European External Action Service

05/03/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 05/03/2026 04:20

EU ambassador concludes visit to Taiz

EU Ambassador to Yemen Patrick Simonnet has concluded a week-long visit to Taiz, engaging with local authorities, civil society, mediators and beneficiaries of EU-supported programmes. The visit highlighted the EU's continued commitment to the Government of Yemen in the areas of stabilisation, early recovery and locally led initiatives across the governorate.

During the visit, the first from an international partner at Ambassador level over the last 13 years, the ambassador met Governor Nabil Shamsan to discuss EU support, including service delivery challenges and ongoing stabilisation efforts.

Engagement with civil society was central to the visit. The ambassador met organisations including Abductees Mothers Association, Youth Without Borders Organisation, Sheba Youth Foundation and Taiz's Pillars of Peace. He reiterated EU support for local mediation initiatives, transitional justice, and the role of women and youth in peacebuilding, while calling for the release of detainees and supporting families seeking justice and accountability.

Field visits further highlighted the impact of EU programmes. In Jabal Habashi, west of Taiz, the ambassador visited irrigation water tanks supporting agriculture, stressing the importance of water access for rural livelihoods and food security.

The visit also included meetings with families in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, where the EU is providing support to promote livelihoods and self-reliance among displaced communities.

He also met the Local Economic Council in Taiz, an EU-supported platform bringing together the private sector, local authorities and civil society. The ambassador welcomed its role in fostering cooperation and supporting local economic recovery.

The visit underscores the EU's sustained engagement in Yemen and its support for locally driven recovery, resilience and peace.

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