In the wake of the pandemic, a changeover of the UN special envoy to Yemen and the formation of a Presidential Leadership Council, PeaceRep research aims to address continued calls among Yemeni and international discourse to reframe ways of thinking and approaching the peace process and conflict in Yemen.

We are exploring the fragmented nature of governance in Yemen. Working with trusted partners and networks, PeaceRep is working to understand how Yemeni groups are approaching attempts to reinvigorate the peace and transition process, and how they are addressing longstanding inclusion issues and key public service challenges.

Track and monitor the implementation of peace and transition processes for Yemen via the PA-X Tracker.

We are exploring ways to better understand fragmentation and how this intersects with regional or local issues or civic approaches to securing public services, alongside a tapestry of state and non-state government and quasi-government authorities. A central part of this research focus has been our engagement with Yemeni research and expert groups, such as the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY) Women’s Technical Advisory Board, Peace Track Initiative, Yemen Polling Center and Yemen Policy Center. PeaceRep continues to build on this work, bringing together Yemeni actors to engage with ways of thinking about positive civic-led changes on issues mutually agreed across geographies, in the absence of a peace and transition process.

PeaceRep’s Yemen research includes:

1. Digital visualisation and PeaceTech approaches conveying fragmented conflict. Using actor network mapping tools, PeaceRep is creating an actor-issue data model with interactive visuals to help researchers and teams on Yemen find a shared mode of analysis. In its earlier work, PeaceRep helped incubate a vision for technology approaches in Yemen, which the UN has now institutionalised.
2. Understanding the nexus between conflict and Covid-19. With Peace Track Initiative and Yemen Policy Centre, we have conducted a series of interviews with health professionals, civil society members, and women who are active in the peace process in order to examine local responses to the pandemic and to understand the impact of Covid-19 on women’s inclusion in the peace process.

Team

PeaceRep’s Yemen research is led by Robert Wilson at the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with OSESGY Women’s Technical Advisory Board, Peace Track Initiative, Yemen Polling Center and Yemen Policy Centre.