Khabar Khair (Only Good News) – Fatima Rashad

   Yemenis are looking for peace and an end to the war, under the conflicts that have left them no choice. This is accompanied by efforts, endeavors, and demands made by activists and human rights advocates in civil organizations and institutions that are interested in disseminating a culture of peace and coexistence in Yemen under these circumstances that we live in a country whose people dream of spreading peace all around it.

  A survey by Yemen Information Center for Research and Media had stated (the Information and Opinion Survey Unit) that 90% of citizens stressing the importance of achieving national reconciliation to solve the Yemeni crisis.

    A group of Yemeni female journalists has launched a project entitled (Women Make Peace), including all Yemeni governorates.

    Maliha Al-Asadi said: “The issue of coexistence and peace within civil society organizations is almost limited to alliances- building, holding workshops and activities targeting specific groups of society such as activists, media professionals and influencers in general, and this is what makes peace in a vicious cycle of repetition.

    Mleiha added, “It is rare to find activities that directly reach all groups in society, however the most effective are those activities that comes out with materials directed to the public that go along with the peace-building process, or those that directly address the issue of community peace.”

Maliha continues to Khabar Khair (Only Good News): “The most activity that we tried to achieve the first type is the project of women making peace, because the voice of women is considered the most influential in public opinion locally and internationally, including my activities (A Thousand Roses for Peace) and (Female journalists Make Peace) and other activities that unfortunately were ceased due to the protracted conflict and lack of resources, as they were mostly dependent on voluntary self-efforts rather than on a fixed work budget.

Peace making platforms

    On her platform (Niswan), Hoda Harbi seeks to support women’s issues in peacemaking, and tells Khabar Khair (Only Good News): “It is no secret to everyone that we have reached a difficult humanitarian, economic, political and social situation under the conflict we are living.”

   Huda adds: “We have tried hard to bring women’s voices of peace, and to bring women’s voices in particular, because they are the most affected, by highlighting many images of daily suffering that they live in. She is either a mother who has lost her son, or a wife whose husband was kidnapped, or a daughter who has been suffering from orphanhood, hunger, and deprivation. Or She is injured and has lost her limbs due to mines, or she struggles daily to get clean water, household gas, or even firewood to cook as much food as she can to satisfy hunger.”

     Huda continues explaining the challenge of Yemeni women under these circumstances, saying: “There are prominent female role models who were a light in the darkness and misery of the conflict. Many women played honorable roles and were able to give best examples of success and excellence in an environment that is least said to be difficult.”.

She said, “We have always tried to bring the voices of women calling for peace, and our message was Righteous indignation and stop the senseless conflict that destroyed everything beautiful within us.”

Peace is respect

   Maha Awad (President of Wajoud Foundation) believes that peace is the basis for respecting a life based on justice, respect for human rights, security, non-violence, preservation of the environment, stability, tolerance, cooperation, understanding others, democracy, freedom of expression, political participation, and non-discrimination. and identity, to ensure that future generations are protected from the ravages of conflicts and the sedimentation of the past that threaten their future and livelihood.

Peace and Women Program

     “When the forces of conflict were mobilizing for the fronts, women were mobilizing for peace.” This is what Wedad Al-Badawi (head of the Cultural Media Center) said about the role of Yemeni women in the peace and coexistence process, and she reflected this by preparing her television program The University of Women Who Worked on the Peace Consolidation Project.

   Wedad continues: “Since the beginning of the conflict, I have worked on many issues that concern the establishment of the peace process, and we used to meet in difficult circumstances to get our message to the world, and although it was received in a weak voice, it is an initiative by us to reach all parties working on enhancing the principle of peace.”.

    Al-Badawi added: “despite the difficulties I faced, I still say: It was nothing, but a seed and we sow. The outcomes of our efforts will grow. To this day, we strive to work on peace and coexistence. This is our goal and my goal in my television program on Al-Saeeda channel, Women and Peace, and I honestly say: Women are the proactive.” in the call for peace.

Peace class

     From Faculty of Arts, and in the Department of Media, and upon graduating the twentieth class of media students who named their class the “peace” class, one of the graduates said about her class: “We chose to name our class with this name because we realize the importance of pursuit of peace., by raising our pens and our voices, we – future media professionals. We will be advocates of peace, we will be the pride of Yemen to reach peace and coexistence.

     Ahmed Ezz (from the Information and Rehabilitation Center for Human Rights) told “Khabar Khair (Only Good News): “We are working to provide seminars and training courses to consolidate peace and coexistence in Yemen. The center is a regional organization that holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The principle of promoting human rights track and building peace in Yemen and the Arab region.

   Ezz stressed, “During these long years, the Center monitored dozens of activities and programs at the level of Yemen and the Arab region in this field and offered the first programs for building peace and peaceful settlement of disputes since 2001.”

     He also pointed out that the center’s history made it continue its vision of the need to work on building peace and strengthening the capacities of young people in the field of peacemaking and maintaining it. During the years 2020 and 2021, the center carried out several activities with lasting Peace Movement in Lebanon and the Global Partnership for peaceful settlement of disputes.

    Ahmed Ezz said, “We believe that the peace process is a societal endeavors based on creating a vision for society to avoid conflict, and if there is a slide towards violence or war – as it is now – we have to create awareness in the society about the need of peaceful settlement of disputes, and then we work to create A lasting peace based on respect for human rights and acceptance of the other.

      In order to lay the foundations for coexistence and peace in Yemen, the greatest support must be given to pursuit of peace and conducting courses and workshops to educate young people about the importance of peace and coexistence, giving young people great importance and an effective role in national reconciliation, and spreading the spirit of peace and love among citizens within the country.