RELEASE 05/05/2026

PRESS RELEASE

International Yheld online event

YHELD Project Hosts Online Dissemination Event Showcasing Results and Strengthening Euro-Yemeni Academic Cooperation

May 5, 2026 – Online

The YHELD (Youth Higher Education Leadership Development) project successfully held its online dissemination event on May 5, 2026, gathering representatives from higher education institutions, international organizations, and government bodies to present key achievements and discuss future collaboration. The event took place from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM CET and marked a significant step in advancing higher education leadership and institutional development in Yemen.

The event opened with welcome remarks from distinguished speakers, including Jamil Al-Jaadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education for Planning in Yemen; Andrea Damiani, Project Coordinator from Link Campus University; and Silvia Marchionne, Senior Project Manager at UNIMED and Work Package 4 Leader. They highlighted the importance of capacity building, international partnerships, and knowledge exchange in strengthening higher education system in Yemen and its internationalisation.

Following the presentation of the project coordinator about the state of the art of the YHELD project which is approaching its end, all the representatives of the eight university partners from Yemen (University of Aden, Hadhramout University, Abyan University, Al-Adel University, University of Lahej, Seiyun University, University of Shabwah, and Taiz University) had the opportunity to share and present the main takeaways and key results that emerged from the institutional events that each of the Yemeni universities have organised in the past month on its own campus, involving academic staff, departments, and members of the wider university community. These meetings aimed to strengthen the role of IROs in promoting international cooperation, global partnerships, and the strategic internationalisation of Yemeni higher education institutions.

The online dissemination event of May 5th has also underlined the importance of the Ministry’s role in enabling universities to effectively implement their internationalisation strategies. All the Yemeni universities have emphasized the need for enhanced coordination through the establishment of a follow-up unit within the Ministry of Higher Education in Yemen and supporting sustainability measures, to ensure that the two National IRO Network and the Euro-Yemeni network can last beyong the lifetime of the project.

Following this presentations, Silvia Marchionne, introduced to all the Partners the Euro-Yemeni Academic Coopetation Network, a new initiative launched within the project that aims at fostering long-term, strategic partnerships between European and Yemeni Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), building on the outcomes of the YHELD Project. Finally the event paved the way for the upcoming YHELD Final Conference, taking place in Cairo on May 13-14 2026 during which the two networks will be officially validated, marking an important step towards enhanced Euro-Yemeni academic cooperation and the long-term internationalisation of Yemeni higher education. The event concluded with closing remarks involving all project partners and participants, reinforcing their shared commitment to ensuring the sustainability of the YHELD project outcomes by enhancing higher education leadership and internationalisation of the Yemeni universities About YHELD The YHELD project aims to strengthen leadership, governance, and institutional capacity in Yemeni higher education institutions through international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and sustainable network building. The YHELD project (Project No. 101129434) is implemented by a diverse consortium of partners, including Link Campus University (Italy), UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union (Italy), the School of Advanced Social Studies (Slovenia), the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (Germany), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany), and eight higher education institutions in Yemen: University of Aden, Hadhramout University, Abyan University, Al-Adel University, University of Lahej, Seiyun University, University of Shabwah, and Taiz University). Read more about the project results at:

www.yheld.net/projects