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1. Announcement of a new #Yemen government is positive news. It follows months of negotiation, sometimes slow, sometimes deliberately blocked, while the situation on the ground only worsened for millions of ordinary Yemenis.
2. The new Government is a key outcome from the Riyadh Agreement in response to the situation in #SouthYemen. That power-sharing arrangement has been slow to be implemented. Small window now to build on the momentum with today’s announcement. As I see it, three key next steps:
3. (a) Riyadh Agreement and new Government needs to lead to direct changes & improvements on the ground for civilians. Folks need aid, food, medicine, and salaries to be paid. The risk of famine and COVID19 remain real. The previous authorities had failed across all these issues.
4. (b) The announcement needs to be a stepping stone to reviving the #UN-led political process. The context on the ground has changed. The political framework needs to adapt. This means for the first time having #SouthYemen reps at the table representing the needs of Southerners.
5. (c) But for the Agreement to withstand challenges, it needs to have guarantees & assurances for its implementation. This includes consequences for non-compliance. There is role for the key internationals eg #UNSC, P5 etc to ensure this.
6. It is for Yemenis to determine their future. That includes for Southerners who have been marginalised for decades. The UN process needs to offer a credible pathway for how the Southern cause can be addressed. Parking #SouthYemen will only causes issues further down the line.
7. Expectations will need to be managed with the Riyadh Agreement and today’s announcement. As I say, in my view, it is a stepping stone towards a political settlement in ending the conflict and that will stick on the ground.
8. This includes ensuring any political settlement reflects the needs of the constituency across #Yemen. The fact that there are no female Ministers in the new Government is a significant disappointment to many and undermines the need for inclusive decision-making.
9. Significant more focus and work needs to be on #women’s political participation in #Yemen. This means less tokenism and more direct action by the relevant actors and international supporters of the #WPS agenda.
