The demand for greater political participation of women and youth was among the key demands of Yemen’s Arab Spring protestors. Via different approaches, FES is enabling women and youth to become equal partners in the social, economic, cultural and political life of the country given the high development potential in Yemen in the realms of stronger involvement of women and youth in public life as well as in planning and decision-making within politics and society.

If stakeholders meet these challenges public trust in democracy will grow and citizens feel that their concerns are met. To not let accomplishments of the transition process be forgotten, FES arranges for seminars and talks where mutual positions can be developed by finding consensus and compromise, knowing that this ability constitutes the basis of a functioning democracy.

The participation of young people in sociopolitical life and their interest in political, social and economical issues had been secured by the quota policy of the National Dialogue Conference. To not let the war reverse this achievement, FES works with young Yemenis on their political education program to build a forum for open debates and to support them in developing their own perspectives, independent of a prevalent discourse of violence. At the core of these efforts lies the Yemeni Young Leaders Network (YYLN), a FES-designed training scheme for a selected group of young adults with the motivation and capability of assuming leadership positions in politics and public life.