President of Irada Organization Before the Human Rights Council: No Capacity-Building in Yemen Without Protecting People, Education, and Institutions
The President of Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance affirmed that capacity-building and achieving sustainable development in Yemen cannot be realized amid the continued violations that deplete human capital, harm education and civil institutions, and push the country toward further humanitarian and economic deterioration.
This came during a statement delivered by the President of Irada Organization, Sheikh Jamal Al-Maamari, before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 5 October 2026, under Agenda Item 10 on technical assistance and capacity-building.
The President of the Organization raised a fundamental question before the Council, saying:
“How can capacities be built in Yemen while the Houthis are destroying the generation that will lead development and undermining the institutions that are supposed to protect society?”
In his statement, he pointed to the disruption of education and the introduction of sectarian changes to school curricula in Houthi-controlled areas, alongside the recruitment of children, pulling them from their classrooms and thrusting them into military recruitment camps, as well as the continued abduction, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance of academics, students, and civilians.
The President of Irada Organization warned that the impact of these practices is not limited to direct human rights violations, but extends to the depletion of human capital and the undermining of Yemeni society’s ability to recover, rebuild its institutions, and achieve development in the future.
On the economic front, he pointed to the damage caused by landmines to roads and farmland and the resulting threats to civilians’ lives and livelihoods, in addition to the seizure of citizens’ funds, the imposition of levies, and the depletion of the country’s resources through war and escalation.
The President of Irada Organization said that the resources Yemen needs to build roads, hospitals, and schools, provide job opportunities, and feed the hungry are being depleted by the Houthis for military capabilities, including the manufacture of drones and ballistic missiles, instead of being directed toward development and meeting the population’s basic needs.
The President of the Organization also warned of the risks of escalation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, noting that attempts to control this vital maritime passage and threaten navigation and trade and energy routes would exacerbate the risks of war, destruction, and humanitarian and economic crises in Yemen and the region.
At the conclusion of his statement, the President of Irada Organization called for capacity-building and technical assistance programs in Yemen to focus on protecting education, children, and civil institutions, rehabilitating victims of violations, and strengthening the rule of law and accountability.
He stressed that these violations are not only destroying Yemen’s present, but are also threatening the future of its generations and depleting its human resources, concluding his statement by saying:
“There can be no development without human beings, no capacity-building without education, and no sustainable development without security, peace, and the rule of law.”
Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance
Geneva – 5 October 2026
