Ahmed Al-Ibrahimi
The role of youth, both male and female, is considered one of the most important roles that the world is now turning towards, and using it in the making of peace and development, especially in countries experiencing military and political tensions. Involving youth in leadership roles and incorporating them into the governance system and decision-making processes is no longer just written texts or ambitious projects, but has become an obligation on political components and governing authorities, given the central role of youth in making peace and developing their countries, especially those burdened by wars and political divisions.
The paradox is that there are those who see the youth as a human reservoir that can be used as fuel for war, rather than as active energies that can be institutionally utilized to raise the level of education and employment that meets their needs, and translates the goals of sustainable development, to make youth as builders, not demolishers.
The Yemeni youth energies have been largely obscured for years and years, and confined to the corners of narrow party affiliations and loyalties, not only in leadership roles and decision-making, but also at the lower functional level. Thousands of qualified and highly competent youth have been marginalized and sent to places far away from decision-making positions.
Given the ongoing war in Yemen for years and the accompanying deep economic crisis in the country since 2011, as well as the political setbacks experienced by youth, it is no wonder that most Yemeni youth feel a deep sense of frustration with the current situation. Moreover, the successive setbacks have dampened their determination, which has had a major and obvious impact on their level of political participation and activity during this war.
The reluctance of Yemeni youth to engage more actively in political affairs can be attributed to many internal and external factors. Internally and at the individual level, the lack of trust in the political process in the country and the growing sense of despair have led many young people to political isolation and passivity. More specifically, years of war and the crushing economic crisis have weakened the Yemeni youth's belief in their ability to positively influence the country's political affairs.
The Yemeni youth feel betrayed by the political elites who have diverted the course of their revolution, which was the greatest opportunity for them to build a better future and achieve their aspirations for democracy, justice and equality, into a grueling war that they see no end to. This setback, part of a series of setbacks experienced by Yemeni youth, has made them change the nature of their demands from the past. Instead of demanding political participation, they have turned to demanding improved security and economic conditions and job opportunities. Similarly, the fear of being subjected to forced conscription, or forced marriage for economic reasons in the case of women, in addition to witnessing the loss of loved ones or their starvation due to the war, seems more urgent and worrying for the youth compared to demands that seem long-term, such as obtaining a seat in the peace talks.
The need to enhance the role of youth in decision-making positions is not only due to the large gap between decision-making positions and the youth, but also the need to inject new blood into the decision-making centers to address the crisis plaguing the political system in Yemen for years. Youth, in any human society, represent the energy of renewal, as they have a wider space to adopt ideas of change and present them if given the opportunity for effective and positive participation in decision-making. This will lead to the modernization of the dynamics and mechanisms of decision-making, and consequently, its outputs.
The access of youth to decision-making centers is also closely linked to their ability to participate politically. The absence of economic empowerment is one of the most prominent problems facing youth, and as a result, priorities change and the desire for political participation recedes to the lowest levels of interest. This leads to the absence of youth from decision-making centers, which in turn leads to their absence from influencing the policies that concern their reality, which is a vital, renewed and changing reality. In this vicious circle, the problem of the absence of youth from decision-making has been revolving for decades.
Unemployment and the internal systems of most political parties are among the most important factors that hinder the access of youth and their participation in decision-making positions, and according to a survey study conducted by the researcher Alaa Qasim - entitled "Five Barriers to the Involvement of Youth in Leadership and Decision-Making" - which was based on interviews with 169 young men and women in political parties in order to assess the extent of change in the involvement of youth within political parties since 2011, and the extent of the participation of youth of political parties in the decision-making process, there are five barriers that prevent youth participation, as follows:
- Lack of trust in positive engagement.
- Lack of capacities.
- Suspension of party mechanisms for discussion and change.
- Geographical barriers.
- Financial resources and security.
Also, the lack of knowledge and qualification remains one of the most important obstacles to youth participation in decision-making positions, which has made decision-making positions work in a dynamic mechanism in which there is no presence of youth at all.
According to the report evaluating the interventions of youth and women in Yemen, which was implemented by the organization Youth Without Borders for Development, Yemen in its modern history is a hostile environment for women's rights, especially in the tribal environments that make up about 70% of the country.
According to the International Labor Organization, Yemeni women make up less than 10% of the total workforce in political life, and the dominance of male partisanship has overshadowed women's participation in political life since the unification of the North and South in 1990. The opposition exploited women's issues, while all parties remained linked to many cultural and religious customs that placed women as unequal, which deprived them of their political rights.
The war and political divisions that the political situation in Yemen is going through have deprived young men and women of their most basic rights to participate, even at the level of expressing opinions, which has led them to withdraw from political participation and aspire to escape this situation completely. There is no way to overcome these obstacles except by understanding the great and influential role of youth in decision-making positions and providing more opportunities for young people to take leadership positions and including youth capacity-building programs in the strategic plans of political parties and civil society organizations through a comprehensive national strategic plan that ensures the access of youth to decision-making positions.
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