Representatives of a recently-formed bloc of women members of political parties (Takattul al Nisaa al Hizbiyat) met on 28 February with the head of the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen in Aden Marwan Ali. The meeting was initiated and hosted by the Wogood Foundation for Human Security.

Mr. Ali thanked the Foundation for hosting and commended the formation of the bloc. He reiterated the constant commitment of the Office of the Special Envoy towards advocating for the meaningful and effective participation of women in the political process. He emphasized that no peace can be sustainable without the inclusion of women.

The “bloc” was established in December 2020 with the aim of ensuring women’s meaningful participation in the political scene in Yemen and as a response to the absence of women from decision-making positions with the most recent example being the Cabinet formation that excluded women. The “bloc” brings together representatives of six Yemeni political parties, namely: the Yemeni Socialist Party, Nasserite Party, General People’s Congress, Islah, Rabita and Justice and Construction Party.

Participants to the meeting described the “bloc” as a platform through which women from different political affiliations can exchange views. They underlined that it aims to enhance women’s participation in the political life in Yemen and strengthen the relationship with international organizations. Participants highlighted that women can have an instrumental role in the political life and are often more inclined to achieving peace than men. They emphasized that women members of political parties can exercise a greater impact given their proximity to the parties in the Government and can play a more effective bridging role among members of those parties. They called on the international community to engage women members of political parties more efficiently, in particular those based in Yemen.