Women-Led Market Launched in Aden to Strengthen Women’s Economic Empowerment

[Press release]

Aden, Yemen - The Minister of State and Governor of Aden Governorate, Ahmed Hamed Lamlas, stressed the importance of prioritizing development projects that directly serve women and the community. He commended the role of UN Women in adopting projects that target women and support their economic empowerment, ensuring decent livelihoods for women and their families.

This was stated during the inauguration of “Souq Al-Women”, which opened this morning in the Crater neighborhood of Seera District as the first women-led market. The initiative is part of the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Community Advancement Project, implemented by UN Women Yemen in partnership with Badeel Foundation for Development and in cooperation with the Seera District Local Council.

UN Women Representative in Yemen, Ms. Dina Zorba, said that the opening of the Women’s Market responds to the needs of women working in the market and represents a practical step toward supporting women-led economic initiatives. She noted that the initiative reflects UN Women’s commitment to enhancing women’s participation in economic activity and supporting pathways toward sustainable local development.

For his part, Seera District Director Mahmoud Jarradi highlighted that the project demonstrates the importance of partnership between local authorities, the United Nations, and international organizations in supporting the women’s local economy. He added that the market contributes to integrating women into commercial activity, improving their working conditions, and strengthening economic stability for their businesses.

Meanwhile, Mona Abbas, Director of Badeel Foundation for Development, explained that the project went through several phases, including concept development, site rehabilitation, vendor training, and the selection of approximately 50 women vendors who were provided with kiosks to operate, in addition to facilitation in accessing goods.

The launch of the Women’s Market comes as part of broader efforts to enhance women’s economic empowerment and improve livelihoods by providing a safe and decent working environment for women vendors. This enables them to work with dignity and security and achieve sustainable income that contributes to revitalizing the local economy.

The project included developing the market’s infrastructure, ensuring protection and appropriate safety equipment, installing lighting, and providing kiosks distributed to nearly 50 women vendors—many of whom are family breadwinners and from low-income backgrounds. This opens real opportunities for work, production, display, and marketing across diverse trades and crafts, and contributes to strengthening community confidence in women’s productive capacities.

The inauguration ceremony featured various cultural performances and was attended by representatives of local authorities, civil society organizations, and stakeholders working on women’s rights and economic empowerment.