As I conclude my role as National Coordinator on Inclusion with the Office of the UN Special Envoy for
#Yemen, I am reminded that some of the most important lessons about peacebuilding came from listening to Yemenis themselves through the many consultations, dialogues, and exchanges that shaped this journey.
I met women who refused to give up on their communities despite years of war. Mediators working quietly to resolve disputes. Journalists documenting shrinking civic space. Lawyers defending rights under difficult circumstances. Youth determined to build a different future. Mothers searching for answers about detainees and abductees. Community leaders, local officials, security actors, and tribal figures striving every day to keep their communities together.
Many of them continued this work despite threats, landmines, detention, shrinking civic space, limited protection, and diminishing support. Yet they carried on not because it was easy, but because they believed their communities, and their country, were worth it.
From Aden to Sana’a, Taiz to Hajjah, Lahj to Abyan, Al Bayda to Dhamar, Hadramout to Hudaydah, Al-Mahra to Socotra, I heard different perspectives and sometimes deep disagreements. Yet I was consistently struck by how many Yemenis shared the same desire: dignity, justice, security, opportunity, and a meaningful role in shaping their country’s future.
One lesson I leave with is that Yemenis do not lack ideas, expertise, or solutions. What is often missing are stronger connections between local realities, national discussions, and regional and international conversations about Yemen’s future.
Some of the most meaningful conversations I witnessed brought together people who rarely have the opportunity to sit in the same room: women from different regions, local officials and community leaders, civil society actors and security representatives, younger and older generations, voices from the north and the south.
Whether discussing the Southern issue, detainees and abductees, humanitarian access, women’s participation, local governance, economic recovery, accountability, water security, or community mediation, people consistently demonstrated a determination not only to identify challenges, but to be part of the solution.
I am deeply grateful to all those who shared their experiences, perspectives, and trust throughout this journey. I am especially grateful to Zahra Langhi for her leadership and partnership, to Special Envoy Hans Grundberg
@OSE_Yemen, to colleagues across OSESGY, and to the many individuals and organizations who contributed to this work.
This chapter may be ending, but my belief in the resilience, leadership, and potential of Yemenis remains stronger than ever.
The conversations continue.