Events

March 9, 2019
 
“We are now on the eve of the fifth year of the war that is tearing our country apart and destroying its people,” said Yemeni Nobel Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karam. “Yemen needs a firm decision by the international community to end this war, which also poses a serious threat to the livelihoods of the Yemeni people in addition to the regional and global security and peace.” Karman called on the international community, governments, civil society, youth, and the private sector to take immediate action. 
 
Each week, almost 100 civilians are killed in Yemen. To call attention to the devastating consequences of the war in Yemen, and the dire humanitarian crisis, the Tawakkol Karman Foundation and the Center on National Security at Fordham Law co-organized a Global Conference on Yemen: Dimensions of The Humanitarian Crisis and Prospects Of Peace. Esteemed guests including four Nobel Peace Laureates and the Former President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki, along with policy makers, experts, academics, journalists, and activists attended the standing-room only event in New York. 
 
The conference opened with remarks a by Commissioner Bitta Mostofi of the New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs who said that the strength and resilience of the Yemeni people is felt in New York. The city and state are the home to the largest Yemeni community in the United States. “We have heard through our communities heartbreaking stories of families that have remained separated,” she noted adding that the Trump Administration’s travel ban has most acutely affected Yemenis. In the last year, there has been a 91 percent decrease in approval visas for them.
 
The first panel moderated by Nasser Zawia addressed the root causes of the conflict and looked at the power struggles playing out in the country. This was followed by a session moderated by Dalia Fahmy that examined the humanitarian crisis and the impact felt on the ground.  A senior crisis adviser at Amnesty International noted that the country’s catastrophe is man-made, and that the international parties have a lot of influence, and much can be done, but the parties have to be willing to act. 
 
In the key-note address, President Marzouki saluted the resilience of the Yemeni people. “The determination of all the people of good will to end this terrible war is needed urgently to put more pressure on the leaders to end the suffering of millions of Yemenis,” he said.  
 
The third panel moderated by journalist Mehdi Hasan looked at the possibility of peace. Yemeni expert Ibraham Qatabi said that Yemenis want a democratic system, distribution of wealth and power, and for the people of Yemen to have autonomy over their destiny.  
 
The conference concluded with Nobel Peace Laureates speaking with journalist Ghida Fakhry.  Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi said “Yemen belongs to the people of Yemen, and the destiny of Yemen needs to be made by the people of Yemen not foreign governments” – Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Iran and others need to leave, and that the United States must stop selling weapons to the region.  "World leaders, through all possible mechanisms, need to ensure that civilians are protected and that they immediately receive life-saving aid,". "Not another innocent life should be lost."

Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee remarked that humanitarian catastrophes have no borders, for the devastation that is felt by civilians during war is the same anywhere in the world. “Why context of wars may be different, the content, the experiences, and some of the solutions are similar,” Gbowee said. “Rape is rape. Killings are killings. Hunger is hunger. Internal displacement and refugee life are all the same.” "Security and safety for all Yemenis must be guaranteed. Internal and external actors need to lay down their arms," "Everyone in Yemen should have access to basic services, and all parents should be able to feed their children,"

Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate, told attendees that peace is about human security, not national security. Peace is not just an absence of war, but the absence of war is a precondition for the possibility of peace, she added. She also noted that in most peace agreements they bring “all the men who have waged the war together so they can figure out how to divide power,” which is not a good formula. "The normalization of war and violence should no longer be tolerated, "Peace negotiations, which should include women at all stages of the process, must be finalized and implemented with great haste, and we desperately need commitments from the international community to help restore Yemen."

In closing, Karman said that to build sustainable peace and to achieve national reconciliation the war must stop, the siege must be lifted, and Saudi Arabia and UAE must stop funding militias and withdraw their occupying forces from Yemen.  She added that “the Houthi militia and other militias must hand over their weapons to an independent military committee under the auspices of the United Nations and join other Yemenis and work to establish political parties, form a national government, organize a referendum on the draft constitution and eventually, hold local, parliamentary and presidential elections.”  In her view, transitional reconciliation and transitional justice are key to redress the situation, and compensation must be provided to the victims, which will help to prevent the recurrence of crimes against humanity.  She also highlighted the importance of establishing a special fund for the reconstruction of Yemen and a UN resolution that would require Saudi Arabia and the UAE to bear the heaviest financial burden and commit to compensating Yemen for the damages caused by the war.  During the conference, Karman saluted women everywhere who are fighting for and struggling for peace.

Click on this link to watch the whole conference