United Nations in Yemen

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Yemen:

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Publication

25 January 2022

United Nations Yemen Common Country Analysis November 2021

This Common Country Analysis (CCA) is the United Nations (UN) system’s independent, impartial, and collective assessment and analysis of the Republic of Yemen. It examines progress, gaps, opportunities, and bottlenecks vis-à-vis the country’s commitments to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN norms and standards, and the principles of the UN Charter.
Yemen was behind achieving the SDGs even prior to the escalation of armed conflict in 2015. The armed conflict has therefore not just interrupted Yemen’s development trajectory; it has reversed development gains made in key sectors up to 2014, with Yemen maintaining its status as the poorest country in the Middle East. Progress toward the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs continue to be delayed due to the on-going conflict, absence of coordinated national leadership, and lack of strategic planning. With control of the country divided between competing and warring parties, humanitarian, development, and peace efforts face significant challenges. The 2021 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan indicates that the country faces severe food insecurity bordering on famine. About 24 million Yemenis – 80 percent of the total population – need humanitarian assistance; 14.4 million Yemenis are in acute need. Over 2.25 million children under five years and more than a million pregnant and lactating women and girls are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021. Between 5 and 15 percent of pregnant women and girls are facing obstetric complications but lack access to emergency obstetric and new-born care services. Around 16.2 million people were expected to be hungry in 2020. Five million people face emergency conditions, and nearly 50,000 are already experiencing catastrophic conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased vulnerabilities in Yemen, however whilst there is a continual need for resilience and management of the pandemic’s risks, there are opportunities for further progress through cooperation with authorities in Yemen. The opportunities around which are explored through this CCA.
The analysis within the CCA comprises seven elements covering politics and institutions; the economic contexts; environment and climate change; social and multidimensional risks; Leave No One Behind and social exclusion; compliance with international human rights and UN norms and standards; and the development, humanitarian, and peace linkages. The CCA concludes with a summary of the challenges, gaps, and opportunities for progress.

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Publication

24 November 2021

Assessing the impact of war in Yemen: Pathways for recovery

UNDP Yemen has once again partnered with the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures. The report, Assessing the Impact of War in Yemen: Pathways for Recovery, continues to apply integrated modeling techniques to better understand the dynamics of the conflict and its impact on development in Yemen. Released in November 2021, this report explores postconflict recovery and finds that war has continued to devastate the country; the conflict’s death toll has already grown 60 per cent since 2019. However, if a sustainable and implementable peace deal can be reached, there is still hope for a brighter future in Yemen. Seven different recovery scenarios were modeled to better understand prospects and priorities for recovery and reconstruction in Yemen. The analysis identified key leverage points and recommendations for a successful recovery – including empowering women, making investments in agriculture, and leveraging the private sector. Moreover, by combining these, it is possible to save hundreds of thousands of additional lives and put Yemen on a path not only to catch up with – but to surpass – its pre-war SDG trajectory by 2050. Through achieving a peace deal, pursuing an integrated recovery strategy, and leveraging key transformative opportunities, it is indeed possible for Yemen to make up for lost time and offer better opportunities to the next generation. PREVIOUS REPORTS In April 2019, the first of three reports, Assessing the Impact of War on Development in Yemen, commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Yemen, revealed that the war had already set back development by more than two decades and caused more deaths from indirect causes such as hunger and disease than deaths from conflict-related violence. The second report, Assessing the Impact of War in Yemen on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), released in September 2019, predicted that if conflict persists past 2019, Yemen will have the greatest depth of poverty, second poorest imbalance in gender development, lowest caloric intake per capita, second greatest reduction in economic activity relative to 2014, and second greatest income inequality of any country in the world.

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Story

03 October 2021

Millions in Yemen ‘a step away from starvation’

The crisis in Yemen, now in its seventh year of war, continues unabated, with thousands of people displaced and millions “a step away from starvation”, the UN Humanitarian Relief Coordinator said on Wednesday during a high-level side event on the margins of the 76th General Assembly. “The country’s economy has reached new depths of collapse, and a third wave of the pandemic is threatening to crash the country’s already fragile health-care system”, Humanitarian Affairs chief Martin Griffiths told world leaders at the meeting: Yemen: Responding to the crises within the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Underscoring that the most vulnerable always “bear the highest cost” of the crisis, he said that females were more likely to be hungry, sick or exposed to gender-based violence and, with little access to essential services, millions of internally displaced people face “a daily struggle to survive”. Cause for hope In a positive development, the UN official credited the international community for stepping up support to the country’s humanitarian aid operation. Thanking the world leaders, he said that Yemen’s Humanitarian Response Plan is “among the most well-funded”, with 98 per cent of the pledges made at an event in March fulfilled. With over $2 billion received, the UN and its partners were able to “prevent famine and pull people back from the brink of despair”, delivering assistance to “every single one of the country’s 333 districts”. ‘Far from done’ Despite these important achievements, Mr. Griffiths acknowledged that the work there is “far from done”, as many sectors still face “alarming funding gaps” and humanitarians are working with less than one-fifth of the money needed to provide health care, sanitation, and shelter. “Without additional funding, these and other forms of critical life-saving support – including food assistance – will have to be reduced in the coming weeks and months”, he warned. Three requests The UN relief chief asked global leaders to continue generously supporting Yemen’s humanitarian operation; respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians; and address the root drivers of the crisis, including restrictions on imports, which elevate the prices of essential goods. He urged them to do “everything in our collective power to stop this war”, saying, “at the end of the day, peace is what will provide Yemenis the most sustainable form of relief”. Children robbed The war has robbed too many of Yemen’s children of safety, education and opportunities. “Each day, the violence and destruction wreak havoc on the lives of children and their families”, Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), told the meeting. She painted a grim picture of 1.7 million displaced youth, 11.3 million youngsters depending on humanitarian assistance to survive and 2.3 million under-five “acutely malnourished” – nearly 400,000 of whom are at “imminent risk of death”. “Being a child in Yemen means you have probably either experienced or witnessed horrific violence that no child should ever face”, said the UNICEF chief. “Quite simply, Yemen is one of the most difficult places in the world to be a child”. Millions ‘marching towards starvation’ In his address, World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley said that in a nation of 30 million people, food rations are needed by 12.9 million; while 3.3 million children and women need special nutrition, together with 1.6 million school children. “We’re literally looking at 16 million people marching towards starvation”, he said. With one thousand people a week dying from a lack of food and nutrition, the senior WFP official warned that if $800 million is not received in the next six months, the need to cut rations could lead to the death of 400,000 children under the age of five next year. “We have a moral, obligation, to speak out and step up”, he stated, appealing to the world leaders to “put the pressure on all parties…to end this conflict”. “These are our children; these are our brothers and sisters we need the donors to step up immediately otherwise children are going to die. Let’s not let them down. Let’s do what we need to do”, concluded Mr. Beasley.

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Publication

08 July 2021

Education Disrupted: Impact of the conflict on children’s education in Yemen

Two-thirds of teaching workforce – over 170,000 teachers– have not received regular salary for four years SANA'A, 5 July 2021 – Six years on, Yemeni children’s education has become one of the greatest casualties of Yemen’s devastating and ongoing conflict, according to a new report published by UNICEF today. Just over 2 million school-age girls and boys are now out of school as poverty, conflict and lack of opportunities disrupt their education. This is double the number of out-of-school children in 2015 when the conflict started. The report, ‘Education Disrupted: Impact of the conflict on children’s education in Yemen’, looks at the risks and challenges children face when out of school, and the urgent actions needed to protect them. “Access to quality education is a basic right for every child, including for girls, displaced children and those with disabilities,” said Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF Representative to Yemen. “The conflict has a staggering impact on every aspect of children’s lives, yet access to education provides a sense of normalcy for children in even the most desperate contexts and protects them from multiple forms of exploitation. Keeping children in school is critical for their own future and the future of Yemen.” The report highlights that when children are not in school, the consequences are dire, both for their present and their futures. Girls are being forced into early marriage, where they remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and unfulfilled potential. Boys and girls are more vulnerable to being coerced into child labour or recruited into the fighting. More than 3,600 children in Yemen were recruited in the past six years. To make matters worse, two-thirds of teachers in Yemen – over 170,000 teachers in total – have not received a regular salary for more than four years because of the conflict and geopolitical divides. This puts around four million additional children at risk of disrupted education or dropping out as unpaid teachers quit teaching to find other ways of providing for their families. Children who do not finish their education are trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of poverty. If out-of-school children or those who have dropped out recently are not properly supported, they may never return to school. The combined effects of the prolonged conflict and the latest assault on education in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic will have devastating and long-lasting effects on the learning as well as the mental and physical well-being of children and adolescents in Yemen. In the report, UNICEF calls for all stakeholders in Yemen to uphold children’s right to education and work together to achieve lasting and inclusive peace. This includes stopping attacks on schools – there have been 231 since March 2015 – and ensuring teachers get a regular income so that children can continue to learn and grow, and for international donors to support education programmes with long-term funding. Media contacts Joe English
UNICEF New York
Tel: +1 917 893 0692
Email: jenglish@unicef.org Mohamed Aboelnaga
UNICEF Yemen
Email: maboelnaga@unicef.org Alix Reboul-Salze
UNICEF Yemen
Tel: +967-712223001
Email: areboulsalze@unicef.org

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Story

01 May 2022

UN Volunteers provide critical healthcare in times of crisis in Yemen

UN Volunteer health professionals have been providing much-needed critical healthcare for UN operations in Yemen in times of crisis. Since 2020, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has deployed 60 UN Volunteer doctors, nurses and other medical providers, almost all of whom are nationals, in UN Clinics administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in seven locations in Yemen. National UN Volunteers have been playing a key role in providing healthcare to over 6,000 UN staff and their eligible dependents. They carry out daily walk-in consultations, emergency care, inpatient care, follow up of cases and healthcare promotional activities, with proper guidance from international UN Volunteers and senior medical staff, as stipulated in the UN Clinic Standard Operating Procedures. In addition, they contribute to health consultations, workshops on universal precautions and COVID-19 awareness activities, in cooperation with relevant governmental health departments. The country-wide deployment of these UN Volunteers was meant to keep up with the needs on the ground, and to facilitate the wide international humanitarian response to the crisis in Yemen. Humanitarian and relief activities are implemented by international and national staff who, in turn, rely on a robust healthcare system to keep them well in the field. Thus, the deployment of UN Volunteer medical workers enables the work of many others. — Abdullah Al Duraibi, UNV Country Coordinator in Yemen. Accordingly, the level of expectations from these UN Volunteers went beyond the commitment required from a health worker to their patients in a normal context. Recruited in the context of a national crisis, compounded with a global pandemic situation, being prepared to go over and beyond, and having the ability to work within diverse teams were critical assets. UN Volunteer Marwah Al-Maqtari had full understanding of this context when she was recruited as a National Emergency Doctor for the UN Clinic in Sana’a back in May 2020. “Serving as a UN Volunteer within the COVID-19 team required a disciplined professional commitment around the clock,” she explains. For Marwah, being a doctor is not just about treating the patients, it is about “listening to their fears and concerns and staying by their side,” as well. These medical volunteers are part of a larger community of UN Volunteers, including ambulance drivers, human rights advocates, translators, engineers and information technology experts, among others. Together with their colleagues serving UN operations in Yemen, this volunteer community maintains knowledge-sharing platforms, renewable energy sources and updated medical procedures, upon which healthcare systems depend. Our UN Volunteers learn from one another and work closely together. This high degree of cooperation and learning contributes to capacity building and improves the care we provide. — Dr Florence Fongang, UN Physician/Health Manager with UNDP in Yemen UN Volunteer Ahmed Al Rough serves as an Emergency Nurse within the UN Clinic in Sana’a. His core duties involve providing primary healthcare to the beneficiaries of the UN Clinic, preparing medical supplies for emergency services and managing referrals. He also plays a key role in updating the daily COVID-19 statistics, which contributed greatly to the review and update of the UN country team’s COVID-19 protocols. “Unfortunately, patients often delay medical services because they are misinformed and dissuaded by stigmas,” says Dr Florence. This is an issue the UN Volunteers help to address, benefiting from their position as national volunteers embedded in the local community, which allows them build trust with local beneficiaries. Alongside his core duties, Ahmed helps counter misinformation. For example, he conducted awareness workshops and developed dashboards, flyers and other information material about COVID-19 pandemic. These activities helped local communities acquire the knowledge and skills needed to reduce disease transmission and increased transparency with real-time situation updates. Indeed, a devastating economic recession, years of conflict and political insecurity have taken a heavy toll on the healthcare sector in Yemen. These challenges have resulted in under-investment, which limited the access to and quality of medical supplies, services and continuing education opportunities.
However, through their hard work and dedication, UN Volunteers are planting the seeds of positive change. By building trust in national capabilities, they inspire hope for Yemen’s post-conflict recovery.

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Story

27 April 2022

From Inspiration to Action: I Believe in Volunteers

My journey as a UN Volunteer started with a recommendation from a friend. At the time, I had practiced medicine in my home country, Cameroon, for over 20 years. A close friend advised me to join the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme as a way to expand my experience in medicine, while traveling and volunteering in service of others. My recollection of my sister’s illness made me decide right away that this was right for me. When I was younger, my sister developed a medical condition. She underwent two heart surgical procedures and endured a lot of suffering, but she survived and inspired me. She later asked me to consider a career in medicine to help other young girls. When this volunteering opportunity came up, I took it and became a UN Volunteer on 27 March 2008. I was recruited for the first volunteer assignment in Haiti. As a mother of a seven year-old twins, it was not easy for me to travel and leave them behind. But I did it with the support of my husband, who understood my motives and took good care of our children while I was deployed overseas. I am sharing my experience to encourage other women, especially mothers, to not pass on such opportunities. I understand their role as caregivers. I hope learning about how I volunteered, and balanced between my work and family, will make them more confident that they can do it too. While in Haiti, I practiced medicine amidst floods, cholera, earthquakes and a severe economic recession. These harsh conditions damaged roads and threatened the supply of food and other resources to affected communities. My volunteering journey with the UN took me next to support the Ebola response in Africa, amidst lockdowns and a profound public health crisis, which garnered the world's concern. Through these emergency and disaster relief contexts, I became involved in inpatient and outpatient services, medical evacuations, capacity building, prevention and disease mitigation activities. It was especially heartwarming to see my work being recognized while knowing I was making the contributions my sister always believed I would make. Serving with UNV prepared me in ways that I couldn't have imagined. These experiences were wide-ranging and led my career growth within the UN. I eventually transitioned from a UN Volunteer Medical Officer to become the Health Manager of the UN Clinic administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), first in Somalia, then in Yemen, which is a lead medical position in the field. When COVID-19 hit the globe, I was in Yemen. Indeed, I was the one of the first female doctors to join the UN Clinic medical team in Yemen. Like my home country Cameroon, Yemen desperately needs to increase the number of doctors and nurses to improve health conditions and address humanitarian needs. My previous experience allowed me to understand both the significant role women can play in this regard and the value UN Volunteers can add in such contexts. I moved quickly to recruit, deploy and train national UN Volunteers in our UN Clinics. All while ensuring inclusion of women in the deployments, coupled with flexible schedules and remote work opportunities which promote work-life balance. Ultimately, our work in Yemen benefited significantly from the contribution of the recruited national UN Volunteer health professionals. As I travel between clinics to attend to patients and help building staff capacity, I often think of my sister and how she inspired me. I also think about my children and how my own journey would inspire them. At first, my children didn't want to study medicine. While in Cameroon, they saw me work long hours and weekends then come home tired. They struggled to embrace the career that demanded a lot of their mother's time. However, my children began to view medicine differently after I joined UNV. They began to understand how important doctors are to crisis-affected communities and now see themselves in the lives we save. This is everything to me.

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05 April 2022

The Long-Term Price of Yemen’s Conflict

The cost of the prolonged conflict in Yemen is paid by most Yemenis. The extreme poverty, steep economic decline, displacements, and lack of basic medical services abound in a country deemed as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. But the biggest price Yemenis pay is the widespread planting of mines across the country which will continue to impact the 31.8 million Yemenis for years to come. Since 2018, according to the Civilian Impact monitoring Project (CIMP), over 1,800 civilians have been injured or killed in Yemen's explosive Remnants of War (ERW) – 689 of whom were women and children. One who paid a tragic price was Essa, aged 21 years, a shepherd and farmer from Mocha in Taiz. Essa and his family were living in their peaceful village, living and working on a small farm. That was until he and his family were forced from their home when the fighting reached their area – turning his once peaceful home into a frontline of the conflict. After several months and the dust from the battle settled, Essa and his family were able to return home to try to rebuild their lives and heal from the long-lasting effects of displacement. Quickly after the return, Essa resumed working his farmland. He initially planted flowers, hoping to grow some beautiful blooming plants as blossoms hope for the community. Unfortunately, he did not realize that something else had been planted before his family’s return to the land: anti-personnel mines. One fateful day in 2017 as Essa was heading to his farmland, he stepped on one. Passed out, he was rushed to the hospital in an attempt to save his life. Although he could not remember what happened, when he woke, he was devastated to realize that he lost his left leg in the blast. But Essa was not the only one to be injured or killed. Sadly, there had already been five people killed and 10 others injured, as well as tens of vital livestock – the only means for some villager’s income. And there would have likely been more had the Yemeni Executive Mine Action Centre (YEMAC) – with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – not been immediately notified and taken swift action. Mine survey and clearance teams were quickly deployed to the area. YEMAC teams cleared hundreds of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) in the area. They also began extensive awareness-raising campaigns in the community with teams deployed to raise villager’s awareness around mines and UXOs. They taught about avoidance of the UXOs and proper reporting channels. Their quick and effective work clearing the land and educating the community helped ensure the 300 inhabitants, including 200 internally displaced people (IDPs), and livestock were safe from continued fatal explosives. The roads leading to water sources and around damaged schools and homes were once again safe for Essa and the villagers. "Once UNDP and YEMAC heard about this incident, they responded immediately and removed the landmines from the area, opening the way for civilians to live a life free of fear," says Essa. In 2021, with support from UNDP and its international partners, 200 YEMAC mine action professionals – 17 of whom were women – were trained in non-technical survey (NTS), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), and improvised explosive device (IED) disposal. This resulted in the clearing of 73,930 mines and UXOs (of which 25,876 were destroyed) from an area of nearly 4.5 million square meters. Additionally, more than 5.6 million people were reached through Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) activities with 391 victims benefiting from YEMAC support. Through these collective efforts across Yemen, people and communities – as well as livestock and agriculture – will be able to thrive in safe and secure areas to begin to rebuild the country for a brighter future. *** Since 2017, UNDP Yemen and its partners the Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre (YEMAC) and the Yemen Mine Action Co-ordination Centre (Y-MACC) have been developing the national capacity to respond to the threats posed by explosive hazards, assist in the restoration of basic services, facilitate access to infrastructure, reduce injuries and fatalities, provide access for the delivery of humanitarian aid, and support government and national mine control institutions through the Emergency Mine Action Project.

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23 February 2022

Yemen: Funding crunch threatens WFP's life-saving work

A funding crunch is forcing the World Food Programme to scale back food assistance in Yemen, reducing the rations of 8 million people to barely half the daily food minimum basket that is standard for the organization. This comes at the worst possible time for the 13 million people in the country who depend on WFP’s food assistance to survive. Last year, donors provided US$1.4 billion to WFP’s operation in Yemen. With this, WFP was able to resume full rations to all families facing the highest levels food insecurity and prevent widespread famine – but fragile progress will be quickly undone if assistance is cut. In the north of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, off a busy market street, there is a health centre supported by the World Food Programme (WFP). Every day, mothers and children fill the corridors and crowd into two small rooms dedicated to treating cases of malnutrition. Since the start of the conflict in Yemen in 2015, I have visited countless health centres all across the country. But entering this one in Sana’a in early December, I was struck by how crowded it was. Life is so hard for families in Yemen, but it seems to be getting harder still, I thought to myself as I walked into the clinic. Mothers, many of them carrying more than one child showing the telltale signs of malnutrition – sunken cheeks, swollen bellies – sit patiently with a fearful expression on their faces. As people wait for their turn to see a health worker, I notice a little boy smiling at me. He reaches out to play with my smartphone, giggling as he tries to touch the screen and buttons. His mother mistakes me for a doctor and tells me the story of her son, Ahed, before I have a chance to correct her. In early 2020, Ahed was diagnosed with moderate acute malnutrition at a WFP nutrition centre. He wasn’t eating well and his mother Noura, 25, couldn't afford to buy baby milk to feed him. She had stopped breastfeeding, likely because she herself is also malnourished. Noura’s story is sadly one I have heard from so many mothers over the past year: living conditions getting harder and harder as a result of the war, unaffordable food prices, and the constant burden of he of fearing for their children’s future amid the conflict. Ahed was enrolled in WFP’s nutrition programme. He received supplementary food for treatment of malnutrition monthly for a year from one of WFP's supported clinics in Sana’a. He has now been discharged from the programme but regularly visits the clinic for check-ups. Yemen's conflict has dragged on for nearly seven years and now, as we start a new year, the outlook is bleak. Addressing the UN Security Council earlier this month, Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, said: “The most transformative change will come only with an end to the fighting that is supported by a lasting and just peace agreement. This is what Yemenis want above all else.” “Humanitarian aid – no matter how effective or inclusive – cannot by itself solve the crisis in Yemen … economic collapse, accelerated by the conflict, is the biggest driver of people’s needs.” But until peace comes, food and nutrition support from WFP is a vital lifeline for families. The humanitarian situation is worsening and a lack of funds has forced WFP to reduce food assistance. Eight million people are now receiving around half of a WFP standard food basket, which is meant to support a family of seven for a month. Nutrition programmes to treat and prevent malnutrition and school feeding for children may also be reduced. Standing in a busy health clinic in Sana’a, the consequences for Yemenis are too painfully obvious. Ahed has recovered from malnutrition. I feel happy for him and his mother but know deep down that he is still at risk of slipping once again into malnutrition if the situation for his family continues get worse. And then there are the millions more children and mothers in Yemen in need of nutrition support. Without enough funding for the humanitarian response in Yemen, this will not be possible. WFP needs US$1.97 billion in 2022 to deliver the assistance needed to prevent food security from deteriorating still further in Yemen.

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11 January 2022

Outside the Walls: Bringing Homecare to Yemenis in Need

For years, Manal Bin Salman, 30-year-old housewife, had struggled to reach the Taribah Medical Centre, in Sayun Gov, Yemen to help her son get his routine vaccinations. Even the closest healthcare facility to their home in Taribah village in Sayun, the distance and the cost of transportation remained out of her reach, and, in turn, her son remained vulnerable. UNICEF intervened – with funding from the World Bank through the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project (EHNP), to not only provide the Centre with medicines and vaccines, but to build the capacity of care teams to deliver essential services to vulnerable populations, including mobile health teams. The EHNP supports service delivery at the primary care level. This includes services provided within primary healthcare facilities; routine community outreach conducted by facility-based health workers; mobile health teams; and community-based service providers, such as midwives, health volunteers, and health workers to around 2,000 health facilities in Yemen. “We’ve benefited tremendously from this support. A health team came to our home to vaccinate my children and provide us with free medication. More than that, they gave us a sense of relief, knowing our children were protected. In the future, I hope they expand the program to include preventative treatments for heart disease, diabetes, and blood pressure,” Manal shared. Two field visits each week (outreach activities) are conducted through a team named Outside the Walls to reach patients who cannot access the Taribah Medical Centre, whether due to their financial circumstances, the conflict, or their work commitments. They were given the name Outside the Walls because of their work nature where they leave their fixed sites inside health facilities and reach people who can’t access health facilities. Their services include monitoring pregnant women, identifying and responding to suspected cases of malnutrition, treating fevers and diarrhea, administering immunizations, and educating the public on the importance of hygiene, family planning, and diet and lifestyle. For the past 12 years, Ahmed Al-Amri, 60, has served as the director of the Taribah Medical Center, where he oversees the provision of therapeutic and preventive services. Each day, the Center draws approximately 25 patients, who receive everything from routine treatments and exams, and vaccines and feeding supplements to emergency services. The Center also has a radiology department and a laboratory, as well as a chest clinic and a dental clinic. Through UNICEF, Ahmed Al-Amri explained, the centre has received essential medical supplies, drugs, and furniture; has built its capacity to the point where it can send out a team of four people two times each week to reach vulnerable, marginalized, and underserved members of the community. The centre is also offering free pharmaceuticals to treat common conditions; provides the public with essential supplies to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19. The new Emergency Human Capital Project (EHCP) funded by the World Bank will continue supporting the 2,000 health facilities in the country and their outreach activities to provide the essential support to thousands of children and families in different parts of Yemen.

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Press Release

11 May 2022

UN-Netherlands press release on FSO Safer pledging event

The Hague, 11 May 2022 – The Government of the Netherlands and the United Nations co-hosted a pledging event in The Hague today where donors pledged US$33 million in new funding for the UN-coordinated operational plan to address the threat of a major oil spill from the FSO Safer. There is now $40 million available for the operation, which includes previously committed funds. The decaying oil tanker is moored off the coast of Yemen and holds four times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez. It could break apart or explode at any time. The conference marked the start in the effort to raise the $144 million that the plan requires, including $80 million for an emergency operation to transfer the oil to a safe temporary vessel. Also critical to the plan’s success is the installation of a long-term replacement capacity. “Today has been an important step forward in eliminating the threat posed by the FSO Safer. In today’s pledging event, we managed to collect a sizeable amount. We will continue to support the UN in the month of May to gather the remaining funds needed. Many countries are showing great interest to join the effort. I am hopeful we will get there,” said Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands Liesje Schreinemacher. The Netherlands pledged almost $8 million. The other donors signing pledging commitments were Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Qatar, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The result of a major spill would be a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe and cost the region tens of billions of dollars in cleanup and economic costs. More than 200,000 Yemenis in the fishing industry could lose their livelihoods overnight, tourism would be affected as far away as Egypt and shipping could be disrupted through the Bab al-Mandab straight and the Suez canal. The environmental damage in the Red Sea and its coastlines would be severe. Minister of Foreign Trade of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra said: “Together, we can prevent one of the largest environmental disasters in history and save lives. Cleaning up a disaster caused by the FSO Safer would cost an estimated $20 billion. Preventing it will cost only $144 million. It’s a very simple business case. But it does require us to act.” “We are grateful to the donors that committed funding today at very short notice and look forward to receiving further commitments from those that have not yet pledged. When we have the funding, the work can begin,” said David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen. “Today marks a strong launch of our efforts to ensure the project’s success, including outreach to the private sector. We need to work quickly to get the remaining funds to start the four-month operation in the weather window we have ahead of us,” The planned operation comprises the installation of a replacement vessel or equivalent capacity and the emergency operation to transfer the oil to a safe temporary vessel. The plan would cover the salaries of a crew to maintain the leased temporary vessel until the long-term solution is implemented. “The timing and funding are both critical. If we do not receive sufficient funding urgently, the weather window to transfer the oil will close. By October, high winds and volatile currents make the operation more dangerous and increase the risk of the ship breaking up,” said Auke Lootsma, UNDP Yemen Resident Representative. Background for editors In September, the United Nations’ senior management instructed Mr. Gressly to provide UN system-wide leadership on the FSO Safer and coordinate all efforts to mitigate the threat. He continues to engage in discussions with a wide range of stakeholders on the operational plan to resolve the threat while supporting work to strengthen contingency plans in the event of a catastrophic oil leak. Constructed in 1976 as an oil tanker and converted a decade later to be a floating storage facility for oil, the FSO Safer is moored about 4.8 nautical miles off the coast of Hodeidah governorate. The 376-metre-long vessel contains more than one million barrels of light crude oil – four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez. With no maintenance operations undertaken on the Safer since 2015 due to the conflict, its structural integrity has significantly deteriorated and the vessel is at imminent risk of spilling oil due to leakages or an explosion. A significant spill would quickly surpass national capacity and resources to mount an effective spill response. The result would be catastrophic, devastating the Yemen coast, destroying livelihoods and likely forcing a closure of the ports of Al Hodeidah and As Salif - which are essential for the importation of commercial imports and life-saving humanitarian assistance. Depending on the season and prevailing wind and currents, the environmental impact would also affect Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, and could disrupt vital shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea. For further information, please contact: United Nations Russell Geekie, Senior Communications Advisor to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator geekie@un.org Government of the Netherlands Spokespersons: Tessa van Staden, tessa-van.staden@minbuza.nl, and Mina Goesjenova, mina.goesjenova@minbuza.nl

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Press Release

04 April 2022

Germany/KfW and UNOPS Support Al Sabeen Hospital in Yemen

The project aims at supporting the local health service providers and local communities in increasing access to primary and secondary health facilities. Through restoring the physical infrastructure of the targeted health facilities, providing medical equipment and furniture, and building the capacity of the health staff, UNOPS contributes to the health sector in Yemen for improved healthcare services to the targeted populations. Mr. Marc Engelhardt, Head of the Middle East Department at KfW Development Bank highlighted the strong partnership between KfW and UNOPS in the implementation of the project. He appreciated that over 130,000 patients will benefit annually from the improved health infrastructure and thanked UNOPS for the successful completion of the rehabilitation works. Mr. Muhammad Usman Akram, UNOPS Director of Amman Multi-Country Office, said: “The handover of Al Sabeen hospital is another milestone intervention in support of the health sector in Yemen. Thanks to our partnership with the Government of Germany and the KfW, Al Sabeen hospital is better equipped and in a much better position to continue the provision of critical healthcare to Yemeni mothers and their children.” “Strengthening Resilience through Enhancing Health Service Facilities in Yemen” project is funded by the German Government through KfW. The project aims at strengthening the resilience of the supported health facilities and the targeted communities by providing sustainable access to healthcare services. The project is aligned with the Health Cluster objectives of the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, mainly, to enhance local referral health system by supporting selected tertiary health facilities in targeted communities; increase access to targeted communities to primary and secondary health care services; and, help ensure that health facilities in priority districts are able to respond to epidemics and outbreaks. The project supports Sustainable Development Goal 3 - “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. For Press Inquiries, please contact: Anwar Abu Sakieneh, Communications Specialist (UNOPS) UNOPS Multi-country Office in Amman: +962 6 5902122 or +962 7 9902 6315 AnwarAB@unops.org

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Press Release

28 March 2022

UNDP Partnership with European Union and Sweden: Supporting Livelihoods, Food Security, and Climate Adaptation in Yemen

Sana’a, Yemen – The European Union (EU) and Sweden's International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) have contributed new funding totaling US$ 49.37 million to boost resilience, livelihoods, food security, and climate adaptation in Yemen. The recently signed agreement to support the third phase of the Supporting Resilient Livelihoods, Food Security and Climate Adaption in Yemen - Joint Programme (ERRY III) covers a three-year period starting in March 2022. The programme aims to enhance capacity of crisis-affected communities to manage local risks and shocks for increased resilience and self-reliance. Specifically, it will target the most vulnerable community groups, including women, the unemployed, youth, marginalized minority groups, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and stressed host communities. “The European Union believes in the future of Yemen and in the ability of Yemenis to build resilience and pathways towards sustainable development even during the ongoing conflict,” said the EU Ambassador to Yemen Gabriel Munuera Viñals. “With the additional funding, the European Union contributes to investing in Yemen’s future while supporting people in Yemen to address immediate challenges.” The programme will potentially reach nearly 847,000 direct beneficiaries and will be implemented jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the World Food Programme (WFP). “It is critical to support communities throughout Yemen in local development to strengthen their resilience towards external shocks such as the conflict and the economic crisis,” said the Head of the Regional Development Cooperation at the Sweden Embassy in Amman, Ms. Maria Selin. Through ERRY III, we will work with UNDP, FAO, ILO, and WFP so that women, youth, and men have enhanced opportunities to access sustainable livelihoods and job opportunities through climate sensitive programming.” Considering the social and cultural barriers rural women face in Yemen, the ERRY III activities will also focus on strengthening women's economic empowerment, including women at all stages of implementation, and addressing the specific needs and opportunities for women. “The new phase of the ERRY joint programme builds upon the success of Phase II, a successful three-year programme that was also funded by EU and Sida. The programme significantly enhanced resilience, food security, and livelihood for over 740,000 vulnerable people in Abyan, Hajjah, Hodiedah, Lahj, and Taiz governorates,” explains Auke Lootsma, UNDP Resident Representative in Yemen. “These services are critical to reduce vulnerability and strengthened resilience of crisis affected rural communities in Yemen through the creation of sustainable livelihoods and improving access to basic services.” The UN agencies will work together to ensure that community institutions are strengthened, and their capacity is developed around the following focus areas: a. Gender sensitive resilience planning, conflict resolution, and social cohesion. b. Vulnerable communities’ benefit from equal access to clean energy solutions, environmental protection, and climate adaptive capacity in sustainable manner. c. Sustainable livelihoods of women and men created through improved production, food security and income opportunities. Press Contacts UNDP Yemen | Leanne Rios, Team Lead: Communications and Advocacy Leanne.rios@undp.org

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Press Release

13 February 2022

Yemen: UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator welcomes progress on FSO Safer proposal

During meetings with the Government of Yemen in Aden, Mr. Gressly discussed the proposal with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Transport, and the Safer Emergency Committee. “In our very positive discussions, the Government officials confirmed that they support the UN-coordinated proposal to shift the million barrels of oil onboard the vessel to another ship,” said Mr. Gressly, “They want to see the threat mitigated as soon as possible.” “I also held very constructive discussions on 29 January with senior representatives of the Sana’a authorities on the FSO Safer,” said Mr. Gressly. “They stressed their concern over the environmental and humanitarian risk posed by the tanker and their wish to see rapid action to resolve the problem. They also agreed in principle on how to move forward with the UN-coordinated proposal.
There is strong commitment from the leadership to see this project implemented.” “I am also engaging in a broader conversation with interested member states whose support will be crucial to realize the project. The risk of imminent catastrophe is very real. We need to translate the good will being shown by all interlocuters into action as soon as possible.” Background for editors In September, the United Nations’ senior management instructed Mr. Gressly to provide UN system-wide leadership on the FSO Safer and coordinate all efforts to mitigate the threat. He has been engaging in discussions with a wide range of stakeholders on the new initiative to resolve the threat while supporting work to strengthen contingency plans in the event of a catastrophic oil leak. Constructed in 1976 as an oil tanker and converted a decade later to be a floating storage facility for oil, the FSO Safer is moored about 4.8 nautical miles off the coast of Al Hodeidah Governorate. The 376-metre-long vessel contains more than one million barrels of light crude oil – four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez. With no maintenance operations undertaken on the Safer since 2015 due to the conflict, its structural integrity has significantly deteriorated and the vessel is at imminent risk of spilling oil due to leakages or an explosion. A significant spill would quickly surpass national capacity and resources to mount an effective spill response. The result would be catastrophic, devastating the Yemen coast, destroying livelihoods and forcing a closure of the ports of Al Hodeidah and As Salif - which are essential for the importation of commercial imports and life-saving humanitarian assistance. Depending on the season and prevailing wind and currents, the environmental impact would also affect Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, and could disrupt vital shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.

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Press Release

26 January 2022

Statement by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly

We reiterate the United Nations Secretary-General’s condemnation of the air strikes carried out by the Saudiled Coalition on 21 January against a prison facility in Sa'dah where migrants were also held. The airstrikes reportedly killed 91 detainees and injured 226. It is the worst civilian-casualty incident in Yemen in three years. Over the past few weeks, air strikes and missile attacks have hit hospitals, telecommunication infrastructure, airports, a water facility and a school. There has also been an alarming uptick in attacks against the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The scale of the escalation is exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen, complicating efforts to provide relief, threatening regional security and undermining efforts to bring an end to the conflict. We remind the parties that being at war does not absolve them of their obligations under international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits disproportionate attacks and requires that all feasible precautions be taken to avoid civilian harm. We reiterate the importance of accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. The United Nations has been in contact with all sides to explore options to achieve de-escalation and begin an inclusive dialogue aimed at reaching a negotiated political settlement that comprehensively ends the conflict. We urge all parties to engage with these efforts immediately and without preconditions. We call upon them to prioritize the needs and interests of the Yemeni people. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.

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