Yesterday, on January 16, 2024, the Generations Without Qat Organization for Awareness and Development held at the Shibam Hall - Coral Aden Hotel in the capital, Aden, the final conference of the WPS2 & WPS3 projects “Enhancing Women’s Participation in Relief, Recovery and Peace Operations in Yemen” in the governorates of Taiz and Aden.
At the opening, Ms. Laila Al-Faqih, President of Generations Without Qat, welcomed the attendees, appreciating their presence in this important event concluding the implementation of the WPS2 & WPS3 projects in partnership with CARE International.
The head of the organization confirmed that "the project played an important role in creating an effective environment in the governorates of Aden and Taiz that is supportive of enhancing women's participation in decision-making and peacebuilding."
Aden Office Coordinator, Muhammad Taha, reviewed general information about the organization’s programs and projects and the governorates in which these projects are implemented, in addition to an overview of the groups that generally benefit from these projects and reviewed the list of partners with the Generations Without Qat organization.
The Director of the Peace and Good Governance Sector at the Ajyal Organization and the project coordinator in Taiz Governorate, Hamid Khaled, also provided an overview of the activities implemented by the organization in the field of peacebuilding, good governance, women, peace and security in Yemen, in addition to reviewing the outcomes of the evaluation and institutional building of civil society organizations and youth initiatives. And the women's groups targeted by the two projects. Pointing to the number of women's organizations and organizations supporting women, as well as women's initiatives and groups that received grants and implemented projects in four districts in Taiz Governorate, the number of which reached 131.
He also pointed to the role of civil society organizations in Yemen, especially in the field of peacebuilding, which is considered pivotal and vital despite the marginalization they suffer from in decision-making processes and the lack of resources and coordination.
In turn, the project coordinator in Aden Governorate, Yousef Al-Hayagem, reviewed the stages of project implementation in the governorate, in cooperation and coordination with the local authority in the Aden districts. Pointing to the categories that benefit from the project activities and the grant activities of civil society organizations and initiatives, male and female.
The outcomes of the projects that were funded to civil society organizations in Aden Governorate and the extent of the importance of these projects in enhancing women’s roles and participation in relief, recovery and peace operations in Yemen were also reviewed. It is explained that the number of organizations and initiatives that received grants in the directorates of Aden Governorate is 28.
For his part, Mr. Issam Wadi, Director of the Organizations and Associations Department at the Social Affairs Office in Aden, expressed the importance of what the Generations Without Qat organization is doing in Aden Governorate in building the capabilities of both the organizations and the local authority regarding peace building, community participation, protection, and building the organizations’ capabilities financially and administratively, which enhances One of her roles in working with the community.
Yasser Altaf from CARE Aden expressed his gratitude for the constructive cooperation and partnership with Generations Without Qat and the role that the organization played in implementing the two projects with great success during the last period, and in building women’s capabilities to participate in decision-making, as well as the role of the local authority in women’s participation, in addition to future roles. For the activities of organizations whose capabilities have been built to advocate for women in decision-making and peacebuilding.
At the conclusion of the final conference, CARE International was honored as the funding body for the two projects, in appreciation of its efforts aimed at improving the influence and effective participation of women in relief, early recovery and peace operations in Yemen.
The closing conference included several segments that included the showing of a group of short films as success stories of inspiring women who have played active societal roles in humanitarian response and participation in decision-making in the targeted districts in the governorates of Aden and Taiz.
The conference was attended by a number of community figures, representatives of local and international civil society organizations, and representatives of local authorities, in addition to a number of representatives of women's organizations and groups to which technical and institutional support
was provided through the project.
