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“There are no rights without sustainable peace, and no peace without a just political settlement”

September 20, 2021 – Coordinated by the human rights and political tracks of the National Reconciliation Movement and at the invitation of Mrs. Houria Mashhour, co-founder and member of the Supervisory Council, the movement held a high-level event yesterday evening, Sunday, where His Excellency the Minister of Human Rights Ahmed Arman and the human rights activist Tawfiq Al-Humaidi, head of SAM Organization were guests of honor. The event aimed to discuss the human rights situation in Yemen especially after the Houthi executions of a group of civilians from Tihama region, including a minor, without fair legal procedures.

In his speech, His Excellency the Minister listed Yemen’s losses due to the armed conflict in terms of human and material victims, including the dead, wounded and captured fighters, which include children, in addition to tens of hundreds of civilian casualties. He also touched on the forced displacement of entire societies. He pointed out that accountability cannot be executed professionally during the war and those who claim to carry it out are doing so as a means of political pressure since trials in the midst of war cannot be fair. 

He also talked about a major problem in the way the international community deals with peace in Yemen, because pressures to stop the war must be directed to the aggressor who is rejecting the peace initiatives, but what is happening is pressure is made on the weaker party and this appears even in the statements issued by the Secretary-General and some of the western countries towards recent executions by the Houthis.

According to the minister, “We work now to document violations in a way that preserves victims’ rights and those of the society in general, so as to allow the adequate implementation of transitional justice in the post-peace phase. We must not underestimate the importance of documentation by civil society, activists, and government agencies.”

The minister added that there are difficulties in verifying information, especially in Houthi-controlled areas, especially in light of the risks that activists and human rights defenders are exposed to. He also pointed out that there are human rights violations in the areas under the control of legitimate government, mainly due to the failure of implementing the Riyadh Agreement and therefore the government is unable to fulfill its obligations, noting that the Ministry of Human Rights is in a difficult situation due to the absence of state institutions and capabilities and in light of the multiplicity of military forces on the ground, most of which are unorganised. However, partial procedures are carried out with the available human and material resources. There are many decrees issued in areas under the control of legitimate government that could not be implemented, and there are more complications due to the political conditions in the south.

Professor Ayoub Al-Hammadi, the lead founder of the movement ignited the spirits through a fiery speech and reminded the attendees that peace is the solution, saying, “In the National Reconciliation Movement, we seek, through common denominators, to preserve and protect human dignity regardless of who they are. We cannot ignore the violations that occurred during the war, especially since there are long-term effects in Yemeni society, because of the armed conflict. Therefore, we, in the movement, must play the balancing role bringing the conflict parties together because the continuation of the war will only lead to more destruction in Yemen. We must strive to build a modern civil state that enforces equal citizenship and good governance.

Activist Tawfiq Al-Humaidi talked about the role of civil society in defending human rights and how there are great challenges facing the organization as part of the human rights community, such as financial, professional and security challenges, threats and difficulty in accessing information and resources. 

“I receive more than 100 complaints and cases of violation daily, and we are exposed to severe psychological pressure, especially since we are a civil society organisation, not a state. But what motivates us to continue is the hope that what we do will do justice to the victims in the future when the opportunity comes, and now our messages may reach the concerned authorities and contribute to saving lives.”

On the other hand, Dr. Al-Maqhafi and Ms. Nabila Al-Hakimi, the directors of the political and human rights tracks respectively, spoke to the spirit of the movement encouraging intensified efforts to end the conflict. They demonstrated that there are prospects of peace and stability and the recovery of rights and compensation for the violated rights.

The participants in the event enriched the discussion with their questions and comments, expressing their concerns about the continuation of the war and that the citizens cannot bear more pressures. Stressing that peace does not come only through silencing the sound of guns, but rather with the formation of the modern civil state through comprehensive national reconciliation that does not neglect transitional justice. Working towards peace and preventing the recurrence of these violations standing up for the victims.

The National Reconciliation Movement concluded its second preparatory conference under the slogan “a new milestone on the road to peace”., announcing the start of a new stage of work based on a clear roadmap for peace. The movement’s roadmap to peace was the main highlight of this virtual conference, held on April 10, which was attended by around 100 members, including politicians, academics and experts in various fields. This road map is what distinguishes the movement from other national initiatives, in addition to the fact that it hosts within it some of the best national competencies from all backgrounds and fields united under one cause to achieve the Yemen everyone dreams of. It is also distinguished by the fact that half of its composition are women and around two thirds are youth.

The conference emphasized the movement’s transition to a new stage of work and the continuation of the institutionalisation of its various structures and entities, a stage that will be by its nature a transitional stage, and will continue for a year.

The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Ezzani, one of the founding members, stressing the importance of the movement and the goal for which it was established.

In the first session of the conference, researcher and political writer Dr. Adel Dashila presented an analytical reading about the previous peace initiatives and lessons learned. Followed by a presentation by Mansour Al-Shaddadi, head of the Yemeni European House, reviewing the developments in the Ma’rib governorate.

Regarding the international and regional momentum and efforts calling for peace, former Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Yamani, gave an overview of the discussions taking place in Muscat, as well as a presentation on international policies towards Yemen and the developments of the new US administration’s policy towards the Yemeni file.

In the second session, Dr. Hamdan Dammag, a founding member of the movement, illustrated the structure and mechanisms of the movement, stressing that now it commences work on nine tracks to reach peace and a modern civil state. These tracks are political, security and military, international relations, economics and reconstruction, state building, culture and information, education, human rights and humanitarianism, and health. 

Dr. Belqis Abuosba, one of the movement’s founders, reviewed the features of the road map during the third session of the conference. The conference concluded its sessions with two moving speeches made by Nuha Al-Junaid and Abu Bakr Ba’adbad, two of the youngest members of the movement, reminding everyone of their responsibility towards future generations and hoping for the future that can be achieved through collaborative efforts. 

The conference concluded with an passionate note from leading founder Prof. Ayoub Al Hammadi, explaining how the idea started two years ago and how he and Mr. Ahmed Luqman transformed the idea into a national project and gathered Yemeni figures at home and abroad around this national project.

The movement aims to present its roadmap to end the war and address its effects, and uphold national reconciliation and comprehensive national recovery to reach a just and comprehensive peace that paves the way for building a stable and modern Yemeni state that responds to the aspirations and interests of the Yemeni people. For more information visit NRM’s social media platforms and website and social media platforms.

The National Reconciliation Movement will be conducting tomorrow, 10^th April 2021, its Second Preparatory Conference under the slogan “a new milestone on the road to peace.” The event will host the movement’s General Assembly, which includes a constellation of Yemeni men and women from political backgrounds, academia and creative arts, diplomacy, legal social and tribal figures, the private sector, media, military leaders, human rights, and expert professionals from all walks of life from inside and outside Yemen. According to the conference’s preparatory committee, distinguished members of the movement will present working papers in the virtual conference on the recent updates in international policy towards Yemen, in addition to developments in the Yemeni arena, and a review of peace initiatives in the recent period.

The structure and mechanisms of the movement’s work in the next phase will also be presented. This is accompanied with the commencing of a new phase of the movement’s activity at the national, regional and international levels, concurrent with the launch of its new website http://www.nrm-yemen.com, through which the movement’s news and activities can be followed up. The conference will also shed light on the features of the movement’s roadmap to end the war in Yemen and reach the desired just and inclusive peace, which will form the basis for the movement’s work in the next phase to support the international and regional momentum aimed at finding a political settlement to the Yemeni crisis.

It is noteworthy that the National Reconciliation Movement had held its first preparatory conference last January under the slogan “Our common grounds” for two days, in which experts from the movement’s members presented a number of working papers in the economic field, reconstruction and development priorities, and a number of important topics related to the phase political transition, the post-war period, national reconciliation, transitional justice, the role of the media, strategies for structuring military and security institutions, reform of the civil service sector, reform of the education system, and other important issues.

The movement aims to present its roadmap to end the war and address its effects, and uphold national reconciliation and comprehensive national recovery to reach a just and comprehensive peace that paves the way for building a stable and modern Yemeni state that responds to the aspirations and interests of the Yemeni people.

For more information visit NRM’s social media platforms and website

www.nrm-yemen.com

twitter: @NationalReconYe

Facebook: @NationalReconYe

In response to local and regional developments, and at a time when Yemenis are experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in this century after nearly seven years of war in Yemen, the National Reconciliation Movement is opening multiple channels of communication and networking with stakeholders at the local, regional and international levels. This is in continuation of its establishment process towards achieving peace in Yemen. 

Consequently, the movement welcomes the recent peace initiative presented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the war, which was welcomed nationally and internationally. NRM members, who hail from all backgrounds and represent the diverse Yemeni community in Yemen and abroad, are working to present a roadmap for Yemeni peace that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people while being compatible with common regional and international interests. 

Achieving peace in Yemen is not the responsibility of one particular entity, and accordingly, the National Reconciliation Movement urges all Yemeni parties to have the courage to play their role in extricating Yemen from this tragedy, and to deal positively with all initiatives that contribute to achieving the desired peace.

This is an opportunity to create progress in our path to end the war and sit together as Yemenis at the negotiating table to reach a fair and comprehensive peace agreement.

It is worth noting that the National Reconciliation Movement is a national political gathering that includes tens of Yemeni figures from all disciplines and experiences inside and outside Yemen. It aims to present a project to end the war and address its effects, and to promote national reconciliation. Through a comprehensive national recovery based on a just and comprehensive peace agreement that paves the way for building the modern Yemeni state that responds to the aspirations and interests of the Yemeni people. 

In its effort to expand its membership base, the National Reconciliation Movement welcomed over thirty new members in its ranks hailing from all trends, sectors and segments of society from various regions of Yemen and abroad.

In a virtual meeting today, a few of the founding members welcomed dozens of new members who are among the most influential and professional Yemeni men and women from diverse backgrounds and specializations. In the meeting, Professor Ayoub Al-Hammadi, leading founder of the initiative and member of the Supervisory Council, presented a brief overview of the movement, its principles and goals to the new members. Engineer Khaled Abdul Wahid Numan, one of the founders and a member of the Supervisory Council, elaborated by providing a historical references to the dilemma of the modern Yemeni state, and what NRM is doing it to achieve its goals, expressing his delight to meet with the new members and work with them to seek an end to the war, achieve comprehensive and just peace and build an equal citizenship state that meets the needs, rights and aspirations of the Yemeni people.

The new members enriched the discussion through posing a number of constructive interventions and important questions, in addition to shedding light on some of their personal and professional experiences and what they can contribute to serving the goals of the movement at the national, regional and international levels.

Mrs. Houria Mashour, one of the founders and a member of the Supervisory Board, concluded the meeting by affirming that the movement will continue its work at all organizational and internal levels, in addition to continuing to communicate with various stakeholders nationally, regionally and internationally.

It is worth noting that the National Reconciliation Movement is a national political gathering that includes a number of Yemeni national figures from all disciplines and scientific, political and security experiences inside and outside Yemen, which aims to present a project to end the war and address its effects, and to promote national reconciliation and comprehensive national recovery to reach a just and comprehensive peace that paves the way for building a stable and modern Yemeni state that responds to the aspirations and interests of the Yemeni people.

Under the slogan “Our common grounds,” the National Reconciliation Movement concluded its two-day preparatory conference yesterday, which was attended by members of the movement including political leaders, and intellectuals and scientific elites, from inside and outside Yemen. 

Participants in the conference eagerly contributed their ideas and insights to the larger framework of the movement aiming at achieving just and sustainable peace by ending the conflict and working towards building the modern Yemeni civil state.

Various working papers were presented in the conference starting with an introductory to the movement and its goals and principles, as well as political and media contexts, presenting solutions and measures conducive to bridging the rift between all parties and ending the war. The experts also presented on reforming and rehabilitation of the state’s institutions such as the military and security, civil service, central bank and monetary institutions. Topics relating to transitional justice and national reconciliation were discussed as well as development priorities in terms of education, development, and recovery.

These papers were enriched with constructive discussion and the interventions of a large number of members of the movement from political, diplomatic and academic personalities and experts in various disciplines. 

It is worth noting that the National Reconciliation Movement aims at ending the war through presenting a Yemeni-led alternative to all the conflict parties based on national consensus and the best interest of the community as a whole. To achieve this, the NRM relies in its policy on the principle of unification and non-exclusion and achieving a delicate balance of the various trends between the various Yemeni forces, with the aim of ensuring that Yemen is pulled out of its historical predicament by presenting a national peace initiative that enjoys consensus and regional and international support. 

For more information, you can follow the movement’s pages on Facebook and Twitter. @NationalReconYe

The newly established National Reconciliation Movement (NRM) of Yemen launches its first preparatory meeting in a two-day conference between 9th and 10th January 2021, presenting its core team of distinguished Yemeni men and women from all fields and expertise, who have come together to contribute to promoting peace and building a new Yemen.

The topics discussed at the conference introduce elements of NRM’s peace project designed by its leadership and aiming at ending the war and achieving national reconciliation and transitional justice, leading towards finally achieving sustainable peace and stability.

During the conference, the movement’s objectives, principles, goals and strategic framework will be presented. A number of experts from within the movement will present papers in politics, media, the economy, development, transitional justice, state building and international relations among other topics.

With this conference, Yemen’s NRM aims to launch a Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue focusing on the ways forward, recommending practical steps towards achieving national reconciliation and a prosperous country with the support of countries in the region and the international community.