Influencing Policy

Publications January 19, 2025 00:31 MIN Supporting Political Dialogues for Peace in Yemen This project aims to help revive civilian political life in Yemen by building an interactive and constructive space for political dialogue among Yemen’s diverse political actors. It focuses on political parties and national institutions that have a mandate to represent Yemen’s population and on reconciling national and local interests and alliances such as the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission (CRC) and the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). The project first strengthens cohesion and collaborative relationships of trust across different political groups. Next, it enhances the agency and capacities of political stakeholders as they manage or resolve political challenges at odds with the peace process. Lastly, it identifies and promotes Yemeni solutions to critical local and national issues so they ultimately can be… Continue reading Publications October 22, 2021 00:19 MIN Leveraging Innovative Technology for Ceasefire Monitoring, Civilian Protection and Accountability in Yemen Using technology solutions and leveraging a deep understanding of the Yemen context, Hala Systems and the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies support efforts to bring an end to violence in Yemen and, in doing so, protect civilian lives. The program supports ceasefire monitoring, de-escalation, arms control, accountability and civilian safety – in concert with Track I and II peacemaking initiatives and in close coordination with key stakeholders. The current phase of the project is funded by the German Federal Government. Continue reading Publications October 22, 2021 00:29 MIN Yemen Economic Bulletin The Yemen Economic Bulletin is a regular publication series produced by the Sana’a Center Economic Unit that looks into the most important economic trends and policy decisions impacting Yemen, including topics related to macroeconomics, microeconomics, monetary and fiscal policy, labor force trends, commercial market dynamics and related areas. These examinations have particular urgency in Yemen given that the country’s immense humanitarian crisis is largely the result of economic factors, as well as the weaponization of these factors by the belligerent parties in their continually escalating economic warfare. The publications are intended to provide detailed information, nuanced perspective and practical policy options regarding some of the most crucial immediate and long-term challenges Yemen faces. Continue reading Publications November 1, 2020 00:34 MIN Humanitarian Aid and its Micro and Macroeconomic Effects in Yemen Through this project, the Sana’a Center will conduct a research program to maximize the positive impact of aid dollars in Yemen by monitoring and assessing the humanitarian response in Yemen. The research will explore the processes and modalities used to deliver aid in Yemen and identify mechanisms to improve their efficiency and impact. It will also gather economic data and indicators from around the country to analyze the micro and macroeconomic impact of humanitarian aid. Through this project, the Sana’a Center will create a platform from which to advocate for increased transparency and efficiency in aid delivery to maximize the positive outcomes from aid dollars at local and national levels. The program is funded by the Federal Department of Foreign… Continue reading Publications June 10, 2020 00:21 MIN Supporting Broader Inclusion and Participation in the Yemeni Peace Process The project seeks to support an inclusive negotiated solution and contribute to long-term sustainable peace in Yemen by ensuring inclusion of, and support to, key constituencies for peace. The project strives for broader inclusion and participation in decision making processes in Yemen. It supports the efforts made by the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen towards a negotiated solution to the conflict in Yemen. The project is implemented by a consortium formed by Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies. It is funded by the EU. Continue reading Publications June 1, 2020 00:34 MIN Examining the Impact of Yemen’s Conflicts on Yemeni Minorities This project will produce a series of seven situation reports, each focusing on one minority or marginalized community. In the first stage of the project (2020) these reports will focus on the Baha’i community and the Muhamasheen community. Each policy report will present a history and overview of the community, including its social and economic situation; a gendered analysis of the community’s experience of the war; its access to basic services and/or humanitarian aid; displacement during the war; and fulfilment and violations of the community’s social, political and economic rights. These reports will also explore the impact of discrimination and persecution of these communities, and how this has intensified during the current conflict. The program runs from June 2020 to… Continue reading Publications June 1, 2020 00:35 MIN Foreign Actors in Yemen The Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies’ Foreign Actors publication series looks at the key role non-Yemeni state and non-state actors have had in shaping the country’s historic and modern-day political, military, economic and social dynamics. Such influence has long been significant, however the current scope of foreign intervention in Yemen is unprecedented, lending urgency and timeliness to this series of research and analysis papers. Insight into the nuances of today’s foreign intervention is essential to understanding competing geopolitical priorities as well as the domestic dynamics at play in Yemen, where war is too often portrayed as merely a proxy fight. By producing knowledge on Yemen’s foreign actors, the Sana’a Center aims to progress meaningful, comprehensive and nuanced policy discussions. The… Continue reading Publications September 19, 2018 00:58 MIN Gender Analysis for Progressive Policy in Yemen The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency jointly undertook research and advocacy project to address the effect of the war on gender relations and access to services in Yemen, to instill a gender lens in the policy debate and programmatic planning processes on Yemen by delivering gender-specific data and high quality gender-focused analysis on how the conflict has affected gender relations and powers at the local level. The project also aimed to inform how policies, UN-led peace process and programming in Yemen can respond effectively by addressing gender gaps caused by current dynamics and promoting successful gender empowering models that may be identified. It also provided insights on how to create strategic platforms for… Continue reading Publications September 19, 2018 02:50 MIN Strategic Local Peacebuilding in Yemen Project Overview: The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and Oxford Research Group (ORG) aim to lay the foundations for more effective peacebuilding efforts while contributing to the country’s eventual political transition, strengthening local capacity, and encouraging more inclusive and strategic dialogue in two of Yemen’s key regions: Marib and Hadramawt. This will mean rethinking long-held assumptions about the nature and form that the peace process should take, and requiring the exploration of new creative models, in order to forge new possibilities for lasting peace. Also, this project seeks to ensure increased understanding of local dynamics and power relations that underlie and have emerged as a result of the current conflict in order to address them and help inform the Office… Continue reading Publications April 22, 2018 00:28 MIN The Yemen Conflict in Times of US Policy Uncertainty The Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies launched the research series “The Yemen Conflict in Times of US Policy Uncertainty” in October 2017. Through this initiative the Sana’a Center will produce critical studies and reports analyzing the drivers and implications of US policies and actions in Yemen under the current White House administration. Among the key areas of study will be US counter-terrorism operations, humanitarian aid, and conflict mediation. In exploring the security, political, economic, humanitarian and social ramifications of current and potential US policy choices in Yemen, the Sana’a Center aims to inform the discussions behind these policy choices with deep local knowledge and understanding, and fact-based arguments and recommendations. Continue reading Publications July 29, 2017 00:14 MIN The Yemen Exchange The Yemen Exchange is an intensive online course administered by the Sana’a Center and The Exchange Foundation since 2017. The course is designed to provide unique access to information, perspectives, updates, and analyses on Yemen for those seeking to develop a working background on the country as well as those already thoroughly versed in its dynamics. Continue reading Publications April 10, 2017 00:53 MIN Mental Health and the Psychological Impacts of War on Individuals, Families, and Communities in Yemen The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and the Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic are jointly undertaking an interdisciplinary, mixed methods investigation and human rights advocacy project to address the adverse effects of armed conflict on the mental health of individuals, families and communities in Yemen, to bring mental health concerns into Yemen’s peace and reconciliation processes, and to strengthen recognition of the human right to mental health in Yemen and internationally. To address current gaps in research and advocacy on mental health in Yemen, this project is carrying out a study of the impacts of war on mental health in the country and the correlation this has with the human rights of those affected; conducting targeted advocacy with government… Continue reading