Sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, and with broad participation from local and international civil society organizations and government entities, the foundational consultative workshops for the National Reference Group for Localisation (NRG) commenced today, Sunday, in Aden. This is part of the "Humanitarian System Transformation through Local Humanitarian Leadership (HST–LHL)" project, implemented by Tamdeen Youth Foundation (TYF) in partnership with Oxfam, and in coordination with national partners.

These workshops, spanning the period from December 7 to 11, 2025, aim to establish a participatory framework that enhances local humanitarian leadership and aligns national efforts with the Grand Bargain 3.0 pillars: Quality Funding, Equitable Partnerships, and Risk Sharing.

Day One Sessions

The first day featured in-depth discussions addressing the mechanisms for establishing the National Reference Group and enhancing the humanitarian response system in Yemen, across five main sessions:

• Official Opening: Included speeches from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, Tamdeen Youth Foundation represented by Dr. Jamal Saif, and Oxfam represented by Mr. Anas Al-Rumaim, in addition to a comprehensive briefing on the (HST–LHL) project and the objectives of establishing the National Reference Group.
• Session One – NRG Definition: Abdulqawi Hajeb from the Local Empowerment Initiative presented on the role of the National Reference Group in monitoring Grand Bargain commitments and improving humanitarian response mechanisms.
• Session Two – Community Participation: Imkan Foundation – Marib, represented by Mr. Mohammed Al-Shaddadi, reviewed the current situation, challenges, solutions, and good practices in the field of community participation.
• Session Three – Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP): Saleh Musaeid from Basma Foundation – Hadramout provided a briefing on the most significant challenges and practices of Accountability to Affected Populations, along with a set of recommendations to strengthen accountability mechanisms.
• Session Four – Quality Funding and Organization Sustainability: The session addressed the opportunities, challenges, and solutions related to the quality of funding and the sustainability of local organizations, with participation from the Local Empowerment Initiative.
• Session Five – Working Groups: Dedicated to crystallizing the main challenges and recommendations in each pillar, and presenting the outputs in a participatory manner to ensure a unified national approach.

These workshops come within the foundational phase of the National Reference Group, which will contribute to identifying priorities, formulating thematic frameworks, and setting progress measurement indicators for local empowerment, paving the way for enhancing the role of local actors in leading humanitarian action in Yemen.

This effort is also a fruit of the Initiative for the Localisation of Humanitarian Action and the Improvement of Response Mechanisms in Yemen (LORMIY), launched by Tamdeen Youth Foundation (TYF) in 2021, which has become a leading national model, including more than 100 organizations and civil networks.

#HST_LHL #Localisation #Yemen_NRG #TYF #Oxfam