In Habil Jabr District of Lahj Governorate in Yemen, a modest maternal and child health center has become a lifeline for families navigating poverty, displacement, and decades of fragility. Once under-resourced and overlooked, the facility now reflects a broader national shift. Yemen’s primary healthcare system, which was long at risk of collapse, is being slowly but meaningfully rebuilt, thanks in part to support from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).“Now Everything Is Here”: Mothers Reclaim Access to CareOn a busy morning, Zeinab Mohammed arrives at the center with her toddler in two. “He received the measles and polio vaccines, vitamins, and was treated for a fever,” she says, holding the child close. “Before, we had to travel far, and we couldn’t afford hospital fees or medicine. But this center is free and safe.” Zainab’s experience is a direct result of recent investments in frontline care. Between December 2024 and March 2025, 150 facilities across Yemen, including this one, received operational support from KFAED. Essential supplies, such as disinfectants, soap, thermometers, and stationery were restocked, creating safer, cleaner, and more functional spaces. From Shortages to Stability: How Health Workers Are Rebuilding ServicesThe changes are visible to staff as well. “We faced extremely difficult conditions,” says Qat Mohammed, the center’s reproductive Health Officer. “There were no supplies, and we couldn’t maintain hygiene standards. Now, we have vaccines, a safe work environment, and more regular services.” Still, the clinic is under strain. “We urgently need more staff,” she adds. “One day, a mother came from a remote village after giving birth at home. She’d retained the placenta and had urinary retention. We barely managed to stabilize her in time.”Her story highlights how frontline teams are managing, not just routine immunizations, but critical interventions with limited resources. Between late 2024 and early 2025, UNICEF – through KFAED funding – distributed primary healthcare kits to 288 facilities, replenished national vaccine stocks with over 1 million doses of BCG and 200,000 tetanus-diphtheria vaccines, and trained health workers in infection prevention and case management. Investing in Systems, Not Just SuppliesBalqis Abdulhamid, the center’s director, says the difference is night and day. “Before, childcare and nutrition services were almost nonexistent. Cases of pneumonia and diarrhea were common. They’ve dropped significantly since vaccines have become available.”Little by little, the community’s trust is returning. “People from nearby villages have started coming here,” says Mohammed Othman, a father of two. “This is our second visit. Before, many services were missing. Now, everything is here, and the doctors are kind.” Dedication Beyond the PaycheckThat trust isn’t just built on medicine. It’s built on presence, consistency, and a team that continues to show up despite long hours, limited pay, and daily challenges.“During cholera outbreaks, we received supplies that allowed us to continue serving people. We even managed to save a child with severe malnutrition thanks to the nutrition kits we received,” explained Zainab.Still, Zainab is clear-eyed about what’s at stake. “We need more training and ongoing support. If it stops, we could return to square one.” Recovery, Renewal, and the Road AheadWhile challenges remain, what’s unfolding in Habil Jabr – and in centers like it across Yemen – is not just recovery, but renewal. These facilities are doing more than treating fevers and delivering vaccines. They are reestablishing the foundations of Yemen’s primary healthcare system, brick by brick, in a country where access to care has long been fractured by conflict and displacement.For communities where the cost of transportation, medication, or a single consultation can exceed a family’s monthly income, these clinics are a rare constant. They offer not only essential medical services, but something just as vital: proximity, predictability, dignity, and hope.With every child that’s vaccinated and every mother who’s treated close to home, trust in the public health system grows stronger. And when that trust takes root, it creates ripple effects like improved health-seeking behaviors, reduced mortality, and greater community resilience during crises.This progress, made possible through KFAED’s targeted investment, is a reminder that even modest inputs, if strategically delivered, can result in outsized impacts. But sustaining it requires more than one-off interventions. It calls for continued coordination, capacity-building, and committed partnership.“When we see children recover and mothers smile, we feel peace of mind,” says Qat. “That’s what humanitarian work is really about.” 

By: Abeer Alhasani | Communication and Translation Assistant, and Ayoub Al-Ahmadi | Senior Translation AssistantWest Coast, Yemen Hussien carried out the daily chores on his farm in Al Yabli area—ploughing the land with oxen, planting vegetables, and feeding hay to his cattle. He was hopeful for a plentiful harvest after investing in a solar-powered irrigation system.Hussien and the other farmers in his area were busy preparing for the upcoming harvest season, unaware that torrential rains were battering the neighbouring highlands. A devastating flood was already rushing down towards them with increasing force.A few kilometers away, Ammar— a fellow farmer— was already facing imminent disaster. He received a warning call from relatives and friends: the flood was on its way. He hurried to save whatever he could, but he was already hearing the rumble of the running water growing louder by the second. With people all around him fleeing, he and his family had no time to spare. They ran for their lives, leaving everything behind. “This is the first time I’ve seen such an immense flood in the valley. We lost everything,” recalled Ammar. “It destroyed the crops and our house on the farm and washed away the barn with all the cattle inside.”In recent years, people across Yemen have been increasingly affected by extreme weather due to climate change. Typical rainfall patterns have been disrupted, triggering sudden and destructive floods that caused damage to houses, displacement sites, farmland, and public infrastructure —further exacerbating the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.  “I came to check the area the next day. All I saw was absolute destruction. Sadly, some people lost their lives,” said Hussien. “The flood has swept away everything in its path to the sea. The solar-irrigation system was destroyed, and the wells were buried under mud and rocks.”These extreme weather events are impacting livelihoods and jeopardizing the quality of life for many people in Yemen who already live in a dire situation. “Many workers lost their source of income after the destruction of farms. Some refused to work again in the valley, fearing for their lives from flash floods,” added Hussien.   In sprawling shelters around the farms in Al Yabli, hundreds of internally displaced families had settled after fleeing conflict in other parts of Yemen. In search of safety from violence, they made Al Yabli their new home, despite the lack of basic services. The last thing they expected to deepen their hardship was a destructive flood.  The flood was overwhelming and wreaked havoc in the displacement sites, causing casualties and deaths. Many displaced families saw their shelters completely washed away, while others lost the few belongings they had. With hundreds of families in desperate need, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was among the first responders. IOM’s Camp Coordination and Camp Management teams worked tirelessly to provide emergency shelter, non-food items, multi-purpose cash assistance, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support.   “It is painful that many families who endured the hardship of displacement are now facing flooding. Concerns of floods have become a new living nightmare for all who were affected,” said Alzobair Abdullah, an IOM CCCM field staff member. To address these pressing issues, IOM conducted extensive consultations with the affected communities to tailor long-term solutions that meet their needs and resolve their challenges.The consultations led to several initiatives and interventions, including the construction of gabion walls to reduce flood risks on displacement sites in Al Yabli and protect the lives and property of vulnerable communities. Following a cash-for-work implementation modality, the intervention has also offered short-term jobs to people like Hussien, allowing them to earn an income while contributing to the restoration of safety and resilience for both displaced and host communities.  As the scale of the crisis exceeds the currently available resources, further funding is urgently needed to help vulnerable communities across Yemen get back on their feet against climate change challenges. “We hope the humanitarian actors can rehabilitate the flood pathway to stop it from reverting to our farms. This will help recover what we have lost and bring a sense of normalcy back to our lives,” concluded Hussien.  The construction of gabion walls in Yemen’s West Coast was made possible through the generous support of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as part of IOM’s Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) activities.

For many young people, peace isn’t an abstract ideal or a political slogan. It’s personal: a daily necessity that shapes their futures. Even as conflict and violence are all too often livestreamed realities on phones and screens, young people are choosing to act. From starting dialogue in divided communities to engaging in decision-making to counter hate and disinformation, young people are taking the lead; not just as advocates, but as architects of peace.Durable peace is the foundation for sustainable development, and development is essential to lasting peace. As the United Nations Secretary-General recently said during an open debate on Peace and Security, “Sustainable peace requires sustainable development.” The UN chief added, “It’s no coincidence that nine of the ten countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict.”This is why, around the world, United Nations Resident Coordinators and the UN country teams they lead are partnering with youth to amplify their leadership. Creating opportunities for peace efforts can drive progress in education, jobs, health, secure equality and more. The work of these UN teams on the ground echoes initiatives across the Organization, including those supported by the UN Youth Office and partners. With this support, young leaders are gaining the tools and platforms they need to strengthen social cohesion and rebuild communities. 
 
Here are five insights into youth and peacebuilding drawn from the work that UN country teams deliver for people and the planet: 1. Youth want more than a seat; they want responsibility when it comes to peacebuilding. 
Cultivating Champions in Ethiopia In Ethiopia, young people aren’t just asking for a voice in peacebuilding. They’re taking responsibility for it.  With over 75 per cent of the population under the age of 30, Ethiopia’s youth hold immense potential to shape the nation’s future. Recognizing this, the UN in Ethiopia, is supporting the Ethiopian government in taking meaningful steps to ensure young people are at the heart of peacebuilding initiatives.A major milestone in this journey is the establishment of the Ethiopian Peace Building Network, a multi-stakeholder, open platform comprised of non-governmental organizations, civil society, UN agencies, and development partners, aimed at strengthening knowledge, capacities, and collaboration for peacebuilding across the country. Under its umbrella, dedicated youth, peace and security networks have been established at both national and local levels, creating spaces for young leaders.This movement has laid the groundwork for developing a National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security, which is now taking shape, led by the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs. Government institutions, civil society organizations, and international agencies are now benefitting from training on youth, peace and security and thematic studies have been carried out to incoporate these issues into the core of the nation’s peacebuilding efforts. Peace clubs in schools are training students to mediate and de-escalate conflicts. Under the Regional Youth Peacebuilding Programme with the European Union, close to 300 youth peacebuilders in Asosa and Gambella were trained in conflict mediation using the UN Refugees Agency’s (UNHCR) Peacebuilding Manual. These champions have already passed on their skills to more than 1,000 peers at the grassroots level. 2. Youth-led art and creativity are useful tools for reconciliation and connection.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Venezuela embrace art and play for peace In Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the scars of war remain, music and play are becoming bridges to reconciliation and inter-generational healing. The UN’s work in the country has focused on harnessing the role of young people in this. At the UN Populatio Fund (UNFPA)-supported Music Camp for Young Virtuosos, young performers from across the country's regions — Banja Luka, Mostar, Tuzla, Zenica, Sarajevo — came together as one orchestra, proving that shared creativity can replace old divisions with trust and friendship.   Young people are also bringing peace to the classroom through a board game they designed, called “Odyssey for Peace." This game combines local heritage, peacebuilding lessons, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Developed through UNFPA’s Educational Lab for Game-based Learning and leveraging the support of the UN Peacebuilding Fund, the game will soon be a part of school curricula, making reconciliation a hands-on experience. 
 
In Venezuela, the UN Development Programme (UNDP)-backed National Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs have given over 1 million children and youth in vulnerable communities access to music training for more than 15 years. More than music and melodies, these programmes teach the values of peace, social cohesion and discipline to gold communities together. Further, events such as the Generación 2030 youth encounter, participatory workshops and consultations in Venezuela marked a significant milestone in amplifying the voices of young people across the country. A new Youth Advisory Group for the United Nations in Venezuela is helping implement and monitor work for the Sustainable Development Goals. 3. Bringing civic participation to youth requires innovative and tech-forward ways.
Fostering Digital Dialogue in GuatemalaPeacebuilding has to go hand-in-hand with civic participation. In Guatemala, young people, especially women and indigenous youth, often find limited access to formal political spaces. Digital technology offers a unique solution to break this barrier. UNDP and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, along with the Resident Coordinator’s Office, partnered to create a digital dialogue platform: Guatemala Joven Conversa, a phone accessible AI-powered platform that enables anonymous dialogue. More than 900 youth from all 22 of Guatemala’s departments used the tool to debate electoral reform, anti-corruption, civic reform, and governance, voting on ideas in real time. This new form of engagement provides a new model for inclusive civic participation that’s efficient, low-cost, and high impact. 4. Safe spaces and champions for intergenerational dialogue are crucial for peacebuilding. 
Youth Take the Lead in South SudanIn South Sudan, the Youth Leading Peace initiative engaged 800 youth and leaders to develop the first Youth, Peace, and Security Strategy. More than 300 youth leaders have been trained and are now actively mediating local disputes and fostering social cohesion. Complementing these efforts, the Constitution Making initiative produced the South Sudan Youth Charter, outlining youth priorities for inclusion in the Permanent Constitution and ensuring meaningful youth participation in the process.5. Empowering young women to raise their voices for peace, can help strengthen communities recovering from crises. 
Putting gender at the heart of peacebuilding in Yemen In Yemen, peace remains fragile, but young women and men are making it stronger. Through the UN Peace Support Facility, nearly 1,600 young people in Aden, many of them young women, have received grants for local peacebuilding projects. A gender network within Aden University is training women leaders who are now influencing national peace and security discussions. Non-conventional gender-transformative jobs such as those in Aden’s Police and Family Protection units are increasingly opening to women, with active recruitment and training ensuring their perspectives are integrated into law enforcement. Gender considerations are integrated into the country’s National Youth Action Plan through the work of the Youth Inter-Agency Working Group. In communities recovering from conflict, these efforts are not only restoring safety, they’re laying the groundwork for more inclusive, resilient development backed by durable peace. The Youth, Peace and Security Pact continues to play a role in youth governance and advocacy in post-conflict settings and provides training to the police on checkpoint practices and civilian protection. From the Margins to the Middle When it comes to a more peaceful, just and sustainable future, youth leaders aren’t just waiting to inherit it. They are already building it, every day, with courage, care and conviction. 
 
By equipping young leaders with meaningful platforms, training, tools and trust, the United Nations is helping sustain durable peace and elevate a new generation of changemakers. 
 
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminded the Security Council in June 2025, “Peace is not built in conference rooms. Peace is built in classrooms, in clinics, in communities. Peace is built when people have hope, opportunity and a stake in their future.”   #InternationalYouthDay 2025#IYD2025

Abs District, Hajjah Governorate In the heart of Yemen’s Hajjah Governorate, Abs District stands as a stark testament to human suffering, with significant reductions in humanitarian aid deepening an already dire crisis. Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in Abs, fleeing conflict in Haradh and northern Hajjah, and it is now home to Yemen’s second-largest internally displaced population. A staggering 80 percent of those displaced are women and children, who face heightened risks and immense daily hardship.The situation in Abs is acute, marked by a convergence of overlapping crises. Hunger is soaring–over 41,000 people are staring down famine and nearly a quarter of women are facing acute malnutrition, driven by the suspension of food assistance and the severe degradation of land across the district due to climate shocks. Desperate coping strategies are common, including reducing daily meals, limiting food intake, borrowing food, and selling assets.Stories of resilience and despair For families like Zainab’s, displaced multiple times since 2015, each day is a desperate battle against starvation. Zainab lost her husband in an airstrike in 2015 and now cares for her six children, aged 9 to 18. Her heartbreaking reality means her children often go to sleep crying and hungry."Sometimes I lose hope myself and feel that death is near," Zainab recounts, having heard of other displaced families starving to death. When food is available, it's often just bread and mulukhiyah [a leafy green]. Zainab sometimes lights a fire not to cook, but to offer a glimmer of false hope to her children, to calm their distress when there is no food.The healthcare system in Abs is teetering on the brink, functioning at a mere 25 percent of its capacity. Mobile clinics often serve as the only source of care, and many pregnant women are forced to give birth alone, without medical assistance. In displacement sites like Al-Maharabah, on the outskirts of Abs, there isn't a single permanent health facility. Dire living conditions have fueled an increase in gender-based violence, exploitation, and abuse. Shelters in the more than 140 informal settlements around Abs are frequently makeshift, flimsy, and overcrowded. A critical lack of lighting, privacy, and adequate latrines further compounds the risks for women and girls. Early marriage and child labour have become common coping mechanisms for families struggling to survive. Life in displacementFatima, a widowed mother in her 60s, fled her home in Haradh district in 2015 due to conflict, she now lives in a displacement site in Abs. Burdened by a serious spinal injury that prevents her from working, Fatima relies on dwindling support from humanitarian organizations."There is no comparison between life in displacement and the life we had at home," Fatima says, describing their current existence as constant suffering. She vividly remembers a time of prosperity at home, contrasting it with the painful reality of their current situation where they "don't have enough food or basic services" due to severe funding cuts. Urgent action neededWhile the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), currently supported by European Union Humanitarian Aid, has provided some emergency food and hygiene supplies to displaced families in Abs, with plans to support an additional 4,000 families – close to 2,000 have received assistance to date– this is a fraction of the urgent need. Over 220,000 displaced people have lost access to life-saving emergency relief due to severe funding cuts since March 2025.UNFPA calls on donors and partners to immediately scale up support. It is critical that displaced women and girls in Abs receive the essential healthcare and protection they so desperately deserve.Families like Zainab's yearn for food, health, education, safety. Without immediate intervention, their hopes and lives remain tragically at risk.