Project Summary

Yemen ranks 155th out of 156 countries in gender equality, with women underrepresented at both formal justice institutions and informal justice mechanisms. To address this, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen implements the Promoting Access to Gender Justice Project with generous funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Taking the “people-centered approach to institution building”, the project aims to improve women’s access to justice, contributing to positive changes in gender norms and a stronger social contract between people and state institutions. 

The project focuses on building capacity among women rule of law professionals, empowering women leaders as paralegals and mediators, creating women-friendly spaces at justice institutions, and developing Women Protection Plans in partnership with communities and local authorities. 

Objectives:

1. Gender-inclusive early recovery of rule of law institutions through the empowerment of women justice professionals. 
2. Gender-responsive protection and justice services through the participation of women in displaced and host communities.

Gender Empowerment: 

Building upon UNDP’s global Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025, the project places gender equality and women’s empowerment at its core, qualifying for Gender Marker 3 (GEN 3). The project directly contributes to the implementation of the 1325 National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in Yemen. Aiming beyond short-term humanitarian assistance, the project keeps in perspective a long-term structural fragility, strengthening the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus in partnership and complementarity with sister UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women.