Since 2014, Yemen has been enmeshed in an armed conflict between Yemen’s government, the Houthi rebel group, and the international actors that support both sides, which has killed nearly 400,000 Yemenis and left nearly two-thirds of the country in need of humanitarian assistance. Many of Yemen’s political leaders who are supportive of the country’s internationally recognized government have been forced to flee the country since the Houthis seized control of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.

As the National Democratic Institute (NDI) moves into a fourth year of championing environmental governance in its global programming, staff are leading the Institute in integrating the principles of environmental sustainability, democratic participation and accountability within NDI itself. In the fall of 2023, NDI launched the Environmental Sustainability Initiative pilot for select country offices to design strategic sustainability action plans, measure progress, and share lessons learned.

First invoked by the South African disability rights movement in the 1990s, “Nothing About Us Without Us” became the clarion call of activists organizing to overcome systemic oppression and empower persons with disabilities to take control over decisions affecting their lives. Since then, the concept has anchored the work of the global disability rights movement and its demand for the full and equal inclusion of persons with disabilities.