A teacher points to clearly-drawn Arabic characters on a blackboard and the third-grade girls at Aisha School gleefully make the corresponding sounds. A few minutes later the room grows quieter as the girls focus to simultaneously pronounce and write the letter corresponding to its sound. At a nearby school, first-grade boys stumble over themselves to get to the blackboard in time to point at the character that matches the sound their teacher just pronounced.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

· The Republic of Yemen Government (RoYG) and representatives of various Yemeni political groups met on March 18 to begin National Dialogue talks. The six-month, U.N.-backed process seeks to address Yemen’s political rifts and facilitate both the creation of a new constitution and successful 2014 elections. Several pro-autonomy and pro-secessionist groups in southern Yemen have refused to participate in the process, while thousands of people continue to protest against the talks in the southern city of Aden.

Link: Yemen Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2013

*Map includes all USAID/OFDA DRR programs active in FY 2012

Link: Disaster RIsk Reduction – Europe, The Middle East, And Central Asiasia Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2012

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• On January 22, the U.N. formally launched the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) for 2013. The YHRP appeals for approximately $716 million to finance 190 projects through 89 implementing organizations—a funding increase of 22 percent from the 2012 appeal, which requested $585 million. Approximately 50 percent of the 2013 YHRP requests comprise activities that address food insecurity, the U.N. reports.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

· On December 14, the U.N. released the 2013 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP), requesting $716 million for humanitarian interventions in Yemen. The 2013 YHRP reflects growing humanitarian needs, enhanced capacity of the humanitarian community, improved access in certain areas, and increased focus on Yemen’s transition toward early recovery and development.

Link: Yemen Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #2, Fiscal Year (FY) 2013

SECTOR OVERVIEW

Natural disasters, including drought, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires, as well as ongoing complex emergencies and limited government capacity in the region, present significant challenges to vulnerable populations in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia (EMCA). Between Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 and FY 2012, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) provided assistance in response to a range of disasters, including floods, wildfires, winter emergencies, and complex crises.