Yemen: A women's dialogue table in Aden obligates parties to develop strategies to enhance women's presence in politics.

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The round table organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Yemen, in partnership with the My Right Organization for Women's Political Empowerment, under the title "Political Participation and Peacebuilding," concluded in the interim capital, Aden, after three days of extensive discussions. Participants in the closing sessions stressed the need for political parties to commit to developing clear plans and practical measures to ensure the expansion of women's participation in political work and decision-making, and to raise their level of presence within party structures. During the round table, 25 women leaders from various political parties and entities discussed a number of challenges facing women in the party and political spheres, and explored ways to empower them and the opportunities available to support their participation in peacebuilding processes. The participants recommended adopting a women's quota of no less than 30% in leadership positions within parties, to be gradually increased to 50%, in addition to reviewing the internal regulations of parties to address the restrictions that limit women's access to decision-making positions. The representative of UN Women in Yemen, Dina Zorba, stressed the importance of adopting an ethical charter that provides protection for women working in the political field, as one of the most important foundations supporting the promotion of women's participation. For her part, the head of the My Right Organization, Intisar Al-Haddali, called on parties and political components to empower women in advanced positions within the leadership structures, and to submit broad lists of women candidates for various political positions, in order to achieve a fair and balanced presence. Participants in the round table included representatives of a number of political forces and entities, including: the Southern Transitional Council, the Yemeni Socialist Party, the Nasserist Popular Unity Organization, the General People's Congress, the Hadhramaut Inclusive Conference, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah), the participating Southern Peaceful Movement component, the Union of the Al-Rashad Salafi Party, the Justice and Construction Party, the National Resistance, the Ba'ath Party, the Hadhramaut National Council, and the League of the Sons of the South.