Today, a meeting of heads and representatives of civil society organizations was held at Tamdeen Youth Foundation Office in Taiz Governorate. The meeting was attended by the Deputy-Director of the office of Social Affairs and Labor, Director of Organizations in Taiz, Mr. Fuad Al Mekhlafi.

Coordinator of the Humanitarian Action Localization Initiative in Yemen, Chairman of TYF, Mr. Hussien Al Suhaily presented the initiative and explained its overall objective of enabling local organizations to lead humanitarian action in Yemen, improve the response mechanism and aid delivery and link it to efforts for social cohesion, economic recovery and sustainable development.

The organizations participating in the meeting unanimously consolidated their vision and efforts to localize humanitarian action in Yemen, ensuring that local organizations are sustainable and have direct access to resources and genuine representation in the humanitarian system.

The meeting also addressed the humanitarian situation in Taiz governorate and the suffering of civilians there, as well as the role of civil society in pressing humanitarian issues for the population and the re-operation of basic services.

Everyone agrees to establish the Civil Forum for Accelerating Peace, Development and Humanitarian Response. They called on other organizations and peace activists, in a joint statement, to join the Forum and to create a distinct and generalized model in all Yemeni governorates.

The statement reads as follows:

The Civil Forum for Peace Acceleration, Development, and Humanitarian Response in Taiz, includes (local organizations' chairmen, peace activists, human rights activists, academics, and independent social figures), welcomes the visit of the United Nations Special Envoy, Mr. Hans Grundberg, to the besieged city, Taiz. He has been briefed on the Civilians population's conditions who suffer from the worst of wars and conflicts and their catastrophic effects on lives and basic services and restrict freedom of movement.

While the Forum considers this visit a positive step suggests a review of the priorities of the UN in Yemen which ignored the issue of Taiz over the past years of the war. He considers that a review of the former envoys' mistakes whose efforts to limit peace consultations to the parties to the conflict have failed, waiting for what after this visit and the results it will lead. He hopes that it will put an end to the tragedy of civilians and be an entry point and key for making a comprehensive peace in Yemen.

For this, the Civil Forum for Accelerating Peace, Development and Humanitarian Response - Taiz announces its support for the United Nations envoy's efforts to fulfill his pledges made in his first briefing to the Security Council to lift the siege on Taiz, open roads to allow people and goods' movement to and from Taiz, open Sana’a Airport for commercial flights, and lift the restrictions imposed on importing fuel and goods through the port of Al Hodeidah.

The forum appeals to the people of Taiz, the legitimate government, Ansar Allah "the Houthis", Taiz military sector, the national resistance, the Republic Guardians, political parties, local authorities, members of Parliament and the Shura Council, military and civil leaders, businessmen, the private sector,  activists, jurists, journalists, and media professionals join hands to achieve peace in Taiz and have the courage to take the first steps towards giving civilians the peace they need and deserve. Rehabilitating this governorate as thel capital of culture, a major link between the North and the South, and an engine for trade and business at the national level to create a model of peace that will lead the country to a comprehensive and sustainable peace.

Forum members affirm standing at the same distance from all parties, communicating with everyone with complete transparency and independence to rebuild trust, lay the foundations that pave the way for peace in Taiz, benefit from previous lessons and experiences; involve youth, women, local authorities, security leaders on both sides, accepted social figures, and the private sector in efforts to calm down and peace-building, understand the sensitivity of the conflict and the parties’ concerns and submit realistic, acceptable recommendations and proposals to the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy, and the parties related to the peace process in Taiz in particular and Yemen in general.

The Forum places the humanitarian aspect, the needs of civilians and restores basic services at the forefront of its work. Accordingly, the Forum calls on all parties to allow greater decentralization of peace efforts and to allow their representatives to interact seriously with the Forum's endeavors to alleviate the human suffering of civilians in Taiz Governorate and to open main roads Which represents the first concern of the population. The road's opening will save a lot of time and expenses necessary to transport people and goods to and from the city of Taiz. It facilitates humanitarian access to the population and reduces the cost of commercial goods.

The Forum urges on all parties to cooperate with its endeavors in releasing detainees and prisoners, restoring basic services, foremost of which is water services to the residents of the Taiz city, agreeing on a mechanism to operate the wells of the local institution, and developing a solution to the accumulation of garbage and waste in the Al-Dabab area, west of the city, which causes an environmental disaster, and represents They are all urgent priorities.

The Forum calls on media professionals, journalists, and activists on social media to adopt a professional and supportive media discourse for the Forum's efforts to restore trust, social cohesion, build peace, advocate for civilian issues, and avoid politicizing the humanitarian and human rights file.

The Forum urges the United Nations envoy to Yemen to involve the civil society organizations, women, and youth in the first peace track, efforts to calm down sustainably, and to open clear channels of communication with them in order to build peace.

The forum notifies UN and international organizations to expedite the humanitarian action localization, enabling local organizations to lead the humanitarian response according to local needs, and linking humanitarian aid to promoting peace, social cohesion, and development.

Finally:

Everyone should be aware of the destruction and disruption of the social cohesion left by the years of war and conflicts in Yemen, Taiz in particular, and the disruption of the plans of the present and obstruction of achieving future opportunities, waiting for the political or international forces to reach an agreement, as peace is in the interest of the Yemenis who have tasted woes and are suffering from this war, which must stop.