The Abductees Mothers Association participated in a training workshop organized by the Yemeni Network of Victims’ Associations, titled “From Traditional Advocacy to Strategic Engagement: International Advocacy for Yemen.” The two-day workshop was organized by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) via Zoom, with the participation of members of the network, which comprises 16 human rights organizations and associations in Yemen.
During the workshop, the Association presented its experience in international advocacy, highlighting its interventions before the UN Human Rights Council and its efforts to engage with the Special Rapporteurs on arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. These efforts aim to amplify the voices of victims and their families, shed light on their suffering, and call for the fate of abductees and victims of enforced disappearance to be disclosed and for them to receive redress.
The Association emphasized the importance of strengthening international advocacy efforts and developing effective advocacy tools to ensure that victims’ cases reach relevant international mechanisms and institutions, while creating more effective avenues for defending their rights and demands for justice and accountability.
The workshop addressed various international advocacy mechanisms, including the role of the UN Human Rights Council and its special procedures, international criminal justice, universal jurisdiction, and strategic litigation. It also examined case studies related to the conflict in Yemen.
Participants concluded the workshop by developing an initial framework for a 2027 international advocacy roadmap, including the identification of advocacy goals and priorities, mapping potential allies, and identifying avenues for engagement with international mechanisms and institutions.
The Association’s participation is part of its efforts to develop its human rights work and strengthen its capacity in international advocacy, contributing to amplifying the voices of victims and their families and supporting their efforts to achieve truth, justice, and redress.