Human Rights NGOs in Yemen: Informed and Cooperative Action

Collaborative efforts always supersede individual ones, and achieve the intended outcome more effectively.  If non-governmental organizations (NGOs) join forces and work as a group, they will be able to address the government with a solid and powerful voice demanding change.  Yemeni NGOs dedicated to the promotion of human rights are improving their capacity and understanding of their role in affecting government policy, and learning how to work cooperatively and use the media in affecting public opinion.  Supported by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the Yemen Polling Center (YPC) organized a series of roundtable discussions, followed by a three-day workshop for participants from twenty-two Yemeni NGOs.  Participants engaged in an interactive discussion and training on building the capacity and advocacy efforts of these NGOs that would enable them to influence government legislative decisions.

The workshop, held in April 2009,  addressed mechanisms of cultivating the relationship between human rights NGOs and society members, and the use and operation of NGO coalitions in advocating for a policy amendment.  According to project director Hafez Al Bukhari, most of these NGOs suffer from centralization in geographic location and in leadership, and are wary of forming coalitions with their peer organizations due to political division and competitiveness.  The secret of success to reaching tangible results in this project will be for these organizations to work collaboratively and strengthen their ties in order to improve their societal image and win public support on issues of societal concern. 

The workshop outcomes were used in a public opinion poll that YPC held end of April in order to assess societal needs and expectations from these NGOs. 

Various activities of the project were extensively covered in the Yemeni press such as Al-Sahwa, Mareb Press, Al Watan, NewsYemen and Saba News.