Women in Development and Peace – Ahmed Bajoaim
Yemen has been suffering from a difficult political conflict for many years, which has worsened the general situation on the citizen’s life and has resulted in serious social and economic repercussions in various aspects of life, but in light of this ongoing crisis, the official role has been supportive of the participation of Yemeni women in the diplomatic field.
It has witnessed remarkable growth through working to empower women in embassies and ministries, even if to a small extent, and even in other vital sectors, as well as in international organizations in which women have become an important part, because some of them believe that the presence of women in diplomatic dialogues enhances transparency and contributes to raising the degrees of understanding between the conflicting parties.
The official support has played a central role in empowering Yemeni women, opening up broad horizons for them to engage in diplomatic work. This has been achieved through their participation in government institutions and civil society organizations’ programs. Their determination and resilience have helped them overcome the challenges posed by the current situation and successive crises. By asserting their presence in local, international, and regional organizations, they have significantly enhanced their role in diplomatic endeavors. In this report, we will explore the formal role of empowering Yemeni women in venturing into the realm of diplomacy and achieving success both locally and globally.
Official Role
The Women’s National Committee, which is an official governmental organization affiliated with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, works to rehabilitate Yemeni women and enhance their capabilities in all fields, especially in political and diplomatic work, peace processes and negotiations. The head of the Women’s National Committee participated in a consultative meeting held in the Jordanian capital, Amman. The meeting included 33 Yemeni women, including activists, politicians, experts and academics. Its purpose was to formulate a participatory Yemeni vision for the peace process. According to the committee’s report, published in November 2023, the meeting involved a series of in-depth consultations with the office of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen “Grundberg.”
The meeting aimed to discuss aspects of formulating a participatory Yemeni vision for the peace process, the importance of rehabilitating Yemeni women, and empowering them in the political, negotiating and diplomatic aspects. The committee stated in its report that the UN envoy stressed that the voice of women is effective in shaping the political future of Yemen, especially the post-peace stage, and that the participants in the consultative meeting have taken the necessary measures to activate effective participation in the political and negotiating field in the future, including diplomatic work.
In another report by the Women’s National Committee, the head of the committee, Dr. Shafiqa Saeed, reviewed during her meeting with a high-level European delegation in December 2023 – the objectives of the committee, which seeks to empower women and push them into decision-making positions in all state institutions, including the Foreign Ministry, and to build strong partnerships with international and regional organizations to create training and rehabilitation opportunities for Yemeni women in the process of diplomatic, political and negotiating empowerment. Stressing that the appointment of 20% of women judges in the Supreme Judicial Council is a major achievement for women, as well as in the security and police aspects.
According to the report, Shafiqa Saeed explained that the appointments that women are witnessing in decision-making positions during this period come in conjunction with the expansion of demands by Yemeni women in various fields and sectors, whether at the local or international and regional levels, for the importance of their participation in political work and decision-making, and this will naturally qualify women in the diplomatic and negotiating aspects, and will enable them to open up broad horizons by sitting with highly qualified experts and diplomats to enhance their professional capabilities in the diplomatic field.
In the same context, the advisor to the governor of Al-Mahra Governorate for women’s affairs, Alia Al-Harizi, expressed the official role provided to Mahri women in particular and Yemeni women in general; To enable them to practice political and diplomatic work, this comes through the implementation of training and rehabilitation activities to enhance women’s leadership capabilities at all levels, helping them to obtain prestigious jobs in various sectors and leadership positions, especially in the political and diplomatic fields. Stressing the importance of efforts by the official authorities to continue supporting women’s empowerment from positions of sovereign decision-making, whether within the governorate or by submitting recommendations and nominations to the public authority in the state.
Regarding the challenges and difficulties, Al-Harizi indicates that the governorate did not implement any activities or training programs related to empowering women’s capabilities in the diplomatic corps directly, but rather works on qualifying and refining various skills in various economic, social and decision-making fields. This is done through implementing workshops on the importance of women’s presence in decision-making positions, their role in creating psychological and community peace, and their ability to engage in the negotiating framework in peace processes and ending the conflict, as well as holding workshops to learn about international laws that contribute to the internal and external addressing process.
For her part, the head of the Women’s National Committee in Hadhramout Governorate, Faiza Ba-Mtraf, indicated that the committee pays great attention to women by supporting them in all fields and sectors. This support aligns with the committee’s objectives, which emphasize the importance of empowering women in decision-making positions and their presence in diplomatic work. The national committee focuses on targeting women and girls, particularly through direct awareness campaigns in universities, institutes, and secondary schools. This focus aims to develop their decision-making capabilities and implement programs that help them choose future practical specializations. These efforts contribute to empowering women and enabling them to reach decision-making positions in ministries and embassies.
The head of the Yemeni Women’s Union in Al-Mahrah Governorate, Asiyah Bakhit, explained that the union in Al-Mahrah Governorate plays an active role as a voluntary social organization that represents all women. Within its main tasks, the union seeks to demand the rights of women who have been marginalized and excluded as a result of the conflict. These rights include social, economic, and political rights, among others. Women are still struggling for their right to political participation, especially in the negotiation and peacebuilding process, in which their role has been clearly marginalized, in addition to their right to diplomatic work in the relevant ministries and embassies.
She indicated that there are female participations in political work, but the number is small compared to the female capabilities existing in the local community, as the matter is unfair and unjust, especially with the capabilities that many women enjoy in the field of diplomacy. She explained that the union works continuously with the local authorities in the governorates to highlight women’s issues and come up with practical solutions to benefit from their efficiency in various fields.
Asiyah Bakhit also added that the Women’s Union in Al-Mahrah works according to the internal system strategy among women in social, political and legal fields, and one of its most prominent tasks is to rehabilitate the Mahri woman and support her participation in all fields. However, the desired results that the union seeks to achieve in empowering women politically, engaging them in diplomatic work, and assuming leadership positions are still very weak and intangible at the present time. This is despite the issuance of local and international resolutions calling for the need to empower and protect women in all fields, the most prominent of which is United Nations Resolution 1325, which calls for the participation and representation of women in operations and conflict resolution.
Challenges Facing Women’s Empowerment
Alia Al-Harizi, Advisor to the Governor of Al-Mahrah for Women’s Affairs, believes that the most important challenges facing the empowerment of women in the diplomatic field stem from Yemen’s current situation due to the conflict and the worsening humanitarian and economic conditions. These challenges have created a large gap in continuing the process of appropriate rehabilitation for the field of political empowerment and diplomatic roles. As a result, many women in Yemen are primarily focused on providing for their livelihoods, rather than pursuing ambitions in diplomatic work. This shift in priorities has hindered their ability to acquire the necessary skills for diplomatic roles, which requires extensive study and preparation. Additionally, women face challenges in accessing positions related to diplomacy and navigating exclusion from the political scene, negotiations and peace-building process, which are sponsored by regional countries or the United Nations.
She also pointed out that among the challenges facing women in empowering them to work in diplomacy are the narrow and untrustworthy societal view of women’s capabilities, the weakness of the practical training process for women seeking to work in diplomacy. This weakness is exacerbated by the lack of consulates or foreign embassies within the country, especially at this stage, which made it difficult for women to continue their practical diplomatic training, which contributes to enhancing their professional capabilities and experiences in the field.
Ba-Mtraf said that there are challenges that hinder women from joining the diplomatic field. These challenges are represented by the limited role of women in diplomatic work, compared to men who work in various fields related to diplomatic work. Additionally, the actual decision-makers did not deal with the right image with the right of women to be in this profession. Therefore, the National Committee in Hadhramout Governorate is trying to deal objectively with focusing on the role of women in supporting peace and comprehensive stability in the country, given the difficulty for women to access work in the diplomatic field.
In the same context, the head of the Yemeni Women’s Union in Al-Mahrah, Asiyah Bakhit, highlighted the most prominent challenges and obstacles that stand behind the Yemeni women’s access to diplomatic work. These challenges include the failure to implement the agreements and treaties ratified by Yemen regarding the role of women on the ground, and in a tangible way. Unfortunately, there are voices claiming that the current stage is not compatible with the presence of women in leadership and decision-making positions. Additionally, there is a perception that it is difficult for women to adapt in the diplomatic field, which affects society as it underestimates the mentality and capabilities of Yemeni women, constituting a wrong perception.
Treatment
Al-Harizi referred to several possible solutions to enhance the participation of Yemeni women in diplomatic work, including raising community awareness about the importance of women’s role in diplomacy, and encouraging qualified women to participate by providing grants to outstanding and distinguished women in this field to increase their experience abroad, and increasing the representation of Yemeni women in international conferences and negotiations. In addition to empowering women in leadership positions within the state, efforts should focus on enabling them to practice their profession officially, especially in negotiation work. It’s also crucial to facilitate opportunities for distinguished women in this field to gain experience abroad and to increase the representation of Yemeni women in international conferences and negotiations. Additionally, empowering women to hold leadership positions in the state includes enabling them to practice the profession officially, especially in negotiation work.
The head of the National Women’s Committee in Hadhramout Governorate, Ba-Mtraf, commented, one of the treatments that the committee sees as appropriate for women, and which will contribute in the future to involving women in diplomatic work, is to strengthen the role of women in the peace-building process in Yemen, and to return life to its safe and stable state. Additionally, developing plans and strategies aimed at enhancing the role and status of women in various sectors and fields, especially in the diplomatic field, and holding meetings and dialogues with decision-makers at the national and international levels to discuss the general situation of the country from all sides.
In addition, Bakhit stated that one of the most important possible solutions from the perspective of the Women’s Union for empowering Yemeni women in diplomatic work is to support the official role of women by working in international organizations, and to increase their expertise in the field of negotiation through communication with international and regional organizations, and to combine efforts in providing the necessary support for women’s participation in specialized workshops and training programs, whether inside or outside the country, and for official bodies to adopt serious measures to provide job opportunities that improve women’s presence in diplomatic work.
Despite the difficult challenges facing Yemen, including conflicts and humanitarian and political crises, the official role is making efforts that show a strong commitment to strengthening the role of women in various fields, including the diplomatic corps. Empowering women diplomats in leadership positions in embassies and ministries will contribute greatly to improving international relations between Yemen and the countries of the world, in various fields that enhance Yemen’s regional and international status.