"Yemen is one month from a new draft constitution"

Two of Yemen's top human rights figures debated the developments in the country at the Danish Institute for Human Rights today.

His excellency, Ezzadin Al Asbahi, minister for Human Rights and chairman Abdulqader Albana of the Yemeni Human Rights Network both delivered speeches and took questions from the audience during the debate.

Prompted by the many depressing stories reaching western audiences out of Yemen, Mr. Al Asbahi delivered a very positive opening statement. He underlined that it is far from the whole picture that reaches the West.

"The committee drafting our new constitution will be done with its work within one month. They are working on the last chapter right now. So we are very close," Mr. Al Asbahi said.

International support needed
The minister for Human Rights emphasized the need for international support.

"We are at a very important moment in our history. We need the international society to show support for the direction Yemen is taking. Not only in the form of money but also in terms of technical support," Mr. Al Asbahi said.

His counterpart from the Yemeni Human Rights Network was not as optimistic as the minister, although, he too, emphasized progress.

"We have achieved major things since the uprisings in 2011: The old power elites can no longer enforce their will as they could before and the youth's readiness to die for a cause have broken the previous deadlock - change is coming," Mr. Abdulqader Albana opened.

However, he underlined the issues that haunt the Arabic country.

"We do have problems. Despite the progress, the institutions of the country are still dominated by the old regime. 75% of the parliament have ties to the old regime."

Also security problems must not be forgotten, he added.

"I do not think it is clear, whether the Yemeni islamists have pledged allegience to the so-called Islamic State or Al Qaeda. But the threat is there and it is real regardless," he said.

The Danish Institute for Human Rights has been active in Yemen on and off since 2006. The institute is active providing support to the constitutional process through cooperation with the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Ministry for Human Rights and the Yemeni Human Rights Network.

The institute's work is supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Danish Arab Partnership Programme.