With United Nations Special Advisor to Yemen Jamal Benomar in attendance, a forum focused on youth and female NDC members opened on Wednesday at Sana’a’s Movenpick Hotel, the main site of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC).

During the opening ceremony for the forum – entitled “Together to Shape Yemen’s Future” – Benomar’s speech placed an emphasis on the role Yemeni youths and women have played in advancing a struggle for change and bringing about the NDC itself.

"Yemeni women and youths have their own ambitions for shaping a new Yemen, getting rid of the pasty’s heavy legacy, forming Yemen with their own hands –without having to resort to arms, and without external intervention," said Benomar.

Speaking of the NDC, Benomar said that nothing like the conference and its roadmap had been seen in an Arab country before. He added that the National Dialogue enabled Yemeni women and youths to play active roles in both the present and future of their country.

''In accordance with the executive mechanism of the GCC-brokered deal, women and youth were guaranteed broad participation in Yemen’s political life,'' said Benomar.

NDC First Deputy Secretary General Afrah Al-Zouba said the forum presented a good opportunity for women and youths to exchange ideas and discuss issues which concern the two segments of society, as well as civil society organizations.

For her part, ‘independent youth’ NDC member Saher Ghanem said the forum would allow youth members unify their efforts at the conference.