The Seventh Yemen Exchange concluded its two-week online program on May 3, 2021, bringing together over 50 participants from around the world who aim to gain unique access to information, perspectives, updates and analysis on Yemen.
The opening session hosted Sana’a Center Executive Director Maged al-Madhaji and Senior Researcher Abdulghani al-Iryani who gave a deep dive into the political alliances, divisions and conflicts within Yemen.
The Exchange sessions ran between April 19 and May 3, 2021, totaling more than 30 hours with over 40 different Yemeni and international analysts, academics, politicians, high-level diplomats, business leaders as well as economy experts who provided insight and a rare first-hand knowledge about the country from a wide range of perspectives.
The sessions covered topics including but not limited to: Yemen’s multifaceted conflicts; the country’s socio-political dynamics; internal divisions and alliances; military and political developments on the ground, most notably the battle for Marib; the status of various armed groups; the role of Yemeni tribal women in mediating conflict; Yemen’s water and natural resources; the war and the private sector in Yemen; the new US policy towards Yemen and its implications on the conflict; the Yemeni diaspora; Yemen’s art world; the local and tribal politics in Al-Mahra and Socotra; and the UN-led peace process.
Sana’a Center Executive Director Al-Madhaji said that “the Exchange is one of the Sana’a Center’s gateways to the world where in-depth knowledge is shared on various levels about Yemen, a place that is usually invisible and which is usually seen through the lens of war. The Center presents this knowledge through a different prism, shedding light on what is otherwise an underreported region.”
Director of The Exchange Foundation Nicholas Noe added that “it is our hope that this experience will help each participant as they try to understand Yemen better, hoping we see the end of this conflict soon.”