August 22, 2019 - August 25, 2019 Amman, Jordan

The Rethinking Yemen’s Economy initiative convened a thematic workshop in Amman on August 24-25, 2019, on human capital in Yemen. Representatives from the Development Champions and public and private sector experts in education, health, social and economic development, and the oil sector discussed challenges, opportunities and the need to invest in Yemen’s human capital, and developed recommendations for stakeholders and policymakers.
The workshop commenced with presentations on pre-conflict and current indicators related to human capital, as well as the impact of eroding human capital on economic growth. These presentations also included case studies on effective ways to institutionalize economic empowerment and inclusion.
Participants held in-depth discussions on ways to develop human capital in Yemen; intervention priorities in the education and health sectors; and ways to resume data collection to address the current deficit of statistics and indicators. They developed practical recommendations to address challenges facing human capital accumulation in Yemen, especially in key economic sectors. Participants discussed short-term and long-term interventions to ensure both quick wins as well as the future development of human capital.
The workshop participants also met with policymakers to discuss ways to support economic growth and emphasized the need to pay attention to human capital in Yemen. They also stressed the importance of broadening the narrative on Yemen beyond the focus on the ongoing conflict with regard to human capital in particular.