From Presence to Impact in Peace & Decision-Making
Sheba Youth Foundation for Development focuses in this track on promoting active participation of women and youth, advancing from symbolic presence to meaningful impact in peace processes, civic leadership, political advocacy, and local mediation. Through sustainable programs across Taiz and Yemen, Sheba builds capacities, organizes civic platforms, and produces grounded local knowledge supporting inclusive governance.
Implemented projects and field interventions advancing track objectives and strengthening local partnerships.
Strengthened young journalists’ capacities in conflict-sensitive reporting within a polarized war context, encouraging human-centered reporting that respects civilian dignity.
Empowered women leaders in community peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and social cohesion in war-affected Taiz through training and establishing a Women’s Community Council.
A high-impact digital safety initiative enhancing cybersecurity awareness among women and youth through accessible content on account protection, 2FA, encryption, and device security.
Transformed youth participation from passive training into local policy research, training young researchers to produce policy papers on public issues in Taiz.
Pioneered an early framework connecting Taiz’s water crisis with local dialogue and trust building, bringing together technical authorities and local actors to craft actionable policy recommendations.
A 3-season training series on youth political participation, digital advocacy, and cyber security, enabling young leaders to navigate digital civic spaces safely.
Curated policy papers, guides, field studies, and analytical research reports produced within this track.
This policy paper aims to shed light on the current state of youth inclusion in Yemen’s Track I peace process and to highlight the barriers that hinder their participation in ending the conflict and building peace. It examines the reasons behind the limited engagement of Yemeni youth in Track I peacebuilding, as well as the challenges that constrain their participation and consequently contribute to their exclusion from opportunities to participate in and influence decision-making processes and policies that affect them. The key factors underlying this issue include significant gaps in young people’s technical, informational, and practical skills, both in organizing themselves and in their ability to engage effectively in negotiations on issues related to the peace process. These gaps also affect their ability to articulate and amplify their voices and to access the negotiating table and the broader spaces surrounding the Track I process. In addition, there is a lack of comprehensive community and political empowerment mechanisms targeting youth, which are essential to providing them with genuine opportunities to represent themselves and their local communities in Track I negotiations.
Sheba Youth Foundation for Development welcomes collaboration with international organizations, donors, and knowledge centers to advance civic participation and leadership.
