On this International Human Rights Day (10 December), human rights and civil society organisations honoured Project Masam with an award for its clearance work in a ceremony held in Yemen’s Marib Governorate.
Since its launch in mid-2018, Project Masam has successfully trained and equipped dozens of demining teams to safely and efficiently carry out humanitarian mine clearance operations across several Yemeni regions. To date, the project has removed hundreds of thousands of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from several governorates in the country situated at the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.
On the occasion of this United Nations-sponsored Human Rights Day which marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most trailblazing global pledges, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, two local Yemeni organisations held a celebration aimed at spreading awareness of human rights and remind people of their dignifying principles.
The Raqeeb Organisation, a Yemeni non-governmental organisation which supports human rights, and the Yemen Human Rights Protection Network honoured a number of organisations and actors in Yemen, including Project Masam, as well as the students from the Saba region, who obtained the Post Graduate Diploma in Non-Governmental Organisation and Civil Society Organisation Management.
During the ceremony, Dr. Abdullah Al-Shaleef, President of the Raqeeb Organisation and Director of the Academy of Rehabilitation for Humanitarian Action and Human Rights, said his organisation was honouring Project Masam with an award for its continuous efforts in clearing landmines, IEDs and other remnants of war to protect human rights and preserve Yemeni lives.
In a speech, Al-Shaleef added Project Masam is a groundbreaking initiative due to the breadth of its clearance after liberating 52,240,488sqm of land from landmines, which endanger the lives of people in Yemen, and impede the passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need.
For her part, Ilham Ali, President of the Yemen Human Rights Protection Network, highlighted how Project Masam’s efforts have helped improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Several other actors, including a number of human rights activists and journalists released from Houthi militia prisons, were also honoured during the event.
The award presented to Project Masam was received by the the project’s Deputy Administrative and Logistical Director, Ahmed Bakheet, on behalf of the Project’s Managing Director, Ousama Algosaibi.
