Sana'a - Saba:
The expanded humanitarian meeting, organized by the International Cooperation Sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, concluded today in Sana'a. The meeting, held on the fourth day with local organizations, was held under the slogan "Coordination - Cooperation – Trust."
In the session, the Undersecretary of the International Cooperation Sector at the Ministry, Ambassador Ismail Al-Mutawakel, reiterated the Yemeni government's commitment to continuing to localize humanitarian work, as well as the International Cooperation Sector's commitment to providing all possible support to local organizations in coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, relevant government agencies, and donors.
He announced the design of a joint program, in coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and relevant government agencies, to support capacity-building and civil society empowerment projects. He called on donors to open direct funding mechanisms for qualified Yemeni organizations, free from tutelage and bureaucracy.
He said, "We meet on the fourth day of the expanded humanitarian meeting to put the final word on a path we began a few days ago with UN organizations, continued with international organizations, and concluded with the origin of the story and the constant pillar of the field: Yemeni civil society organizations."
Ambassador Al-Mutawakel addressed the world, saying, "Our organizations did not withdraw, retreat, or fear, because they were not a tool of politics. Rather, they were the conscience of the people and a call for justice." He noted that after three days of dialogue, presentations, and discussions, we stand at a new threshold and responsibility in building a fair and genuine partnership between the government and civil society organizations. This partnership stems from trust in competence, respects independence, and ensures fair funding, equal opportunities, training, and institutional support.
He added, "When we talk about Yemeni civil society organizations, we are not recounting a history spanning just ten years. Rather, we are telling the story of a national identity rooted in the mountains, plains, and working-class neighborhoods, as well as in remote villages. We are talking about men, women, young men, and girls who shouldered the burdens of the people when others were absent, filled the gap when partners withdrew, and remained in the field when budgets collapsed and some international headlines failed us."
The Undersecretary of the International Cooperation Sector pointed out that local organizations demonstrated during the campaign that humanity is not a job, but a position, and that humanitarian work is not just projects, but a cause, values, and belonging. He explained that the need today, in light of the withdrawal of some international organizations and the decline in funding, is reinforced by the need to localize humanitarian work and enhance the capacity of local organizations to be at the heart of coordination, at the forefront of implementation, and at the forefront of partnerships with the state and donors.
He emphasized the government's commitment, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - International Cooperation Sector, to open the doors of support to organizations by involving them in planning and emergencies through joint committees with the United Nations and international organizations and through sector bloc meetings.
He also emphasized the need to refer many projects to international organizations, provide administrative and legal facilities, support capacity-building efforts, and strive to connect these organizations directly with donors, providing technical advice to access international funding portals.
Ambassador Al-Mutawakel concluded his remarks by saying, "We are well aware that there are significant challenges, including difficulty accessing funding, complex donor technical requirements, and sometimes a lack of recognition of your institutional readiness. However, we believe that these challenges are not inevitable, but can be transformed into opportunities.
We, in the International Cooperation Sector, extend our hands to you with confidence, so that you may be at the center of the plan, not at its margins. Our confidence is great, not because you are the closest, but because you are the most honest, and because you are the voice of the people, the face of the field, and the spirit of this land that refuses to surrender."
For her part, Rosaria Bruno, the Representative of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen, expressed her gratitude for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' invitation to attend the expanded humanitarian meeting with international, UN, and local organizations to enhance cooperation, coordination, and integration to protect and save lives.
She said, "If there is one thing I remember from Sa'ada, Hajjah, and Abs, it is that I found many brave Yemenis and local organizations, whom we consider friends and colleagues, working together to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people as a result of the conflict."
Bruno addressed the humanitarian situation in Yemen, the causes of the economic deterioration, and the impact of the war on the country. She explained that a number of local organizations are providing assistance to the community, welcoming displaced persons, assisting women, and providing services to children, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. She added, "The humanitarian system and the Humanitarian Country Team, led by the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, Julien Harneis, are working to reflect the Yemeni reality and what is happening across the country. This requires significant and effective cooperation, with everyone playing important roles in the Yemeni governorates and regions."
The OCHA representative emphasized the need for coordination and joint action to carry out humanitarian roles, noting that the challenges are significant and sometimes complex due to the lack of funding provided to local actors, which constitutes a major challenge for them. She noted the role of the Yemeni private sector in supporting local organizations amid the increasingly difficult humanitarian situation in Yemen, adding, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the humanitarian situation is more difficult because many partners are facing cost cuts, and OCHA is making significant efforts to increase funding to assist Yemenis."
Bruno reiterated the continued efforts and dialogue with relevant authorities in Yemen through an integrated OCHA team to work to bridge the large gaps, especially since everyone will not be able to cover them given the many challenges, including the reduction in support and funding.
She commended the efforts of the Yemeni authorities, who are providing facilitation and assistance to partners, especially since many requests for humanitarian projects and activities are difficult to address given the complexities of humanitarian work due to the lack of sufficient funding. In a speech on behalf of civil society organizations, Iman Al-Hamzi, Program Director at the Yemeni Women's Union, said, "At a humanitarian moment in Yemen, crises are intertwined and challenges are multiplying. We stand today to express the suffering we as organizations are experiencing, and the suffering that society is experiencing, in light of the ongoing aggression and the increasing humanitarian, economic, and environmental challenges that have burdened citizens, especially the most vulnerable groups of women, children, and people with special needs."
She explained that local organizations have faced an unprecedented decline in humanitarian funding over the past period, especially for the years 2024-2025. This has directly impacted their ability to implement humanitarian projects and provide humanitarian services, as well as the gradual withdrawal of most international and UN organizations, particularly in northern Yemen, creating a significant gap in the humanitarian response.
Al-Hamzi indicated that the withdrawal of organizations has contributed to the exacerbation of the suffering of vulnerable groups and increased needs with the deterioration of conditions and the rise in rates of internal displacement, poverty, and unemployment. This has also led to a decline in the support local organizations receive for their programs and essential services. She explained that the systematic Zionist targeting of ports, airports, and civilian facilities has exacerbated the suffering of the population, obstructed the entry of humanitarian aid, increased displacement rates, and increased the isolation of the most affected communities at a time when the capacity of local organizations to respond immediately is eroding.
She added, "We cannot ignore the challenges related to the localization of humanitarian work, as it faces significant obstacles, most notably the lack of support for capacity building of local organizations and the lack of adequate transfer of expertise, at a time when we believe that the localization of humanitarian work has become an urgent necessity to ensure the continuity of service provision and enhance response to emergency situations and natural disasters."
The Program Director of the Yemeni Women's Union reviewed the most prominent challenges facing civil society organizations, represented by the scarcity of financial liquidity and the freezing of funds from most partners at the World Bank, which has rendered organizations unable to fulfill their obligations to beneficiaries and those entitled to them.
She stressed the need to review funding mechanisms to ensure transparency and fairness in distribution, linking funding to the extent of actual need rather than political and geographical orientations, and adopting clear and effective policies to localize humanitarian work by empowering local civil society organizations and strengthening their role in planning, implementation, and evaluation to ensure the continued provision of humanitarian services. At the conclusion, a film was shown about the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Palestine, the US, Saudi, and Emirati aggression and blockade on Yemen, and the crimes of genocide and deliberate starvation committed by the enemy entity against the residents of the Gaza Strip for 22 months.
The first and second days of the expanded humanitarian meeting also featured discussions, proposals, observations, and presentations by ministries, government institutions, and UN and international organizations on humanitarian activities, challenges, and interventions implemented over the past years.
Walid Al-Jabri, from the International Cooperation Sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave a comprehensive presentation on the "Coordination - Cooperation" sector, highlighting the facilities provided to UN and international partners from local non-governmental organizations, including response plans, prioritization, support, and encouragement of localized humanitarian work activities, among others.
The presentation also addressed the objectives and tasks of the Protection and Legal Support Department within the International Cooperation Sector, as well as the sub-goals of raising legal awareness among employees of international governmental and non-governmental organizations operating in the Republic of Yemen and providing them with the necessary legal support and advice. An initiative was presented to provide support and advice to qualified civil society organizations to directly reach donors (the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF), other international donor agencies, funds, and financial institutions) to obtain funding to implement humanitarian, relief, and food projects, in coordination with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in light of the current challenges represented by the scarcity of funding and the withdrawal of a number of international organizations operating in Yemen.
The expanded humanitarian meeting, held over four days and attended by representatives of active UN, international, and local organizations, discussed "enhancing the coordination of humanitarian efforts in Yemen and discussing the challenges and repercussions of declining funding."
During the meeting, comprehensive presentations were given to various ministries, government institutions, and UN, international, and local organizations on the activities, challenges, and humanitarian interventions implemented over the past years.