Itar Foundation for Social Development, national nonprofit organization, was funded by UN Women to implement the “Piloting Displaced Women’s and Girls’ Humanitarian-Peace Dialogue in Yemen” project. The project recognizes that women and girls often bear the brunt of conflicts and displacement, experiencing heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and discrimination. Upon that, the project initiative aims to amplify the voices, of the women and girls, displaced and host communities, in calling for permanent peace and urgent humanitarian response.

Itar Foundation is the leading implementing partner working with Thakerh for Media Production, Yemeni Women Union, Youth Without Boarders, Enough for Humanitarian Protection, and Wa3i Foundation. Thakerh for Media Production, national nonprofit organization, is responsible for implementing and managing the communication activities of the project’s deliverables.

The briefing paper is organized around both explanatory and exploratory research methods. These two methodologies are applied in tandem to gain a holistic understanding of a certain theme, viable, or event, and the linkage between these factors. The methodology is entirely based on a is a desk review of various literature such as peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, and news articles related to social connections, social networks, and humanitarian assistance, as well as vigorous key interviews that provide a comprehensive understanding of a particular factor or event. The research team investigated the concept of reflexivity[5], which involves examining one's own taken for granted assumptions. These reports and datasets were derived from a variety of popular humanitarian websites, including Humanitarian Needs Overview, Humanitarian Response Plan, UN Women Publications, UNICEF, GIZ, and World Bank Publications. Further to these sources, the team consulted reports from internationally recognized humanitarian actors, journals, blogs, and reports from social and cultural humanitarian-related websites.

The briefing paper's format is based on drawing note of pertinent observations, after which it sources the meaning and interpretations of these observations. Subsequently, the deliberation of these that address "why so?" is followed by disputations over the matter and conclusions.

The analytical framework comprised both quantitative and qualitative analysis approaches. Descriptive and regression analysis were used in the quantitative analysis, while latent and theme content analysis and interpretive phenomenology analysis were used in the qualitative study. In addition, the use of discourse analysis to investigate how language impacts social interactions and structures, with a focus on power relations, identity, and culture. The entire analysis process is underpinned by ethical considerations, ensuring an accurate yet thoughtful examination of the humanitarian challenges at hand.

In terms of limitations, the research endured limitations such as potentially incomplete evidence, the absence or shortcoming of specific data for certain queries, documentation coverage limitations, potential bias, and subjectivity in stakeholders' perspectives, both retroactive and proactive. However, the impact of such constraints is mitigated by triangulating various sources and validating stakeholders’ general insights with other pertinent data at the same time.

Result One: A Focus on Entrepreneurship Against the Replica Pattern of Economic Empowerment!

Prior to the recent conflict, Yemen had a relatively high unemployment rate among certain segment of the community, particularly among youth and women. Yet, there were serious collective efforts to create tangible opportunities in entrepreneurship, micro-finance, livelihoods, and economic empowerment initiatives. These efforts aimed to support youth and women in acquiring entrepreneurial skills, dismantling stereotypes, and partaking in sustained economic activities for sustainable employment and community economic growth[6].

While, as the conflict broke out, it has curtailed female labor force participation rate, almost reaching 50 percent of working-age women employed[7]. It indicates that a significant portion of the youth and women are unable to earn a livelihood. Although, the conflict has pushed more women into the employment workforce owing to economic necessity, it has imposed further constraints on their participation and movement, which include an upsurge in domestic conflict and gender-based violence, that has led to the adoption of severely negative coping strategies and prejudice against women that disparage woman’s role in economic growth of the community[8].

Among the income-generating projects that are example of excellence were implemented amid the conflict were the following: (01) “women economic empowerment project “WEEP”, (02) “economic recovery livelihoods program (ERLP)”, (04) “enhanced rural resilience Yemen (ERRY)”, (05) “strengthening institutional and economic resilience in Yemen (SIERY)”. These projects, among others, are outstanding instances of developed entrepreneurial skills, dismantled stereotype barriers, and sustained economic tangible opportunities. In straightforward terms, these initiatives exist to support the targeted specific segments in thinking big and foster a sustainable recovery and community economic growth.

Interestingly, these economic empowerment and livelihoods initiatives are typically large and/or medium scale programming for specific strata (i.e., middle class and upper-middle class), who were more fortunate educationally, which is not the case for the internally displaced people. On the other hand, small-scale initiatives that were implemented in recent years amidst the conflict are examples of common conventional economic empowerment and livelihoods initiatives. The provision of vocational trainings in craftsmanship (e.g., hairdressing, sewing, making incense, electric device maintenance, etc.) in addition to the provision of relevant equipment and tools, targeting specific strata (i.e., poor class, lower-middle class) of the displaced and host community members, is instances of a small-scale initiatives. Iin which is labeled as an exact replica of pattern and "creative chaos" economic empowerment programming.

There is significant uncertainty concerning exactly how these traditional activities have an impact affecting internally displaced women and girls. This is mostly due to these initiatives are/were primarily titled "emergency response" and there are no specific impact evaluation reports on small-scale initiatives in Yemen. The uncertainty against these traditional initiatives stems from the lack of a theory of change and a value-chain framework, resulting in a gap between theory and practice. These small-scale initiatives seem to follow ‘pilot as you go’ approach, piloting traditional interventions that are too small to scale or are too new to be evaluated. Consequently, such provision of vocational skills and craftsmanship implies additional stereotype barriers, gender and economic inequities, and the exclusion of entrepreneurial skills for long-term economic growth. This is not to argue that such programs were completely hampered by negative consequences, but they do not constitute income-generating and sustainable economic growth, but rather a temporary lifesaving and suicidal preventive action.

As it has been noted that the absolute majority of those displaced are women and children. As a matter of fact, there is constant movement among a displaced people, which can be described as transitory movements, to mitigate the risk of exploitation, safety, and further degradation. To foster concise economic empowerment opportunities, there must be references between participation, accountability, conflict sensitivity, gender sensitivity, gender roles, and active listening to the most economically impoverished displaced women and girls.

It is critical to understand how economic empowerment and peacebuilding are interrelated[9]. Regardless, the primary observation is that a lack of representation, participation, vocational and entrepreneurial skills, have exacerbated women's vulnerability to displacement, perpetual unemployment, and food insecurity. Internally Displaced Women, Youth, and Girls experience dreadful scenarios, while allocated funding and initiatives to offer sustainable employment and community economic growth to this particular group are practically unheard of. It is crucial to establish effective strategies to promote youth and women's employment require concurrent big-scale initiatives that dismantle socioeconomic barriers. Further, women's active engagement in peacebuilding and political decision-making is crucial for their community economic growth.

Result Two: Elimination of Barriers and Harmonization of Environment! Dilemmas and Opportunities!

The conflict has disproportionately affected women and youth. The plight of women and girls in Yemen is not a recent phenomenon, nor has it just intensified since the upsurge of the recent conflict. It has been a recurring theme and echoing for decades. Abdallah Al-Baradouni’s poetry often eloquently captures these themes of struggle and oppression that are constantly experienced by women[10].

It matters to focus on the core hardships that women and children experience in Yemen, which are often underreported. These challenges are interrelated, and it begins as follows: (01) economic, violence, and exploitation: certain groups of host/displaced women, including adolescent girls, who are the head of their households and lack male presence, are taking on new roles and responsibilities to support their families economically, and those are most vulnerable to various forms of violence, harassment, and exploitation. (02) psychosocial support, well-being and mental health: generally, all women encounter restrictions on mobility, accessibility, and educational opportunity constraints. Furthermore, there have been several suicidal events[11] owing to the disrupted social relationships, which leads to isolation and alienation. (03) stereotypes and biases: generally, all women are subjected to deeply rooted traditional gender norms, forced early marriages, patriarchal mentality and restrictions on a variety of involvement in public affairs, that leads to significant economic pressure on female-heading households, additionally, sociocultural norms forbid widowed, lone mothers, displaced women, and girls heading households, from social and economic participation.

These barriers can be interpreted and portrayed as dilemmas in which the current design of initiatives is tailored to tribal or patriarchal norms and a conservative social setting[12]. Instance of dilemma is when there is good intentions and efforts to support certain vulnerable communities economically, and due to mobility restrictions for women, economic initiatives are designed to craftmanship training on small-scale income generation activities, such as hairdressing, sewing, making incense, and so on. It incorporates no value-chain framework or theory of change aspect, indicating a 'figure it out yourself' notion, and it also has no consideration for food insecurity, economic desperation, and a lack of consumer purchasing power. That assistance supplied (e.g., sewing machines) ends up for sale in markets. Another instance of dilemma is when a school may be rehabilitated to help children’s education, but it exclusively supports boy schooling! These small-scale projects, which target the most vulnerable, impoverished, and less fortunate economically and educationally, are explicitly not sustainable, despite being primitively prevalent, and they continue to happen at a historic pace.

Dilemma is a serious concern. One must recognize that a community's need is not an individual's need. Questions that may arise include: (01) what the direct benefit to the most disadvantaged women and girls in these targeted communities is. (02) is the selection of project participants based on inclusiveness, with all community members required to participate! Like that, cash for work initiatives typically target men as direct participants, but women tend to be indirect participants! (03) Why is there no dedicated cash for work effort that supports skill development, such as digital marketing, for women as a matter of economic empowerment? (04) Is the value-chain framework or theory of change factor considered during initiative design? (05) What role do civil society organizations play in protection[13], accountability, and economic empowerment of the most impoverished, vulnerable, and disadvantaged women? (06) Does such initiative promote gender equality or inequity, or does it reinforce stereotypes and biases? One must recognize that the current scenario is a man-made calamity, and that without gendered-economic empowerment, there would be no economic growth.

While there have been strategies to empower women and girls through entrepreneurship, microfinance, and skill development, the general situation remains unaddressed, among the most vulnerable and most affected displaced women groups. The era of emergency and relief programming must stop. Humanitarian actors must adopt strategies that encompass gender-sensitive programming, gender equality, women's leadership development, and women's strategic economic empowerment, rather than focusing solely on life-saving aid. It is critical for social development that women be regarded as equal participants in all sectors of economic and social life. As a result, these strategies must be inclusive and eliminate contextual barriers, among all women[14] groups. Furthermore, these strategies must investigate small-scale initiatives and their fundamental impact for a chance to learn from value-chained-scale initiatives[15].

Furthermore, a focus on supporting the environment would stimulate the development of initiatives that consider climate change and support opportunities in rural regions, notably agriculture and animal husbandry. However, this comes with the proviso that, in the end, no single strategy will be as effective as resolving the current conflict[16]. Finally, establishing self-resilience in rural women and girls must be prioritized alongside creating self-resilience in urban women, with a special emphasis on displaced women and girls.

Result Three: Inclusion or Exclusion: Invisibility of Displaced and Disabled Women and Girls?!

Inclusion of all Yemeni women and youth is a crucial concept for ensuring involvement of the most vulnerable groups, including international displaced women, girls, and youth. Women and girls have been observed to bear the brunt of the conflict's repercussions, fundamentally economic, education, healthcare, and violence.

However, we can never claim that equal opportunities have been guaranteed for all host/displaced women groups, particularly women with physical disabilities. It is evident that women with physical disabilities still are not given their opportunity entitlements, despite a number of initiatives to address this matter[17], the lack of legislation against sexual harassment, domestic abuse, and the exclusion of women with physical disabilities, among other laws[18]. Economic empowerment of women and girls with abilities necessitates considerable efforts, in addition to the dismantling of barriers and the harmonization of the environment.

Since time immemorial, socioeconomic norms have played an important role in shaping the roles of the sexes within societies. These customs often perpetuate the power dynamics of social and cultural norms and unequal gender roles. Patriarchal norms and unconscious bias, as well as stereotypes and other hurdles to women and girls, do not exclude persons with physical limitations. But there is more substantial legislation, socioeconomic, and environmental barriers, e.g., isolation and alienation, for women with physical disabilities than for men with physical disabilities[19]. That deliberate exclusion, since time immemorial, affect the displaced and disabled women and girls extremely.

In the context of development, human rights, peace, and security, UN Women has played a role in developing viable strategies to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls with disabilities, protecting their full participation in all facets of life on equal ground with others. The strategies will contribute to four interconnected goals, including education and economic empowerment for women with disabilities, and are intended to assist the strengthening and adoption of comprehensive and dynamic global norms and standards[20]. These include addressing the impact of traditional gender roles, prioritizing girls with disabilities in education, using gender role models, promoting positive discrimination for women in economic empowerment[21].

Result Four: Protection, Psychosocial Support, and Economy!

The underrepresentation of women and their exclusion from positions of authority in peacebuilding decision-making processes is a serious concern. Because of the patriarchal culture, which sees women as weak individuals, displaced women have not taken up leadership roles, which has strengthened discriminatory attitudes and prejudices about women in society. Their systematic and deliberate exclusion for social and cultural reasons robs them of the chance to voice their ideas, causing their needs and experiences to go unnoticed. This willful exclusion, which dates to time immemorial, is coupled with women's absence from roles and their unequal status in relation to men. In post-displacement societies, inequality between women and men persists due to the lack of an adequate female role among the displaced women. This intentional exclusion impedes efforts to achieve gender equality and perpetuates gender inequity, which in turn prevents any chance of empowering women to own any role for equality.    

The protracted conflict in Yemen has led to severe repercussions in protection, psychosocial well-being, and the economy. Individuals, particularly women, face human rights violations, gender-based violence, and economic hardships. The conflict has created a mental health crisis, with limited access to psychosocial support services. Economic instability and widespread poverty further exacerbate vulnerability, especially among women, who encounter challenges in accessing opportunities and resources. Therefore, to address these urgent needs, a Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus approach is crucial.

A framework known as the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus is essential for tackling Yemen's multifaceted challenges. The nexus framework emphasizes collaboration and coordination between humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding actors[22]. Protection strategies need to be compatible with objectives for growth, incorporating both economic, societal, and psychological empowerment. A comprehensive approach is required to address immediate humanitarian needs, support long-term development, and achieve durable peace, with particular attention devoted to the vulnerabilities faced by women, particularly the displaced women.

Social connection networks, which are constantly evolving and adapting, are helping households cope with the economic meltdown and, consequently, social exclusion. Through these unofficial social networks, Yemeni people share their resources and rely on unofficial social protection measures to live. But there are indications that these networks have grown fragile, which is driving fractures in society and adding an unsustainable burden[23]. In an effort to cope and survive in the face of the ongoing conflict, women and girls use a variety of social networking strategies. Recognize a strong tradition of community solidarity, rely on extended family networks for support, use informal lending and borrowing arrangements within social circles in the absence of formal financial institutions, and use a skill-sharing and barter system to exchange goods and services within networks are some common strategies.

Result One Recommendation:         

To address the challenges faced by women in Yemen and promote their economic empowerment, it is recommended to focus on creating sustainable employment opportunities through entrepreneurship. This can be achieved by providing targeted support and training programs that equip women with the necessary skills and resources to start and grow their own businesses. Additionally, efforts should be made to dismantle stereotypes and barriers that hinder women's participation in the economy, ensuring equal access to financial services and markets. By fostering an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs, Yemen can promote economic growth and empower women to contribute.

Result Two Recommendation:         

To address the challenges faced by women in Yemen and promote their economic empowerment, it is recommended to prioritize investment in the agricultural sector. This can be achieved by providing support and resources for women to engage in agricultural activities, such as training programs, access to land and credit, and the development of value chains. By focusing on the agricultural sector, women can not only contribute to food security and economic growth but also gain greater control over their livelihoods and enhance their social and economic participation.

Result Three Recommendation:       

To address the challenges faced by women and girls in Yemen, it is recommended to prioritize the provision of psychosocial support, well-being, and mental health services. This includes creating safe spaces for women to seek support, access to counseling services, and promoting awareness about mental health issues. Additionally, efforts should be made to challenge and change deeply rooted traditional gender norms and stereotypes that restrict women's participation in public affairs and economic opportunities. By addressing these issues, women and girls can have better access to resources and opportunities for economic empowerment and overall well-being.

Result Four Recommendation:         

To address the urgent needs of individuals, particularly women, in Yemen who face human rights violations, gender-based violence, and economic hardships, it is crucial to implement comprehensive and integrated interventions. These interventions should focus on three key areas: protection, psychosocial support, and the economy. By implementing comprehensive interventions that address protection, psychosocial support, and the economy, it is possible to mitigate the impact of the conflict on women and girls in Yemen. These interventions should be designed and implemented in a gender-responsive and rights-based manner, ensuring that the specific needs and priorities of women and girls are taken into account.