Special Adviser Jamal Benomar has been facilitating Yemen’s political transition since April 2011, within a mandate of independence, impartiality, transparency, objectivity and integrity, in order to achieve peace, security and development. He facilitated both face-to-face negotiations between the ruling party and the opposition, and extensive consultations with various Yemeni political leaders when the country was on the brink of civil war. He travelled in areas controlled by different armed groups, and visited the squares where rallies against President Ali Abdullah Saleh took place in order to listen to the youth to understand their demands. 

Negotiations facilitated by Special Adviser Benomar led to the signing of a Transition Agreement in Riyadh in November 2011. He supported preparations for the National Dialogue Conference through facilitating talks between various factions. During the Dialogue, he worked closely with all constituencies, including women, youth, Southern Hirak movement and Houthis who participated for the first time in the decision making process. Furthermore, the Special Adviser helped the Dialogue overcome several deadlocks, including the withdrawal of representatives of the Southern Hirak movement and the boycott by Houthis and the General People’s Congress (GPC) party led by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He introduced to the international community, for the first time, the Southern question and provided a clear image of the violations against southerners. His efforts required travel to Sana’a, Aden, Saada and Hodeidah, as well as high level meetings in Gulf countries among others.

Since the conclusion of the National Dialogue Conference and the adoption of an Outcome Document on 25 January 2014, the Office of the Special Adviser has been facilitating the remaining tasks of the political process. These include the constitution making process, preparations for a referendum in addition to general elections, and preparations for the transition of Yemen to a federal state, as stipulated in the Outcome Document.

The Office of the Special Adviser supported countless rounds of negotiations in and outside Yemen. Some of which led to the participation of Southern Hirak leaders in the National Dialogue Conference. Other talks resulted in ceasefire agreements in Saada and Amran, and in allowing humanitarian access to people in conflict zones.