador to Italy.
She also explains that Yemeni Ambassador Sahar Ghanem has been able to play a positive and honorable role in representing Yemeni women in international forums. Apart from her representation as a representative of the Yemeni authority, she has proven her effective and influential presence that befits Yemeni women in international forums and meetings, especially at the Yemen International Forum (YIF).
Al-Badawi confirms that Yemeni women working in the diplomatic field have been able to address women’s issues, youth, civil society, and the state. They have represented women excellently in terms of presentation, performance, presence, and charisma. However, there is an insufficient list of women in the Yemeni Foreign Ministry, and we look forward to having more Yemeni women in diplomatic work, utilizing their abilities as ambassadors to safeguard the nation’s interests, just like men.
Factors Affecting Women’s Participation in Diplomacy
There are factors that affect the low participation of women in diplomatic work and the failure to achieve gender balance in this field. Despite their competence and capabilities, women’s participation in diplomacy remains extremely limited, with some attributing it to societal opposition.
Laila al-Thawr, drawing from her experience in conflict resolution and handling prisoner and detainee files, has found that society welcomes the presence of women in leadership positions, including diplomatic work. On the other hand, some argue that society is the sole obstacle, but this narrative is inaccurate.
She also points out that the main reason behind the low participation of women in diplomatic work and decision-making positions is the absence of appropriate political decisions. Society itself is not opposed to appointing women to political or diplomatic positions, and to achieve gender balance in diplomacy, relevant authorities must take concrete steps to create a favorable environment that supports women’s participation.
She explains that male political leaders affiliated with different factions compete and struggle for positions, without supporting women’s participation in political and diplomatic work as effective contributors to nation-building. They overlook the rights of women leaders to participate under various pretexts.
Furthermore, she notes that treating women as competitors rather than partners is one of the most significant reasons for excluding women and the absence of social justice, which ultimately leads to the deterioration of society. In addition to systematic campaigns against women instead of encouraging them as active partners in serving society and the nation as a whole, there are deliberate disinformation campaigns against women. Hence, all relevant parties are called upon to support women’s participation in diplomatic work and provide equal opportunities for them alongside men to reach higher positions and build a better future for Yemen.