[{"bbox": [94, 199, 456, 226], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**In relation to support to local actors:**"}, {"bbox": [92, 242, 1161, 643], "category": "Text", "text": "**Ensuring the ability of CSOs in Yemen** to influence peace making is of crucial importance. Donor funding mainly through UN agencies and a small group of international NGOs has so far not managed to build and sustain adequate capacities among local CSOs and institutions. A stronger approach to localisation is needed. The EU should seek ways to work more directly with national and local organisations in order to reduce overheads and increasing the sustainability of projects through locally-designed and locally-led efforts. The EU should also seek to cross-fertilise activities between the current engagement with CSOs and its parallel initiatives on support to CSOs through the thematic portfolio. The EU has a long-standing relationship with NGOs and CSOs in the area of development. The Communication \"The roots of democracy and sustainable development: Europe's engagement with Civil Society in external relations\"¹⁶ and related Council Conclusions proposed an enhanced and more strategic EU engagement with CSOs in partner countries, with a particular focus on local CSOs. This represents a more strategic approach of the EU's engagement with civil society, aimed at creating a policy shift towards supporting CSOs not only as providers of aid, social service delivery and the promotion of inclusive and sustainable growth, but also as democracy actors, highlighting their role to improve the impact, consistency, and visibility of EU actions. This commitment is reflected in the EU Roadmap for Engagement with Civil Society in Yemen, adopted in 2021¹⁷."}, {"bbox": [92, 660, 1136, 774], "category": "Text", "text": "Organisations can do incredible work with small grants but **graduating partner organisations from micro- to medium-sized grants is important** to build capacity, apply lessons learned and provide longer-term funding for organisations to build sustainability. Support of overhead costs is essential to contribute to organisational capacity building."}, {"bbox": [94, 792, 496, 820], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**In relation to implementation approach :**"}, {"bbox": [94, 837, 1164, 995], "category": "List-item", "text": "- Most of the Actions in this sector to date have been based on **overly ambitious logframes** and Theories of Change, especially in view of tight timelines and a challenging operating context. Key aspects that are not adequately factored into project timelines include the time it takes to build relationships and trust on the ground; delays due to slowness in securing permits from authorities, access and authorisations in particular when attempting to work in Ansar Allah-controlled areas; and EU and implementing partners' bureaucratic and procedural processes that take time."}, {"bbox": [94, 996, 1164, 1077], "category": "List-item", "text": "- A **flexible, adaptive programming approach** would be much more suited to manage these politically sensitive projects. A Theory of Change approach and more iterative monitoring methods such as outcome harvesting methods would also be fitting."}, {"bbox": [94, 1077, 1164, 1131], "category": "List-item", "text": "- In a challenging context such as Yemen, taking risks is unavoidable. The EU should develop a **solid approach to risk management** and mainstreaming of **conflict sensitivity principles** across all EU engagement in Yemen."}, {"bbox": [94, 1131, 1164, 1238], "category": "List-item", "text": "- The evaluation pointed to the importance of **implementing programmes outside of major cities**, e.g. Aden and Sana'a. Often in big cities it is the usual suspects who join in activities and take such opportunities for granted. While in rural areas participants may be less exposed to ideas, they are often highly motivated to learn and are very appreciative of new information and ways of looking at a topic."}, {"bbox": [86, 1597, 697, 1621], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁶ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0492:FIN:EN:PDF"}, {"bbox": [86, 1621, 579, 1645], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁷ https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/file/122825/download?token=4tXtj8_P"}, {"bbox": [1027, 1681, 1144, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 13 of 26"}]