Save the Children hosted a two-day Partnership Conference with 24 local partners to strengthen collaboration and advance its localization agenda. The event concluded with joint recommendations and actions to shift power to local actors, enhance our partnerships, and align strategies.
Aden, Yemen – April 7–8, 2026
Save the Children successfully hosted a two-day Partnership Conference aimed at strengthening collaboration with local partners and advancing its localization agenda. The event brought together 24 partner organizations, providing a platform to openly share successes and challenges, while jointly exploring practical solutions to improve partnership practices and relationships.
Throughout the conference, partners had the opportunity to connect with one another, build networks, and gain a clearer understanding of Save the Children’s vision and strategy.
In-depth discussions focused on how partners can contribute to Save the Children’s Country Strategic Plan and be part of SCI's humanitarian response. The conference was also an opportunity to exchange experiences and lessons learned to better align our efforts to achieve greater impact for children and communities, some local partners had presented their challenges and suggested some resolving actions to comply with the localization dimensions, as well the partners presented their experience in advocacy, fundraising and localization initiatives, some success stories which was inspiring for both the local partners and SCI.
Rishana Haniffa, Save the Children Yemen Country Director, said:
“This gathering is about listening—carefully, respectfully, and with humility—to those who live and work closest to the realities we are trying to change. We recognize that as an international organization, we hold power—through resources, visibility, and decision-making structures. If we are serious about localization, then we must also be serious about examining ourselves: how we partner, how we fund, how we listen, and how we step back when needed.”
Anjila Al-Maamari, Executive Founder of the Centre for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children (CSSSWC) and one of Save the Children’s local partners, said:
“The partnership conference organized by the Save the Children Organization constituted an effective platform to enhance integration between partners and exchange experiences in a way that supports the quality of the humanitarian response in Yemen. It also contributed to consolidating the importance of localizing humanitarian work and empowering local organizations as a leadership partner, while strengthening coordination channels and building institutional capacities.”
The conference concluded with a set of jointly developed recommendations and actions, which Save the Children and its partners will begin implementing this year to further enhance the localization approach.
Save the Children has worked in Yemen for over 60 years, reaching millions of children and families since beginning operations in 1963 – including more than 11.7 million people since the conflict began in 2015.
