As part of the Gifted Students Support Program run by the Yemen International Agency for Development – Turkey, a number of postgraduate students participated in prestigious scientific conferences held in Istanbul, where they presented high-quality research papers in the fields of Islamic Economics and Islamic Studies.
These participations took place during the Ayasofya Postgraduate Conference, organized by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, and the Second Postgraduate Students Conference, organized by Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in cooperation with the Science Dissemination Foundation, with wide participation from postgraduate students of various nationalities.
The Gifted Students Program is implemented with generous support from the International Islamic Charitable Organization in Kuwait, and aims to empower Yemeni postgraduate students academically and scientifically, while enabling their active participation in specialized academic forums.
The Noura Health Center project in Marib Governorate continues to progress steadily, having recently reached the concrete ceiling pouring phase, which marks a pivotal milestone in completing the structural framework of the center and preparing for final finishing works and medical equipment installation.
This achievement comes as part of ongoing efforts supervised by the Yemen International Agency for Development, and generously supported by Tanmeya Charity – Kuwait, with the aim of strengthening healthcare infrastructure in the most underserved areas and providing quality medical services that contribute to improving community health, particularly for mothers and children.
Once completed, the Noura Health Center is expected to ease the burden on existing health facilities and provide high-quality primary and secondary healthcare services to the local population, especially amidst the challenges the health sector faces due to displacement and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
This project reflects a model of synergy between humanitarian action and institutional partnership in serving local communities, reaffirming the Yemen International Agency for Development’s commitment to expanding access to health services across Yemen through sustainable development initiatives that respond directly to people’s needs.
The Yemen International Agency for Development, represented by its President Dr. Abdulraqib Obad, is participating in the Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group, hosted by the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria from May 19 to 22, 2025.
This participation comes as part of the agency’s efforts to strengthen its presence in international forums and explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration with development and financial institutions at both regional and global levels. These efforts aim to support development and humanitarian response initiatives in Yemen.
Throughout the meetings, a series of high-level forums and discussions will be held, bringing together ministers, government officials, experts from international and regional organizations, representatives of the private sector, academia, and civil society to address sustainable development, development finance, and the economic challenges facing member countries.
Dr. Abdulraqib Obad is scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with partners and decision-makers to present the agency’s efforts in health, education, economic empowerment, and water and sanitation, and to explore potential cooperation for future projects that meet the needs of communities affected by crises and displacement.
This visit reaffirms the Yemen International Agency for Development’s commitment to building strategic relationships with various institutions and expanding cooperation to achieve shared goals that benefit society and foster development.
The Yemen International Agency for Development continues to implement its humanitarian projects aimed at improving the health and living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Marib Governorate. Recently, the agency completed the distribution of 1,000 personal hygiene kits to displaced families in the Hemma, Yusufi, and Hajba camps, with generous support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as part of its interventions in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
This project serves as an urgent response to the growing needs within the camps, where hundreds of families are enduring harsh living conditions and facing severe health challenges. Hygiene kits play a crucial role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and improving personal hygiene, especially among vulnerable groups such as children, women, and the elderly.
Dr. Wael Hadi, the project manager, emphasized the importance of such interventions, stating:
“What we distributed today is not just a kit — it’s a message of solidarity and support that reassures these families they are not alone in facing these harsh conditions.”
He also extended his gratitude to the WASH Cluster team for their coordination and field supervision efforts, which significantly contributed to the project’s success and its humanitarian objectives.
Through this project, the agency aims to support efforts to reduce the spread of diseases and promote health awareness among IDPs, in line with a strategic vision to improve the camp environment and provide essential life-supporting services in cooperation with national and international partners.
The Yemen International Agency for Development continues its operations across several Yemeni governorates, implementing programs in health, education, economic empowerment, and WASH, offering comprehensive support to the most vulnerable groups affected by conflict and displacement.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet and beloved Messenger, may Allah’s peace be upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance.
Under the generous patronage of His Excellency Lieutenant General Sultan bin Ali Al-Aradah, Vice President of the Presidential Leadership Council and Governor of Marib Governorate, and in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the local authority in Marib Governorate, the National Education Conference was concluded, with the blessings of Allah, on May 5-6, 2025, at the 22 May Hall at the University of the Saba Region in Marib City. The conference, organized by the National Center for Strategic Studies and the Yemeni International Development Agency, was held under the theme: “National Education Conference: Reality and Challenges” and the slogan “Quality Education… The Future of Generations.” More than 120 participants took part, including researchers, academics, members of the central and local authorities from all Yemeni governorates, experts, speakers from various Arab and foreign countries, civil society organizations, the private sector, and the press and media.
The conference was launched in line with the goals of the National Center for Strategic Studies and the Yemeni International Development Agency to contribute to the development of Yemen, building human capacity, and improving opportunities for general and university education, through gathering officials, experts, researchers, and those interested in the field of education, to prepare studies and research, and coordinate and integrate efforts.
The conference aimed to explore academic and applied studies related to education, learn about modern strategies in teaching, assessment, and the challenges facing general and university education, showcase successful experiences and innovative ideas in education amidst wars and crises, stay updated with modern trends in technology and educational tools, exchange experiences, understand the current state of education and future aspirations, assess the education of students both inside and outside Yemen amidst the war, explore ways to support them, and enhance the efforts of stakeholders in the future of education, ensuring broad community participation from civil society organizations and the private sector.
During four sessions, 20 speakers from universities, central and local authorities, civil society organizations, and the private sector spoke. Over 120 participants attended and participated in discussions during Monday and Tuesday, May 5-6, 2025. The conference discussed the reality and challenges of general and university education, curriculum development, the role of the government and private sectors in education development, the risks facing the education process, and electronic learning methods and techniques.
Based on the research papers presented and the contributions made during the conference sessions, the conference concluded with the following recommendations:
Continued holding conferences, seminars, and workshops with the participation of all stakeholders in education, including investors, authorities, parents, academics, and others, for continuous development of education.
The conference recommends that the government prepares a comprehensive national education plan, which includes restructuring educational policies, aligning national legislation with international agreements on the protection of education, adopting unified national curricula that enhance human values and national identity, reconstructing infrastructure, building 3,000 damaged schools, providing safe educational facilities for students, ensuring regular payment of salaries, offering financial incentives to teachers to improve their performance, and expanding remote education programs to cover 10 million children by 2025.
The conference recommends increasing the education budget to 15% of total government expenditure to ensure the continuity of educational programs and enhancing cooperation with international organizations to secure additional funding of $500 million over the next five years.
Establish a central fund to support projects for the development of general and university education, aimed at increasing financial resources to support and fund education, with resources determined through a regulation to be studied and issued by the relevant authorities, and to benefit from the experiences of similar educational institutions in the Arab and international context in finding sources of education funding and enhancing cooperation.
Adopt the principle of diversifying funding sources and self-financing in educational institutions, granting universities the necessary financial and administrative powers to invest their resources, and promoting the concept of the productive university, while activating principles of supervision and accountability to contribute to the proper utilization, development, and preservation of resources.
Establish a virtual platform for general education under the Ministry of Education, providing all the material, human, financial, and legislative requirements, with direct supervision by the Ministry of Education, and activating electronic education management at the governorate level with qualified personnel appointed for this field.
Review the legislation regarding electronic education in Yemen to allow investment in this field, as well as academic accreditation for certificates issued by electronic platforms or educational institutions relying on electronic education.
Establish an independent national authority to protect education, responsible for monitoring and documenting violations and coordinating with international organizations to ensure the protection of educational institutions and their staff, and passing strict laws to criminalize the targeting of education.
There must be a focus on the continuous qualification and training of teachers before and during their service.
Develop a strategy to improve educational curricula and implement it by benefiting from the experiences of countries with strong global educational systems, based on the latest international rankings, and exchanging experiences by hosting experts who have effectively contributed to the development of education in their countries.
Invite businessmen to invest in education, encourage community initiatives, and commercial institutions to invest in quality private schools with an attractive educational environment, and activate supportive policies for private and community education from the government.
Develop communication and coordination between private schools, represented by the Private Education Forum, and all concerned authorities in local government and the Ministry of Education to work together to create quality private education that contributes to the development of the educational process.
Establish research centers specialized in universities, higher institutes, and official bodies such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, and provide the necessary financial support and budgets, involving the private sector in funding and conducting field and research studies related to education.
Strengthen research and cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, universities, research and intellectual institutions, and educational specialists.
Develop the efforts of the Ministry of Education and higher education institutions to keep pace with the digital transformation in providing educational services and benefiting from local, Arab, and global experiences.
Support for research and study centers’ efforts to analyze the reality of e-learning, the challenges it faces, and the proposal of projects and suggestions to implement digital education initiatives, keeping pace with the rapid developments in this field.
Improving the economic conditions of teachers’ families and staff members, enhancing their psychological well-being by revitalizing school feeding projects that target both students and teachers, creating an attractive learning environment, activating school activities that foster students’ love for their schools, providing suitable educational resources, and empowering social workers to assist students in solving their educational problems and addressing family-related issues.
Activating guidance and psychological support programs in schools, universities, and specialized institutes.
Working to enhance values related to the development of educational leadership performance and educational services.
Focusing on appropriate educational alternatives for the reality of education in Yemen, including educational channels, radio-based education, blended learning, mobile schools, online learning, home education, and e-learning applications.
Opening an independent and transparent international investigation into the grave violations that education in Yemen is subjected to, holding those responsible criminally accountable before international courts, including education violations in periodic international reports on Yemen, and considering these violations a humanitarian priority in emergency response programs and reconstruction plans.
The conference calls on the United Nations and the international community to apply effective pressure to achieve a permanent ceasefire and secure educational institutions from military targeting.
Strengthening partnership and cooperation between donor organizations and the government, and enhancing cooperation with Yemen’s partners from friendly and brotherly countries to improve education in its various aspects.
Promoting community partnerships in a realistic way, focusing on women’s empowerment in decision-making positions to strengthen their active role in society, and adopting educational programs and awareness centers that focus on the female sector.
Establishing a department in the Education offices in governorates to manage educational and community crises during conflicts, crises, and peace.
Equipping schools with modern technologies, training teachers and administrative staff to use them, and improving the effectiveness of measurement and evaluation in education in Yemen.
Developing curricula to keep up with research and knowledge developments, and including Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as part of the curricula.
Finally, the participants extend their thanks, appreciation, and gratitude to His Excellency, Lieutenant General Sultan bin Ali Al-Arada, Vice President of the Presidential Leadership Council and Governor of Marib Governorate, for honoring the conference with his esteemed sponsorship and his significant efforts during this critical phase our country is going through.
The participants highly appreciate the efforts of the National Center for Strategic Studies and the Yemen International Development Agency for organizing the conference activities, as well as all the committees that contributed effectively to achieving its objectives.
The participants express their sincere gratitude to the administration of the University of Seba Region for hosting the conference and supporting and contributing to its success.
We renew our deep gratitude and immense thanks to everyone who contributed, supported, and worked diligently to ensure the success of the conference.
We ask Almighty Allah for success and assistance.
Issued by the National Conference on Education: Reality and Challenges Marib City, May 6, 2025
As part of the National Education Conference titled “Reality and Challenges,” the fourth session focused on unique insights and experiences aimed at developing education in Yemen amidst the rapid transformations and changes occurring in the sector. The session featured participation from a distinguished group of academics and experts from various institutions.
The session commenced with a paper presented by Mr. Ziyab Saleh Mohsen Al-Dabba, highlighting the importance of academic research and studies in enhancing general and higher education, and their role in formulating effective, evidence-based educational policies.
Ms. Badriya Hamoud Salem Al-Wasabi, an educational supervisor, presented a paper discussing the role of women in educating their children during times of crises and wars, emphasizing the pivotal role of mothers in ensuring the continuity of the educational process in conflict-affected environments.
In the realm of digital education, Engineer Luay Al-Omudi, representative of the Noon Educational Platform in Yemen, showcased the experience of the Noon platform as an innovative model contributing to supporting digital education and expanding access to modern learning resources.
Dr. Saleh Ali Yahya Jamala, Technical Affairs Undersecretary of Al-Jawf Governorate, discussed the significance of e-learning in Yemen, considering it a strategic option to address the current challenges facing the educational system.
Representing Sheikh Mohammed Abdulqadir Al-Khidr, Dr. Abdulkarim Al-Bazli spoke about the role of the private sector in supporting and developing education, emphasizing the need to strengthen community partnerships to provide a sustainable and effective educational environment.
The session concluded with a paper by Associate Professor Dr. Abdullah Haidar Al-Bakri from the University of Saba Region, reviewing the topic of education financing in Yemen, referencing successful Arab and international experiences, and extracting key lessons applicable to the Yemeni context.
The outcomes of the session underscored that developing education requires diversifying roles, enhancing partnerships, and adopting innovative solutions that consider local realities and keep pace with developments, contributing to building a better educational future.
As part of the activities of the National Education Conference – Reality and Challenges, the third session featured an in-depth discussion on effective roles in addressing the challenges faced by the education sector amid crisis and war. The session brought together a distinguished group of academics and experts in education and pedagogical reform.
The session began with a presentation by Mr. Saleh Ahmed Masad Al-Darrab, General Director of Al-Amal Modern Schools, who delivered a research paper on the role of private education as a vital actor in sustaining the educational process during times of crisis. He highlighted the efforts of the private sector in bridging educational gaps and offering alternative and flexible models to ensure education reaches various societal segments.
Dr. Askar Mohammed Ali Jerad, a visiting professor at Muhammadiyah University in Indonesia, presented a scientific paper focusing on the role of assessment and evaluation in educational reform. He emphasized the importance of adopting modern evaluation methods that align with educational developments and contribute to enhancing the quality of education and guiding educational policies effectively.
Dr. Ali Mohammed Abdullah Akhwajah, Assistant Professor of Educational Technology and Head of the Curriculum and Instruction Department at Saba Region University, presented a research paper on the integration of modern technology in education. He shed light on the opportunities that technology offers in developing learning environments and enhancing interaction and creativity inside and outside the classroom.
The session emphasized the importance of diversifying roles and partnerships among different sectors, including the private sector and academic institutions, to arrive at innovative and sustainable educational solutions that align with reality and meet students’ needs under various circumstances.
The third session marked a pivotal moment in the conference, highlighting the need for synergy between local and international expertise, and the importance of investing in assessment, evaluation, and technology to guide the future of education in Yemen toward a better direction.
The National Conference on Education – Reality and Challenges, continued its activities on its first day in the city of Marib. The second session was dedicated to discussing the impact of the war on the education sector in Yemen, with the participation of a group of researchers and specialists in education and human rights issues.
The session began with an intervention by Mr. Fahmi Al-Zubairi, Director General of the Human Rights Office in the Capital Secretariat, who presented a comprehensive overview of the challenges facing education during the war. He also reviewed the most prominent violations affecting students and teachers, along with proposed solutions to help reduce the sector’s deterioration.
Dr. Jamil Mohammed Ahmed Al-Hosaini, Associate Professor at the University of Taiz, addressed the issue of student dropout as a result of the war. He warned of its long-term social and economic consequences and called for urgent interventions to contain this escalating phenomenon.
In the same context, Dr. Mohammed Al-Azaki, Head of the Union of Unappointed Yemeni Academics, presented a research paper on the challenges of updating educational curricula in Yemen. He highlighted the gap between the current situation and the future visions for developing educational content and curricula.
Mr. Abdullah Al-Mash, Head of Planning and Programs at the National Center for Strategic Studies, focused on the deep psychological effects of war on general education students. He stressed the need for specialized psychological and educational support programs that take these effects into account and help reduce their impact on the educational environment.
This session provided rich insights and deep analysis that contribute to a broader understanding of the consequences of war on education and opened the door for discussing applicable solutions to restore the educational path and ensure a safe and stable learning environment for all students in Yemen.
The first session of the National Education Conference – Reality and Challenges kicked off this morning, organized by the Yemen International Agency for Development in partnership with the National Center for Studies, with the participation of prominent academics, experts, and educational stakeholders from both inside and outside Yemen.
This session addressed a range of critical topics reflecting the reality of education in Yemen and explored ways to develop the sector amid ongoing challenges.
In his speech, Dr. Ali Al-Abbab, Deputy Minister of Education, reviewed the current status of education in the country, highlighting the government’s efforts to support and develop the sector despite the war and political divisions.
Professor Dawood Al-Hadhabi, a Yemeni researcher and international lecturer, presented a paper emphasizing the importance of developing modern and dynamic curricula as a key entry point to reforming the education system and achieving high-quality learning outcomes.
On the theme of emergency education, Mr. Ayman Qwaider, representative of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), discussed the standards and principles of education in humanitarian settings, focusing on the main challenges facing their implementation in the Yemeni context.
Dr. Mohammed Haza’a Bakrin, Director of Education at the Kuwait-based Rahma International Society, showcased the organization’s educational interventions in Yemen, stressing the importance of integrated efforts among education-focused organizations.
Dr. Khamis bin Obeid, President of the Arab Union for Private Schools in Oman, discussed the role of private schools in Yemen, emphasizing the potential of partnering with them to add value to the educational process, while also warning of educational risks in the absence of regulation and oversight.
This session marked a dynamic start to the conference, opening the door to in-depth discussions on the reality of education and the development of realistic, sustainable solutions that respond to the needs of Yemen’s education sector.
The Yemen International Agency for Development, in partnership with the National Center for Studies, launched today in the city of Marib the National Education Conference under the title “Education in Yemen: Reality and Challenges,” with the participation of a group of academics, experts, and specialists in the educational field from various Yemeni governorates.
The conference aims to shed light on the deep challenges facing the education sector in Yemen and to explore practical solutions to improve the educational process in light of the current circumstances. It also seeks to foster a comprehensive national dialogue that enhances cooperation and integration among stakeholders in the education sector.
The conference includes a series of scientific sessions and workshops covering key issues such as education quality, infrastructure challenges, the status of teachers, educational policies, and the role of active actors in developing the sector.
This conference represents a significant step towards building an integrated national vision for the advancement of education, bringing together decision-makers, researchers, and field practitioners to discuss reform priorities and improve education outcomes in Yemen.
