Report Launch: "Assessing the Impact of Armed Conflict on the Solid Waste Sector in Yemen"

As Yemen enters its second decade of protracted conflict, the country faces not only a humanitarian crisis but a deepening environmental emergency. One of its most visible and hazardous manifestations is the solid waste crisis—exacerbated by years of conflict, institutional breakdown, and population growth. This webinar marks the launch of a new report, ‘From Waste to Resolution: The Impact of Armed Conflict on the Solid Waste Sector in Yemen’, which provides the first nationwide mapping of Yemen’s waste degradation using satellite imagery, field interviews, and policy analysis. The webinar presents key findings of the report, which documents how unregulated waste accumulation, illicit dumping, and burning are threatening Yemen’s public health, ecosystems, and long-term stability. It explores how solid waste mismanagement not only undermines human security and livelihoods, but also contributes to local tensions and erodes trust in public institutions. The discussion positions solid waste governance as a critical—yet often overlooked—entry point for environmental peacebuilding. The speakers present and contextualize these findings within a broader overview of Yemen’s environmental and peacebuilding challenges, discuss pathways for recovery, and provide actionable recommendations for policymaking and programming across the humanitarian, development, and peace nexus. Key themes discussed include environmental degradation as a consequence of protracted conflict; the intersection of waste governance, human security, and peace; opportunities for building trust, livelihoods, and resilience through solid waste management; data gaps and the potential of geospatial analysis in conflict-affected contexts. Webinar Objectives: Launch and discuss the findings and recommendations of the new report. Contextualize the waste crisis within Yemen’s broader environmental and conflict landscape. Highlight practical entry points for peacebuilding through improved environmental governance. Contribute to the Path to Ottawa and the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding by elevating the role of waste management in conflict prevention and recovery. Speakers: -- Hisham Al-Omeisy, Senior Yemen Advisor, European Institute of Peace -- Elias Kharma, Research Analyst, European Institute of Peace -- Marie Schellens, Project Officer Geo Information Systems, PAX -- Wim Zwijnenburg, Project Leader Humanitarian Disarmament, PAX -- Christina Parandii, Senior Policy Officer for Environment, Peace and Security, PAX -- Moderator: Alina Viehoff, Climate and Security Advisor, adelphi This event was a part of the Path to Ottawa series, a global, consultative series of events and initiatives in the lead-up to the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding.