Ruaa Centre Launches “Green Bridges” Workshop to Strengthen Local Partnerships for Environmental Protection and Conflict Management in Aden

Ruaa Centre for Strategic Studies, Consultancy and Training today launched  “Green Bridges: Towards Local Partnerships for Managing Environmental Conflicts and Strengthening the Protection of Natural Reserves in Aden” training workshop in the capital, Aden.

The workshop is being held as part of the project “Strengthening Social Cohesion through Inclusive Peacebuilding Mechanisms,” with partnership with Political Development Forum, and support with the German Berghof Foundation, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It brings together 30 participants, including representatives of the local authority in Al-Buraiqah District, community committees, the General Authority for Environmental Protection, coastal women’s associations, environmental activists, and others interested in environmental affairs.

The workshop runs from September 6–7, 2026, and aims to strengthen local capacities in managing environmental conflicts, promote dialogue among diverse stakeholders, and develop participatory mechanisms that contribute to protecting natural reserves and environmental resources. It also seeks to strengthen social cohesion by creating spaces for dialogue and cooperation among government institutions, local communities, civil society organizations, and environmental actors.

At the opening of the workshop, Dr. Jaklin Mansour Al-Batani,  Head of  Ruaa Centre, welcomed the participants and emphasized that the workshop reflects the Centre’s commitment to strengthening local dialogue on environmental issues and creating shared spaces that bring together stakeholders concerned with the environment and natural resources.

Al-Batani noted that conflicts related to the environment and natural resources have become issues requiring deeper understanding and more effective mechanisms for addressing them, particularly in light of the pressures and challenges facing Aden’s environment and natural reserves. She stressed the importance of engaging environmental activists, civil society organizations, fishermen, and local communities as key stakeholders with first-hand knowledge of the challenges affecting coastal areas and natural resources.

She further emphasized that the workshop goes beyond theoretical training, focusing instead on building a shared understanding of the nature of environmental conflicts and encouraging participants to develop practical solutions based on dialogue, cooperation, and partnership. Such approaches, she said, can contribute to reducing conflicts, protecting natural reserves, and promoting the sustainable management of environmental resources.

For his part, Eng. Niazi Mustafa, Director General of the Environmental Authority in Aden, praised the Ruaa Center’s initiative and its focus on environmental issues. He highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships among the Environmental Authority, local authorities, civil society organizations, environmental activists, and coastal communities—particularly fishermen—in addressing the challenges threatening the environment and natural resources.

Mustafa stressed that protecting the environment and natural reserves is a shared responsibility that cannot be achieved through the efforts of a single institution. He underscored the need to raise environmental awareness, strengthen coordination among relevant stakeholders, and establish channels for dialogue and cooperation that can help address environmental issues before they escalate into conflicts. He expressed hope that the workshop would produce practical and actionable recommendations to support environmental protection efforts in Aden.

The workshop is being delivered and facilitated by Dr. Jamal Bawazir, an environmental expert and Head of the Environmental Unit at the Ruaa Center. The training began with an introductory session that enabled participants to get acquainted and exchange experiences, followed by a pre-training assessment designed to identify their existing knowledge and prior experience in environmental conflicts and their management.

The training program focuses on establishing a shared knowledge base on environmental conflicts and their management. Topics include the concept and elements of environmental conflict; distinguishing between an environmental problem and an environmental conflict; the causes, stages, and types of conflicts; stakeholder analysis; and distinguishing between positions and interests.

The sessions also address dialogue, negotiation, and mediation as mechanisms for managing environmental conflicts, alongside conflict analysis tools such as the “Conflict Tree” and “Conflict Mapping.” These tools help participants understand the root causes of environmental issues, identify influential stakeholders and their interests, and explore opportunities for intervention and resolution.

The program also includes a practical component featuring group work and participatory discussions focused on analyzing the causes of environmental conflicts, including environmental, institutional, social, and economic factors. These activities link the training concepts to the local context and to the challenges associated with managing natural reserves and coastal areas.

The workshop has witnessed active engagement and discussions among participants, drawing on their professional experiences and the realities they encounter, particularly the environmental challenges affecting coastal areas and natural reserves. This engagement contributes to developing a shared understanding of environmental conflicts and ways to address them through dialogue and cooperation.

The “Green Bridges” workshop forms part of the Ruaa Centre's broader efforts to invest in local capacity building and support spaces for dialogue and partnership among relevant stakeholders. These efforts aim to develop more inclusive and participatory mechanisms for managing environmental conflicts and protecting natural resources.

The workshop also highlights the importance of partnerships among local institutions and supporting organizations in advancing “environmental peace,” social cohesion, and participatory environmental governance, while supporting sustainable solutions to environmental issues affecting local communities and natural resources in the capital, Aden.