Yemen - EU Roadmap for engagement with civil society

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 179th out of 189 on the Human Development Index, with approximately three quarters of the population affected by poverty in 2020 (women more severely than men). It has faced structural development challenges for decades, but the situation has worsened drastically since the start of the current conflict in 2015, which has already set human development back by more than 20 years. 

In addition to the direct consequences of the armed conflict, the most acute problems currently faced by people in Yemen include severe food insecurity and malnourishment, exposure to preventable diseases (without adequate access to healthcare) and a general lack of basic services, such as clean drinking water and education. In addition, gender inequality is a major obstacle to development progress and poverty reduction (Yemen suffers from the world’s highest levels of gender inequality

Civil society actors first emerged in Yemen during the colonial period in the south and the Imamate in the North. The creation of two separate independent states in the 1970s with different political, economic and development systems saw the creation of different types of CSOs in different parts of the country, most of them primarily focusing on literacy, education, culture, local development and environmental issues. The more open political climate and inflow of more diverse donor funding following the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990 encouraged the creation of more CSOs. The political uprising as part of the Arab Spring in 2011 opened new spaces for more independent and political forms of civic engagement, including more youth-led CSOs and more diverse areas of focus. The Roadmap for EU engagement with civil society in Yemen sets out the priorities for EU engagement with civil society in Yemen.