Yemen Emergency Response Fund Annual Report 2012

Executive Summary

The ERF for Yemen has grown into a key funding mechanism since it was established in 2010 to support humanitarian response to sudden onset emergencies and critical humanitarian interventions.

In 2012 an estimated 13 million Yemenis were in need of some form of humanitarian assistance, the majority lacking access to clean water and sanitation. Some 66 per cent of people living in the rural areas and 28 per cent in urban areas do not have access to improved water sources and 73.3 per cent of the rural population and 7 per cent of the urban population do not have access to adequate sanitation.

Nearly half of the population, 10.5 million people, were food insecure, of these 5.2 million people were severely food insecure. More than 998,0001 children were suffering from global acute malnutrition (GAM) and 255,000 from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). In addition, more than 6 million Yemenis lacked access to basic health care.

Conflicts in the south, predominantly in the Abyan Governorate, as well as in the north in the Sa’ada Governorate, continued to displace civilian populations during the year. By the middle of the year an estimated 500,000 had been displaced. The influx of people from the Horn of Africa seeking refuge or economic opportunities continued in 2012. During the year some 107,000 people from the Horn of Africa arrived on the shores of Yemen.

Responding to the complex situation, the ERF disbursed a total of $7,306,535 to emergency relief projects, 85 per cent of the total $8,634,416 contributions received in 2012. Throughout 2012, 51 proposals were submitted by implementing partners, whereof the HC approved 31 proposals, 16 proposals were rejected. In 2011, 21 projects amounting to $3,736,433 were approved, corresponding to 57 per cent disbursement out of $6,499,961 received last year.

Of the 31 ERF funded projects, the Health, WASH and Multi-Sector Clusters collectively received 84 per cent of the disbursed funds. The remainder (16 per cent) was allocated to nutrition, protection, logistics, and early recovery and shelter projects. A total of 12 organizations received ERF funding for projects covering more than one sector. Furthermore, two approved projects that could not be implemented on time, due to staffing and procurement issues were requested to return the total funds disbursed with interest to OCHA. The remaining 16 project proposals were rejected for not meeting the ERF eligibility criteria (e.g. not meeting the grant ceiling of $250.000, life-saving, qualitative standards).

ERF projects directly benefited close to 4 million people (IDPs, host communities, migrants and refugees) across seven sectors in 2012.