Enhancing Youth Participation in Peacebuilding and Democracy in Yemen
An UNDEF-funded project has just begun in war-torn Yemen to assist peacebuilding and promote democracy by empowering youth to participate more in civic life.聽 聽
This project addresses challenges posed by ethnic and religious tensions. Implemented by the Khadija Foundation for Development, the project aims to build youth capacity by involving them in advocacy campaigns and raise civic awareness by creating youth networks. The goal is to engage youth on how to build peace beyond the life of the project.聽 聽
During the project鈥檚 launch event in Ibb Governorate on February 5, 2017 (pictured), President of the Khadija Foundation Roma Al Damasi highlighted the important role Yemeni youth initiatives can play in strengthening peacebuilding since youth tend to be less entrenched in old ways of thinking and have more flexibility in reaching out to the local communities. He underscored that young people need to understand the sources of conflict and take an active role as agents in peace dialogues. 聽
The project will train 300 youth initiative members in three governorates of Sana鈥檃, Ibb and Dhamar. The members will work through the established youth network, Youth Pledge 4 Peace, to develop a vision that will be adopted in the nation鈥檚 peacebuilding agenda.
