NCIAVHR Holds an Online Workshop on Accountability and Respect for Human Rights

Aden,
Friday, July 28, 2023

On Friday, the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights (NCIAVHR) held an expanded online workshop in which 55 international and local organizations working in the field of human rights protection, transitional justice, and peacebuilding and representatives of several diplomatic missions and United Nations offices in Yemen, participated.

The workshop on “Accountability and Respect for Human Rights… the Basis for Building and Maintaining Peace” was launched by Judge Ahmed Al-Maflahi, the Commission Chairman. Mr. Al-Maflahi explained the close connection between the professional investigations carried out by the Commission into human rights violations committed by all parties and the transitional justice mechanisms for victims and their families.

While the Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Mr. Ahmed Arman, affirmed, in his intervention during the online workshop, the Yemeni government’s commitment to respecting the rights of the victims and addressing the damages that resulted from the war, which must be reflected in any comprehensive and effective peace agreement.

Four different papers were presented in the workshop by the International Center for Transitional Justice, the Wojoud Foundation for Human Security, the Yemeni Network for Victims’ Associations, the Commission, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The working papers dealt with strategies for involving victims in upcoming peace agreements, establishing a specialized court to consider violations, including accountability in the peace process, and not condoning the forms and effects of gender-based violence, especially against women.

These papers were followed by extensive discussions by the participants about how the rights of victims and their participation in peace agreements, the opportunities for transitional justice in Yemen, and the realistic and legal challenges facing its implementation are important.

The workshop came out with a number of recommendations related to the necessity of including accountability and the rights of victims of both genders in peace processes, involving them in negotiations, and supporting the demand for the establishment of a specialized court to consider human rights violations.