Rethinking Yemen’s Economy
The Rethinking Yemen’s Economy initiative aims to contribute to peacebuilding and conflict prevention, (economic) stabilization and sustainable development in Yemen by building consensus in crucial policy areas through engaging and promoting informed Yemeni voices from all backgrounds in the public discourse on development, economy and post-conflict reconstruction in Yemen and by positively influencing local, regional and international development agendas. The project is implemented by CARPO – Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient, DeepRoot Consulting and the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies. It is funded by the European Union and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen.

Initiative Objectives
The project aims to contribute to peacebuilding and conflict prevention, (economic) stabilization and sustainable development in Yemen by:
- Contributing to confidence-building and mediation through dialogue and knowledge transfer on the ongoing economic crisis in the country;
- Building consensus on crucial policy areas by engaging and promoting informed Yemeni voices in the public discourse;
- Positively influencing local, regional and international development agendas and crisis intervention efforts in order to generate employment and contribute to establishing the minimum conditions for sustainable development;
- Highlighting local needs and priorities and engaging local expertise in developing new policy proposals;
- Building the capacities of Yemeni researchers in researching and advocating for social and economic change.
Initiative Activities
The initiative has four components:
- Development Champions Forums: Several forums will convene senior Yemeni experts and professionals from various backgrounds and with established expertise in development and economy. The Development Champions will discuss priorities for intervention and issue respective recommendations.
- Ad Hoc-Workshops: These workshops will bring together selected Development Champions (experts on the issue at hand) with other experts and Yemeni policy-makers to discuss urgent issues identified by the Champions and develop respective recommendations.
- Local Engagement Workshops: These workshops will bring together local actors and authorities (at the governorate level) with local practitioners and experts and will also connect them with the Development Champions. The workshop participants will discuss national issues and how to apply to them a local lens and/or thematic issues relevant to the local level.
- Policy Briefs: The results of streams 1-3 will be published in the form of policy briefs, bolstered by research and analysis of Yemeni researchers with experience in those development issues. The research and policy team will liaise closely with the Development Champions to ensure their expertise is included.
- Public Outreach: The outputs will be made accessible to the public through social media (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DevChampionsYE/; Twitter: @DevChampionsYe) and the project website (devchampions.org). Also, short movies and infographics on the policy recommendations and research results published within this project will be produced.
Partners

The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies
The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies is an independent think-tank that seeks to foster change through knowledge production with a focus on Yemen and the surrounding region. The Center’s publications and programs, offered in both Arabic and English, cover political, social, economic and security related developments, aiming to impact policy locally, regionally, and internationally.
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DeepRoot Consulting
DeepRoot Consulting is a dynamic social enterprise passionate about Yemen’s development. DeepRoot aims to help international development actors, the private sector, local civil society organizations and the Yemeni Government anchor their interventions in a deep understanding of Yemen’s national and local contexts, and international best practices. DeepRoot’s leadership team and advisory board has decades of combined experience working in Yemen and internationally in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
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The Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)
The Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO) is a Germany-based organization whose work is situated at the nexus of research, consultancy and exchange with a focus on implementing projects in close cooperation and partnership with stakeholders in the Middle East. The CARPO team has long-standing experience in the implementation of projects in cooperation with partners from the region and a deep understanding of the Yemeni context.
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The European Union

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen