Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they are supporting women’s groups and women human rights defenders in Yemen.

Yemen is a focus country in the new HMG national action plan on Women, Peace, and Security for 2023-27 and is one of our human rights priority countries.

We champion and support the important role women, youth and civil society can play in securing lasting peace in Yemen, recognising the need for an inclusive peace process and consideration for marginalised groups.

As a global leader on the Women Peace, and Security agenda, the UK funds projects supporting the work of grassroots women leaders and civil society organisations in communities across Yemen. For example, we supported the Yemeni Women's Pact for Peace and Security (through UN Women), which aimed to increase female leadership and inclusion in the peace processes.

We continue to support the UN Special Envoy, who is actively engaging women in the peace process and involving a wide range of Yemenis. We fund a Senior Gender Adviser position and an Economist position in his office. Complementing the UN's efforts to deliver a durable and sustainable peace deal, the UK's Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) has supported a range of Track II (Influential Figures) and Track III (Civil Society and Local Groups) initiatives which promote a more inclusive political dialogue, including at the subnational level.