Project Summary

Yemen’s protracted conflict has weakened rule of law institutions and reduced access to legal and protection services, particularly for women, children, internally displaced persons (IDPs), persons with disabilities (PwDs), detainees, and other vulnerable and marginalised groups. Service capacity gaps and social barriers have left many legal and protection needs unmet, leading communities to rely increasingly on informal and community-based dispute resolution mechanisms. These mechanisms, while often more accessible and affordable, can reproduce obstacles to gender-responsive and inclusive legal and protection services. Housing, land and property (HLP) disputes are among the most pressing challenges, particularly where forced evictions, displacement, and property disputes affect vulnerable groups.

In response, UNDP Yemen has partnered with the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2021, who generously funded the Promoting Inclusive Access to Justice in Yemen (PIAJY) project (2021–2024). Following UNDP’s global guidance on “people-centred approach to institution building,” UNDP Yemen has successfully promoted people’s access to legal and protection services in Aden and Mukalla, while supporting the recovery of rule of law institutions.

In 2026, UNDP Yemen has launched PIAJY Phase 2 (PIAJY2) (2026–2030) with the Netherlands’ global rule of law funding. Building on the achievements of the first phase, PIAJY2 advances a “justice ecosystem” approach that connects community-based legal and protection services services with institutional supervision and longer-term system strengthening. It also links legal services with complementary systems, including social protection and HLP administration, initially in Aden and Mukalla and, subject to appropriate operational conditions, through phased expansion to Seiyun and Taiz.
 

Objectives

The objective of PIAJY2 project is to connect community-based legal and protection services with institutional supervision and longer-term improvement to the broader rule of law ecosystem. The project focuses on three outputs, with particular emphasis on the resolution and prevention of HLP disputes.

• Output 1. Civil and property justice promoted.
• Output 2. Gender and inclusive justice enhanced. 
• Output 3. Comprehensive detainee protection expanded. 
   

Gender Empowerment

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) is integral and central to inclusive access to legal, protection, and support services. PIAJY2 enhances women’s access to gender-responsive legal and protection services, while promoting women's participation and leadership in the rule of law ecosystem. The project will contribute to GEWE by strengthening women-led and community-based service pathways, expanding Women Friendly Spaces, and empowering women’s professional networks, such as women police, women judges, and women engineers. Protection of vulnerable women and girls, such as women tenants, women detainees and girls in contact with the law, will be given priority. 
 

Expected results

PIAJY2 project is expected to deliver the following results:

• Inclusive access to legal and protection services promoted by supporting 1,200 households and individuals affected by forced eviction and property disputes, as well as 1,100 people seeking assistance with family and minority-related disputes.
• Gender-responsive services enhanced by providing psychosocial support to 900 individuals, supporting the settlement of 100 cases through formal rule of law mechanisms, and expanding four Women Friendly Spaces.
• Protection for detainees and ex-detainees expanded by assisting 900 people through multi-sectoral service platforms.
• Stronger rule of law institutions built through training for 900 people and capacity-building support for formal and informal service providers working on civil and property matters, gender and inclusion, and detainee protection.
• Policies and coordination mechanisms strengthened by supporting the review and improvement of policy frameworks and institutional platforms related to rule of law, gender and inclusion, and detainee protection.