3 February 2022 – DeepRoot Consulting and the European Union Delegation to Yemen awarded certificates of graduation to the members of the Hikma Fellowship for Public Leaders, following their successful completion of the advanced leadership program.
The graduation of the inaugural cohort of 15 Hikma Fellows came at the close of a week-long series of meetings in Amman at the end of January 2022 that included briefings with key international stakeholders on the peace process.
“Young leaders play an essential role in enhancing stability and building peace. In Yemen, youth represent a large segment of the population and are the driving force for development and peace in their society,” Marion Lalisse, chargé d'affaires of the EU Delegation to Yemen, said to the Fellows. “I would like to emphasize the commitment of the European Union to the role of youth, including strengthening the youth leadership role.”
The Fellowship program is managed by DeepRoot as part of a broader EU-supported effort to empower the next generation of public leaders in Yemen. Distinguished and promising youth from Yemen’s main political parties and groups, in addition to independent youth, are guided through a series of advanced leadership training courses, dialogue on national and regional-level issues, and stakeholder engagement meetings.
Since the launch of the program in July 2020, the Fellows completed four leadership training courses delivered by international experts, covering a wide range of topics integral for leadership. This includes adaptive leadership, mediation and public organization, public policy analysis, transition planning and management, and values in public leadership.
Putting these skills into practice, the Hikma Fellows were convened throughout the program for dialogue meetings to discuss and build consensus on potential solutions to national-level issues of concern to youth. The Fellows arrived at a set of recommendations for reforming the UN-led peace process to make it more inclusive and effective, and met with counterparts from across the Gulf countries to explore opportunities for strengthening regional cooperation.
Informed by input from thousands of Yemeni youth from across the country, who shared their views via the Hikma Platform, the Fellows have held multiple meetings with the Office of the Special Envoy and other international supporters of the peace process to provide input on pathways for inclusivity and multi-track dialogue moving forward. At the close of the program, the new alumni of Hikma Fellows agreed to continue dialogue in pursuit of a common vision toward a Yemeni-led settlement to the conflict.
You can read more about the program and its inaugural cohort at hikmafellowship.org and follow the Hikma Platform for news and updates about the Hikma Fellowship for Public Leaders.
DeepRoot is a leading social enterprise working on advancing inclusive, sustainable solutions to a range of political, economic, and developmental issues in Yemen. DeepRoot has extensive experience in providing platforms for dialogue on peacebuilding, producing in-depth reports and expanding stakeholder understanding of the local dynamics in different areas of the country. DeepRoot has implemented multiple track II initiatives in direct and indirect support of the Office of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen’s efforts to negotiate a political settlement to the conflict.
Funded by European Union