In May 2024, I had the honor of representing Yemeni National NGOs (NNGOs) at the Sixth Senior Officials Meeting (SOM VI) in Brussels. This crucial event, co-hosted by the European Commission and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, brought together senior representatives from the global humanitarian community, including influential donors, UN agencies, and NGOs, to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

During the meeting, I advocated strongly for increased support and attention to the unique challenges faced by Yemeni organizations. My focus was on equitable partnerships and the need for significant investment in the organizational capacities of smaller civil society organizations (CSOs). Here are some of the key points I emphasized:

1. Equitable Partnership: Addressing the imbalance in decision-making power among CSOs and international agencies, particularly in project resourcing.
2. Investment in Capacity Building: Highlighting the lack of investment in building the capacities of small-scale CSOs.
3. Inclusion of the Private Sector: Advocating for the inclusion of the private sector in humanitarian and development discussions, noting that 21% of CSOs are accessing funds from these sources.
4. Slow Progress on Grand Bargain Commitments: Urging the international community to accelerate progress on the commitments made under the Grand Bargain.
5. Good Partnership Practices: Calling for better partnership practices among international agencies.
6. Direct Engagement with Donors: Stressing the importance of direct engagement of CSOs with donors during all project phases – design, implementation, and closeout.

Prior to the panel discussion, I also delivered a presentation on “Partnership Related Challenges in Localization,” where I covered:

• The unequal power dynamics in decision-making
• The limited investment in organizational capacity building
• The exclusion of the private sector
• The slow progress on Grand Bargain commitments
• The lack of good partnership practices among international agencies
• The limited direct engagement of CSOs with donors

This meeting was a vital platform for raising these issues and seeking collaborative solutions to improve the humanitarian response in Yemen. The participation of numerous stakeholders, including BHA, KfW, BMZ, and the EU, underscored the collective commitment to addressing the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people.

We at Mohanna.io are proud of our contribution to this significant dialogue and remain committed to fostering collaboration and progress in humanitarian endeavors.