MEPI in Yemen

Ongoing MEPI Programs

The following provides descriptions of ongoing programs in Yemen, as well as a list of Regional Programs in which Yemeni organizations or individuals participate.

Yemen Programs

ATHAR Foundation for Development

Fighting Street Harassment of Women in Yemen - With street harassment of women in Yemen growing at an alarming rate, ATHAR Foundation for Development is implementing a targeted project to educate Yemeni society about the gravity of the issue, mobilize key community members to speak out against this practice, and strengthen the implementation of existing laws and policies that condemn verbal and physical violence against women in public places. The project will include a study to establish baseline data on street harassment of women that will inform a campaign to change social attitudes and mindsets towards women's treatment in public places. The program will also empower victims with the requisite knowledge and tools to report harassment and pursue justice.

Civil Development Foundation

Civic Education and Political Participation of Yemeni Youth - The Civil Development Foundation (CDF) in Yemen will conduct a civic education program to engage at least 600 Yemeni high school students aged 16-18 (grade 10-12) in civic engagement opportunities vital to successful democracy.  The program is part of CDF’s and MEPI’s continuous efforts to interest and prepare youth to be active and engaged citizens in a democratic system of governance.  The program will target youth of both sexes and CDF will stress the importance of youth civic engagement and political participation.  To achieve these goals, CDF will first develop a civic education instruction and activities module using regional experts.  Through this program, 20 teachers from 15 schools will be trained to deliver the module.  Trained teachers will lead students in classroom and extra-curricular civic activism activities that allow them to experience democracy in action.  Students will identify and address issues of concern in their communities, participate in public service, volunteer, and participate in political processes in their local communities.  Yemeni secondary schools engaged in the program will be from Sana’a, Aden, Hadramawt, and Ta'izz.  CDF will produce a supplementary instructional best practices guide on how to teach the module based on lessons learned from this program. The guide and all educational materials will be available on the CDF Web site, and presented to the Ministry of Education for possible inclusion in the national civic education teaching methodology package.

Women Journalists Without Chains

Awareness and Advocacy for Government Accountability Reform- The Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) will provide influential Yemenis - including MPs, media, academics and civil society leaders - with expert knowledge and international perspectives on accountable governance and legislative frameworks that improve government accountability.  Selected participants will formulate draft legislative amendments and an advocacy plan.  Approximately 200 participants will attend a symposium on the role of international standards in promoting good governance and accountability, and will examine deficiencies and necessary modifications in Yemen’s legal system.  Three Action committees will be formed to draft a new accountability law, and draft proposed amendments to existing laws. The project will conclude with the formulation of a detailed advocacy action plan and a project proposal to implement effective legislative changes.

The Yemen Polling Center

Human Rights NGOs in Yemen: Informed and Cooperative Action - The project aims, through the Yemen Polling Center (YPC), to build the capacity of a select group of NGOs committed to the promotion of human rights to work cooperatively applying their newly-acquired expertise in a coalition advocacy campaign aimed at transforming public awareness on a specific issue into an advocacy role to press government to implement reforms.  Through workshops led by international experts, and a scientific poll conducted by YPC to assess public’s human rights awareness, participant NGOs will conduct an outreach and media campaign on an important human rights issue, thus strengthening their abilities to influence public opinion and decision makers in human rights policy improvement.

Social Democratic Forum

Enhancing Women’s Political Participation and Candidacies - Efforts to advance women’s political participation and leadership need to be better supported by Yemen’s primary political parties.  The Social Democratic Forum (SDF), with the assistance of international experts and the advise of stakeholders, will engage Yemen’s primary political parties in an examination of needs and strategies for strengthening women’s political participation; formulate, propose, and publicize specific actions requests to the parties’ leadership; and provide training to a cadre of existing women political party activists and leaders.  After a series of panel discussions and women political leadership workshops, SDF and selected project participants will participate in a radio program in each governorate and a nationally-broadcast television program to discuss their goals and objectives for women’s political participation, and the specific requests SDF made to the political parties.

Women Federation of Yemen – Abeen

Supporting Women Political Participation in Yemen - Through this project, the Women Federation of Yemen (WFY) and its partner organizations will pursue a two-pronged effort in Abeen, Ma’arib, and Shabwa to strengthen the viability of women candidates from those governorates in Yemen’s 2009 Parliamentary elections. First, to affect public opinion and support for electing women representatives, a series of targeted meetings and workshops will seek the support of local leaders and opinion-makers; including political party representatives, civil society activists, media professionals, tribal and community leaders, religious leaders and imams.  Second, with the assistance of an international expert, potential woman candidates from these three governorates will receive training on conducting election campaigns, communications, and utilizing the media.  To garner community support, WFY will involve the media in all project components, and will produce and post 3000 posters in the three governorates; urging public’s backing for women in Parliament.

Democracy School

Parliamentary Monitoring and Legislative Advocacy: Yemeni Women Exercise Political Leadership – This project is designed to strengthen the ability of Yemeni women to have an impact on public policy and legislative discourse, while increasing public focus on the role and actions of Parliament.  To strengthen a cadre of Yemeni women political leaders, the Democracy School will organize and provide assistance to 120 former women Parliamentary and Municipal Council candidates to establish and lead a parliamentary watchdog effort.  These women political leaders will receive resources, training, and consultation throughout this new effort to focus attention on Parliamentary action or inaction.  They will attend workshops on monitoring and lobbying parliament; public awareness, opinion, and action campaigns; and how to operate as an informal network. Participants will issue newsletters, conduct awareness seminars, and conduct campaigns calling for the Parliament and public’s support for specific legislative actions.

Democracy School

Empowering Yemeni Youth Leaders through Civic Activism – This project comprises a series of activities aimed at facilitating a process of civic engagement and political empowerment for young leaders, and demonstrating the potential for youth to help Yemen’s fledgling democracy meet the local challenges Yemenis face.  The Democracy School will inculcate in young leaders the values and concepts of effective democratic leadership and civic engagement.  Organized into twelve governorate teams, young leaders will be provided opportunities to identify specific reform needs, generate recommendations, raise public and youth awareness, and lobby Municipal Councilors and local leaders for the changes they seek.  70 Youth participants will be drawn from members of the Children’s Parliament of 2004 and 2006, in addition to 20 youth activist members of Yemeni NGOs. Outstanding participants will be invited to form a youth forum at the Democracy School.

Rehabilitation Center for Working Children

Activism Against Abusive Child Labor - This project aims to raise awareness and galvanize the opinion of key groups and the general public against abusive child labor practices.  While removal of children from the worst forms of child labor is an immediate objective, this project aims to instill in families and policy makers an understanding that the rights of children and the future of Yemen require valuing child education over child labor.  Through this project, the Rehabilitation Center for Working Children and the Capital Municipality will implement a two-phase project:  Phase one will implement a series of advocacy seminars for 4000 participants in four governorates, targeting specific groups and stakeholders.  Phase two will target the general public with a legal demonstration march and rally against child labor; a photo and video exhibition for government, civil society, media, college students, and the general public; and, the production and broadcasting of short video messages. 

Awam Institution for Development

Countering Societal Attitudes that Discourage Women's Political Participation - With the April 2009 national election in the background, this project aims to counter gender stereotypes and societal attitudes in Yemen, through a campaign that both challenges these attitudes and raises awareness of the importance of women's political participation.  The campaign will employ both audio and audiovisual tools; including a documentary film on women’s political participation and leadership, and a radio comedy sketch on societal attitudes toward women that inhibit their participation.  Sanaa University students will then participant in a competition to draw upon the documentary and the comedy sketch to convey a compelling message in a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) script.  The winning script writers will receive professional assistance producing actual PSAs to be disseminated via television, radio and the internet. 

Women's Media Forum

Empowering Yemeni Women Journalists To Take up Human Rights Issues - In Yemen, women journalists lack the knowledge of basic human rights, the journalistic skills to raise violations when they exist, and the skills to mount successful campaigns to shore up public support and defend their causes.   Through the Media Women Forum (MWF), the current project aims to raise awareness, deliver training and develop skills amongst a select group of 40 women journalists from the main Yemeni governorates to enable them to raise human rights criticisms and pressure the government for action through advocacy campaigns.  Participants will attend workshops on international human rights instruments, human rights reporting and investigative journalism, advocacy campaigns, and alternate media, and publish articles on a selected human rights issue of concern.  A group of outstanding participants will be selected to form a committee to train and advocate for women journalists in their coverage of human rights violations. 

Yemen Women Union

Women Preachers Promote Yemeni Women's Political Rights - While Islam treats women and men as moral equals, Muslim women remain challenged by social and cultural barriers that hinder their equal political participation, ostensibly in the name of religion.   Through this project, the Yemeni Women Union (YWU) will first train 10-15 women preachers from each of 10 governorates, raising their awareness about the importance of differentiating between religion and custom.  In the process, participants will explore women’s political rights under Islam and receive instruction on the principles of democracy and human rights.  Two women preachers from each group will then attend a 4-day forum together. 

The discussion forum will be facilitated by an international expert on the rights of women under Islam, and how they are affected by traditional views of women and gender roles and the applicability of democracy in Muslim societies.   The forum participatns will also receive one-day of training on internet research skills. The YWU will summarize the discussion sessions outlining both the material presented as well as participants' reactions to it.  These leading women preachers will then engage in further activities (including radio talks shows) to expand awareness of the results of the project to the general public.  

Arab Human Rights Foundation

Women’s Rights Awareness Week for High School Boys - Leading up to a declared "Women's Rights and Equality Awareness Week" in 20 boys high schools, the Arab Human Rights Foundation (AHRF) will train the schools' principals on women's rights and equality, drawing on the Quran, Sharia, Yemeni law, and International Standards.  During the training, principals will contribute ideas for the content of a brochure to be distributed to students, and a poster to be used on their schools’ campuses.  The trained principals will, with the support of an AHRF trainer, then provide training for all Social Studies teachers in their high schools.  During the declared "Women's Rights and Equality Awareness Week", the women's rights and equality posters will be hung all over school campuses and each trained teacher will deliver a one-hour lesson to all their students on women's rights and equality, and distribute the brochures.  All students will write an essay on women's rights and equality, as well. The winning student essay will be read to all the students in the high school, and forwarded to AHRF.  AHRF will compile the winning essays from all 20 high schools into a booklet and distribute them at a press event, where a few selected essay writers will be interviewed for radio, TV, and newspapers.  The best four of the 20 participating principals will be invited to contribute to the training of another 20 principals, and the process will be repeated in another 20 schools.

CEPPS & UNDP

Strengthening Parliamentary Institutions, and Increasing National Dialogue [Political] - This program assists the Parliament in developing core skills including assessing legislation, identifying policy priorities and working in coalitions and constituency outreach, media relations, and executive oversight. The second stage also encourages members of Parliament to make greater use of the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches.

Local Governance Capacity and Advocacy [Political] - This initiative supports Yemen’s decentralization process by strengthening the skills of local councils in various topics, including the areas of fiscal administration and constituent outreach. 

IFES

Voter Registration, Electoral System Capacity Building & Technical Assistance [Political] - This program provides technical Assistance on voter registration and elections processes and builds Yemen’s capacity for future elections.

Women's Training Program - This program develops women’s capacity for political participation

CARE Yemen

Increasing Women's Literacy - CARE Yemen and local partners have formed 47 Women’s Literacy Associations in the Amran Governorate. These associations are receiving both literacy training and support for income generating activities. Sixteen income-generating projects have been funded across the governorate. The program is incorporating a full array of activities to make literacy training relevant and functional, such as agricultural production, women’s savings and loan clubs, environmental management, maternal and child health including HIV/AIDS awareness, and women’s political participation and rights.

Regional Programs

Yemeni individuals or groups participate in the following programs, which take place in two or more countries in the region (Click Here to see descriptions of regional programs). MEPI reform pillars are listed in parentheses.

• ABA/CEELI - Arab Women's Legal Netwrok (AWLN) [Women]
• ABA/CEELI - Middle East Legal Development Initiative [Political]
• Academy for Educational Development and Sun Microsystems - G-8 BMENA Global Learning Portal [Education]
• Beyster Institute - Middle East Entrepreneur Training in the U.S. (MEET U.S.) [Economic]
• Booz Allen Hamilton - Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Technical Assistance [Economic]
• Booz Allen Hamilton - WTO Accession and Compliance Technical Assistance [Economic]
• Center for Civic Education - Arab Civitas [Education]
• CEPPS - Democratic Strengthening [Political]
• Chugach - Middle East Finance Corporation Due Diligence [Economic]
• Chugach - Partnership Schools Due Diligence and Education Summit [Education]
• Civic Democratic Initiatives Support Foundation - Welfare Arab Reform Program [Political]
• CLDP - Commercial, Judicial, and Legal Reform [Economic]
• FSVC - Partnership for Financial Excellence Part II [Economic]
• ICNL - Middle East Associative Rights Initiative [Political]
• International Finance Corporation - G-8 BMENA Technical Assistance [Economic]
• IREX - Middle East North Africa Development Initiative Alliance (MENA Media) [Political]
• IREX - Media Sustainability Index [Political]
• No Peace Without Justice - Strengthening the Democracy Assistance Dialogue [Political] 
• Junior Achievments - Economic Education and Job Skills Training in the Middle East [Economic]
• OECD - Middle East and North Africa Investment for Development Initiative [Economic] 
• Seeds of Peace - Building School Environments that Encourage Responsible Citizenship in Youth [Education]
• The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Enhancing the Role of Arab Women in the Legislative Process [Political]
• UNDP -  Global Democracy Barometer Project [Political]