The crisis in Yemen was highlighted by Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who painted a bleak picture of human rights violations in more than 50 countries in his annual report delivered on Wednesday.
The recent death of Yemeni civil society activist Reham Al-Bader (above, left) shows the dangers women face providing lifelines in conflict, notes Mohammad Naciri , the Regional Director for Arab States for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. Yemeni women made significant strides towards political inclusion in the 2013 National Dialogue Conference, but their participation has been subsequently sidelined and only a handful of Yemeni women were engaged in the now stalled peace process, he writes for Open Democracy.
March 19, 2018 marks the third anniversary of the war in Yemen, which has led to the worst humanitarian crisis in the modern history of the Arab world’s poorest country. The death toll has topped 9,000 with 52,000 wounded, and a serious cholera epidemic is raging across the country with over one million suspected cases of the disease, the Arab Center reports. In addition, the United Nations has reported that 8.4 million Yemenis are “a step away” from famine. Despite these devastating statistics, there has been no significant effort to ease the flow of aid to those in need, and no political solution in sight.
What are the current prospects for ending the Yemen war? What type of immediate measures can the international community take to mitigate the suffering of civilians in Yemen and bring about a long-term political solution? What are the implications of congressional resolutions calling for an end to the US military role in the war? What is the declared objective of Saudi Arabia and its allies regarding the war in Yemen, and do they have an exit strategy once that goal is achieved?
Ending the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
Featuring:
Abdulwahab Alkebsi
Deputy Director of Programs
Center for International Private Enterprise
[a core institute of the National Endowment for Democracy]
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
Middle East Fellow, Baker Institute for Public Policy
Rice University
Khalil E. Jahshan
Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
National Press Club
Fourth Estate Restaurant
529 14th St., NW
Washington, DC 20045
(Other speakers to be confirmed)
