Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
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The national socioeconomic systems of Yemen remain on the edge of collapse as the country experiences its ninth year of conflict. More than 21.6 million people, including 11.1 million children, require humanitarian assistance and protection and 4.5 million people are internally displaced. Despite truce-like conditions, which have reduced civilian casualty numbers significantly, intermittent fighting and exchanges of fire continue in many areas. While the high levels of humanitarian response to date have been extremely effective in protecting millions of children, the lack of a comprehensive political resolution to the country's conflict means that the needs of children and their families continue to increase.
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UNICEF’s humanitarian strategy in Yemen is to provide direct life-saving assistance – and at the same time undertake programming along the humanitarian–development nexus to create a coherent approach to meeting critical needs.
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UNICEF requires $142 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and meet needs of children and families in 2024. Lack of predictable funding to carry out urgent interventions will compromise the continuity of key services, putting children’s lives and well-being at risk.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
Now in its ninth year of conflict, Yemen's national socioeconomic systems remain on the edge of total collapse. More than 21.6 million people, including 11.1 million children, require humanitarian assistance and protection, and 4.5 million people are displaced inside the country. While unprecedented levels of humanitarian response have helped to protect millions of children, the lack of a comprehensive political solution to the country's conflict continues driving major increases in needs. Despite truce-like conditions that have reduced civilian casualties significantly, intermittent fighting continues in many areas.
The ongoing fragility of Yemen’s economy in 2023 – manifesting in the depreciation of its currency, macroeconomic instability, diminishing purchasing power and the de facto bifurcation of economic institutions by competing factions – heightened the vulnerability of poor families and communities. At the same time, the people of Yemen are no strangers to the impacts of the changing climate: floods and drought cause additional threats that have the potential to aggravate the malnutrition status of the population. Around 17.3 million people experience high levels of acute food insecurity11 and, as of July 2023, more than 227,228 children had been admitted to therapeutic feeding centres suffering from wasting.
Only 50 per cent of health facilities are functional, leaving 20.3 million people without access to adequate health care. Yemen remains vulnerable to disease outbreaks. From January to September 2023, 42,452 suspected cases of measles and rubella and 514 associated deaths were reported, with 1,772 laboratory-confirmed cases. In the northern governorates, vaccinations administered outside health facilities continue to be banned and the emergence and rise of misinformation, including anti-vaccination messages, has led to an increase in vaccine hesitancy among the population.
Access to water and safe WASH services is lacking for 15.3 million people, including 7.8 million children. Yemen is highly prone to cholera and acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) outbreaks, with 5,674 cases of AWD/suspected cholera (including seven associated deaths) reported between January and September 2023.
The vast humanitarian crisis in Yemen has increased the vulnerability of children and women to exploitation, violence and abuse. Negative coping mechanisms are on the rise, including increased gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, child marriage, child labour, military recruitment of children and interruption of education. All told, 9 million children require child protection services.16,17 And 8.6 million children, including 2.7 million out-of-school children, require educational assistance (e.g., reintegration into formal education), due to conflictrelated damage and disruption to education facilities and services.