Women’s networks in southern Yemen operate in a context marked by prolonged conflict, political fragmentation, shrinking civic space, and significant security and mobility constraints. Despite these challenges, women and women-led networks continue to play vital roles as community organisers, service providers, and mediators. However, their ability to influence decision-making and engage sustainably at district and governorate levels remains limited.

Mapping conducted under the ParticiLogue project highlights persistent capacity gaps across women’s networks — including weaknesses in organisational governance, strategic planning, advocacy, financial management, and inter-network collaboration. These challenges affect both formal and informal networks, albeit in different ways. While informal groups often benefit from community trust and flexibility, formal networks offer structure and visibility but face bureaucratic and political constraints.

Against this backdrop, targeted, context-sensitive capacity development is essential. The Mentorship and Peer Learning Programme is designed as a holistic response that goes beyond stand-alone trainings, combining mentorship, peer exchange, and practical capacity-building to strengthen women’s agency, resilience, and collective action in a fragile environment.

In southern Yemen, women and girls face severe marginalization due to years of conflict, political fragmentation, and entrenched patriarchal norms. Access to education, healthcare, livelihoods, and political participation remains extremely limited, with marginalized groups such as the Muhamasheen and internally displaced women particularly vulnerable.

Despite these challenges, women have shown resilience, taking on roles as heads of households, income earners, peacebuilders, and community leaders. In areas like Aden and Hadramout, women-led organizations continue to support communities and advocate for rights, though shrinking civic space and low trust between state and society hinder progress.

The rise of internet and social media use—around 3.6 million users by January 2024—has opened new opportunities for connection and engagement, but also exposed women to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), including online harassment, threats, and defamation. Low digital literacy, lack of cybercrime laws, and patriarchal norms exacerbate these risks, leaving many women unable or unwilling to seek help.

There is an urgent need to raise awareness of TFGBV and implement protective, context-sensitive measures that empower women and girls online and offline. Strengthening women’s networks and agency will enable greater participation in society at district and governorate levels.

The project “Supporting Participation and Dialogue in Yemen” (ParticiLogue), implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), aims to improve societal conditions for peaceful coexistence in Aden, Taiz, and Hadramout. Years of conflict, political fragmentation, and limited civic participation have created mistrust between the state, civil society, and local communities, weakening the foundations for peace.

ParticiLogue strengthens local governance by training civil society actors and public institutions in transparency, accountability, and inclusive participation. A key focus is empowering women and women’s networks, combining individual skill-building with organizational support to enhance their role in decision-making processes. Male allies are included to promote gender equality and support women’s participation.

The project also engages youth as agents of change, building skills in non-violent communication, conflict transformation, and media literacy. Through safe spaces for dialogue—both online and offline—young people gain confidence to contribute to peacebuilding and co-create visions for positive societal change.

Our training is implemented as part of this project.

PATH : Peace Advocacy Training Hub was a five-month project dedicated to strengthening the leadership and advocacy capacities of young women peacebuilders from Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

Why this project?
Across these countries, women continue to play a vital yet under-recognised role in peacebuilding and democratic reform. Despite systemic barriers; ranging from political exclusion to shrinking civic space, women are mediators, advocates, and community leaders. PATH responds to these realities by investing in their leadership, skills, and regional solidarity.

What will PATH do?
Over the course of five months (September 2025 – January 2026), PATH:

• Delivered a structured online training programme in Arabic, combining leadership, peacebuilding, negotiation, advocacy, and digital communications.
• Facilitated mentoring and peer exchange with regional experts in research, storytelling, creative media, and digital campaigning.
• Supported participants in developing joint advocacy and storytelling initiatives to amplify women’s voices in peace and political reform processes.

The programme directly supported 20 young women leaders (ages 18–35) from the four target countries, while indirectly reaching their communities and networks engaged in peace and reform efforts.

PATH saught to create a more favourable environment for women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding and decision-making, ensuring their perspectives shape sustainable, inclusive futures.

In light of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly in countries such as Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Syria, there is a pressing need to strengthen peacebuilding efforts and promote inclusive decision-making processes.

Recognizing the disproportionate impact of conflicts on women and the critical role they play in peacebuilding at local levels, the GIZ regional project “Enhancing Women’s Leadership for Sustainable Peace in Fragile Contexts in the MENA Region” (“Women4Peace”) is committed to increasing women’s participation in peacebuilding and political decision-making in Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Syria, and beyond in the MENA region as well as at the global level. The goal is to empower women and feminist groups, enhancing their ability to engage effectively in political decision-making and peace processes. This involves creating opportunities and building capacities for participation. The project includes a networking and exchange program among focus countries, considering their unique potentials and dynamics for transformation.

A key focus is on strengthening civil society organisations, particularly those advocating for women’s rights, involved at various levels of peace processes and political engagement. The project is being implemented in close partnership with UN Women as the leading UN organization for women’s rights and empowerment. The module objective is women are increasingly involved in peace and political decision-making processes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Through fostering partnerships among diverse stakeholders and cultivating an environment conducive to women’s engagement, the project aims to stimulate positive transformations and contribute to the region’s sustainable peace and development.

Elbarlament was contracted to prepare four policy briefs for the countries Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Libya, informing policy makers and partners alike about certain gaps in the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (Women, Peace and Security Agenda). The four country briefs are supposed to inform the project as well as national and regional stakeholders about gaps between different peacebuilding tracks as well as capacity needs on all levels and across different groups of peace actors.

*Photo by Nathan J Hilton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/graffiti-art-in-berlin-a-message-of-peace-28961590/

“Women Taking the Lead” is a comprehensive 18-month project  by elbarlament aimed at bolstering the political and social participation of women in Iraq. The project builds on the achievements of our 4-year long outstanding  project Women Talking Peace, with a particular focus on strengthening the capacities of key state institutions to effectively implement the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda and UNSCR 1325. It addresses the nexus of women, climate, peace, and security by targeting staff from the Ministries of Defense, Justice, Interior, Labor, Social Affairs, and Environment, alongside climate activists and women’s rights advocates from the MENA region.

In a country facing significant challenges, including political instability, climate change, and social fragmentation, the project addresses the root causes of inequality by promoting women’s leadership in decision-making processes. It supports the design of effective policies and coordination mechanisms related to women, climate, peace, and security. The project also empowers women-led civil society organisations to engage in policy dialogue and advocacy, ensuring that women’s voices are heard in shaping the future of Iraq.

Several interconnected challenges impede women’s full participation in the country. These include:

• A fragile democratic system: With weak state institutions, corruption, and a lack of established democratic culture, the environment for women to engage effectively is compromised.
• Climate change: As the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, Iraq sees women disproportionately affected by water scarcity, displacement, and economic hardship, limiting their agency in peacebuilding.
• Patriarchal norms: Deeply ingrained social structures restrict women’s roles in public life, hindering their access to decision-making positions and leadership roles.

Despite this, Yemeni women HRDs are showing resilience and continuing their work to promote peace and human rights including children’s rights. Women leaders were the first to call for a ceasefire to focus efforts on COVID-19 response. The women mobilized resources for the hospitals and clinics, trained first responders, and raised awareness on COVID-19.

Women are leading peacebuilding efforts including mediation efforts to end armed conflict over water and land resources, facilitating release of arbitrary detainees, addressing child recruitment, negotiating humanitarian aid access and facilitating ceasefire initiatives to evacuate families. However, their public contributions remain invisible and underappreciated, and they continue to be viewed by some actors as passive victims, and consequently are largely excluded from the UN-led peace process and political process. Women’s participation in the peace process as such continues to be limited to the sidelines.

The project focused on enhancing the protection of women HRDs, supporting them to have access to international accountability mechanisms and strengthening their skills to document human rights violations.

The aim was to amplify their voices to advocate effectively for women and children rights. Looking at their role within their families and the humanitarian work they have delivered since the war broke out in Yemen, we are convinced that women are impact-multipliers and the target group most able and willing to be the voice of the children and other HRDs defending their rights.