DeepRoot has launched the fourth cohort of the Hikma Fellowship for Public Leadership in Yemen, bringing together seventeen fellows from across the country. Participants include members of political parties, community leaders, and independent figures, reflecting a diversity that enriches dialogue and helps build bridges across Yemen’s many constituencies. The fellowship is funded by the Government of the Netherlands, which continues to support youth capacity-building and pathways to peace in Yemen.

The opening session featured Peter de Clercq, former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, who shared lessons from his decades of peacebuilding experience. He stressed that young people are essential to shaping peace and must be supported locally and internationally. Dutch Ambassador to Yemen Jeannette Seppen also addressed the fellows, expressing pride in both current and past participants and highlighting the program’s role in equipping them with skills in negotiation and collaboration at a critical moment for the country.

The fellowship spans one year and combines dialogue sessions, interactive training, and practical applications led by international experts and academics. Fellows develop skills in adaptive leadership, negotiation, policy analysis, and values-based leadership, while also engaging with decision-makers and exploring solutions to pressing challenges facing Yemen and the region.

Since its launch in 2020, the Hikma Fellowship has hosted global figures including Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, Jonathan Powell, and Abdallah Al Dardari, whose experiences in mediation, peace negotiations, and post-conflict recovery have inspired and informed participants.

DeepRoot sees the fellowship as a cornerstone for a peaceful future in Yemen. The first activity of the new fellowship year begins on September 7, 2025, with an online training on adaptive leadership led by Professor Hugh O’Doherty of Harvard Kennedy School.

For more information, please visit hikmafellowship.org.