FAO Yemen: Joining hands to better the lives of Yemenis By Dr Hussein Gadain

Joining hands to better the lives of Yemenis

By Dr Hussein Gadain

Today we are marking World Humanitarian Day against a backdrop of a plethora of challenges that Yemenis and humanitarian workers face daily. Still fresh in our memories is the callous shooting and killing of a humanitarian worker last month.

The long-drawn Yemeni conflict has increased the vulnerability of large sections of the population, particularly women and children. Yemen is now in its ninth year of conflict and this has made the humanitarian situation perilous. Hopes to turn around the situation are pinned on the resolution of the conflict and increased investment for a sustainable transformation of the country’s agrifood systems.

The situation in Yemen is precarious as an estimated 21.6 million people need humanitarian assistance or protection. An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released last year and covering all districts of the country showed that nearly 17 million people faced acute food insecurity and malnutrition. Of these, 6.1 million people are in emergency situation, according to IPC classification.

This was also confirmed by a recent IPC report covering the southern districts which showed that about 3.2 million people experienced high levels of acute food insecurity (classified as severe food insecurity IPC Phase 3 and above) between January and May this year.  

A huge funding gap is compounding the situation. A total of USD 4.34 billion is needed in 2023 for humanitarian actors to reach the most vulnerable people yet as of July this year only USD 1.34 billion, representing 30.9 percent, had been paid.   

Apart from the hunger and malnutrition which stalk a significant percentage of the population, Yemen also faces a serious water shortage (for agricultural production, human consumption and domestic use), conflict over water resources as well as the negative impacts of climate change including intermittent rains, floods, droughts and weather extremes.

This is a gloomy situation in Yemen.

World Humanitarian Day presents us with an opportunity to take stock of what we are doing and at the same time acknowledge the role of various humanitarian workers who actively work with communities to make a change in the lives of Yemenis.

This year’s World Humanitarian Day 2023 is held under the theme #NoMatterWhat. The theme would not have been more appropriate for Yemen, as we have to do all it takes to support humanitarian workers and the people they work with in the country.

Movement for humanitarian workers in Yemen is constrained. Such constraints in accessing programme areas hinder implementation and monitoring of critical interventions and affect quality, accuracy and timeliness of project delivery.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with other humanitarian agencies, regularly face such adversities. Despite such hardships, FAO is working with the people of Yemen to ensure that they achieve better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life.

Through the tenacity of the dedicated FAO staff in Yemen, we were able to support 180 000 households (1.3 million people) in 2022 and first quarter of 2023 alone. We have been able to support these people, thanks to the generous support from our resource partners.

FAO’s interventions in Yemen have long-term impact, these include; agriculture and livelihood emergencies and restoring production systems for nutritious food for the most vulnerable; resilient agrifood systems, Hand in Hand Initiative (this promotes partnership with other development partners to lay the foundation for a long term investment for recovery, rehabilitation and development); agriculture research innovation, good agricultural practices and enhancing capacity building and knowledge sharing; climate change adaptation including adaptive agricultural food systems and biodiversity and ecosystem services for food and agriculture.

Through these interventions, FAO has laid a strong foundation for the transformation of Yemen’s agrifood systems. Yemenis need everyone’s support to turnaround the situation.

It is vital that various stakeholders within and outside of Yemen reaffirm commitment to planning and funding the various interventions being carried out in the country. This will lay a bedrock for a sustainable transformation of the food systems in the country. There is a looming danger that the situation may degenerate into a catastrophe if, for example, access to operational areas remains restricted. This would erode the gains which were recorded through previous interventions.

As we mark World Humanitarian Day, we should continue to appreciate the dedication which has been shown by humanitarian workers. Humanitarian workers need both support and protection. The resource partners’ support will ensure that the challenges faced by the country are addressed. Additionally, this is a day when we also thank the communities and authorities we work with. It is through such collaborative efforts that we have been able to make an impact in the lives of many Yemenis.

One shudders to think what the situation would have been without the various humanitarian agencies, the resource partners, communities and authorities coming together to serve the people of Yemen. Interestingly, on this day last year, I highlighted some of these challenges and they persist thus we need to redouble our efforts if we are to eliminate them.

We are indeed the village that is making an impact.