Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
ISTANBUL – The inaugural conference of Yemeni researchers and experts commenced this Saturday in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The event brings together a select group of academics, scientists, and researchers from inside and outside Yemen, aiming to formulate practical and sustainable solutions for the challenges facing Yemen and to support development and reconstruction paths.
Organized by the Tawakkol Karman Foundation from October 11 to 12, the conference features over 40 scientific and research papers covering Yemen’s present reality and future in the fields of health, development, education, identity, environment, food security, and economy. It is attended by more than 200 researchers, experts, and active stakeholders.
The conference seeks to crystallize strategic visions that enhance integration and communication between research and academic efforts, create an independent intellectual space to mitigate polarization, and provide reliable reference material for decision-makers and those concerned with Yemeni affairs.
The first day’s sessions include themes on academic education, health and medical infrastructure, and the reality and future of political life. The second day’s sessions will discuss economic issues, energy, food, and national identity and its transformations.
In her opening speech, Yemeni activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman stated that politics and war have dominated the Yemeni scene for a full decade, while files related to the economy, development, education, and health have been marginalized.
Karman emphasized that “postponing these files pushes the state further away, as the state is not merely an abstract political entity but rather the services it provides.” She considered that there is no salvation for Yemen “without education that elevates minds, health that preserves human dignity, and a productive economy that breaks the cycle of hunger and loyalty.”
For his part, Dr. Marwan Al-Ghafori, physician, writer, and head of the conference’s preparatory committee, stated that Yemen is undergoing a complex and existential crisis due to fragmentation and the absence of any real efforts to halt the collapse of the state, while the Yemeni people are capable of finding practical and innovative solutions.
He added that this conference reminds Yemenis that science and knowledge are capable of offering a vision different from what is currently being circulated about Yemen. He pointed to numerous international experiences where academic researchers and experts played a central role in driving change in their countries, which had lived through circumstances similar to Yemen’s.
