Yemen Humanitarian Update - Issue 2, February 2023 [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

Dutch Ambassador for Yemen visits YHF-supported projects and IDP sites in Marib

High humanitarian needs in Al Qabaytah

A call to urgent action: mine action in Yemen

Donor Support Group spotlights Yemen

RAISING THE PROFILE OF YEMEN’S CRISIS: HIGH-LEVEL PLEDGING EVENT

On 27 February 2023, the United Nations (UN) and the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland cohosted a High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen. The event brought together representatives of Member States, international organizations, UN Agencies, NGOs and civil society to raise funding to meet the humanitarian needs of Yemenis affected by the conflict. At the event, 31 pledges were made amounting to USD $1.16 billion, or almost 30 per cent of the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) appeal for $4.3 billion.

Mr. António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations gave opening remarks. “If support dies up now, aid agencies will be forced to scale back or suspend programming at terrible human costs. Beyond sustained support, our humanitarian colleagues and partners need sustained access to people in need,” Guterres said.

On 27 February 2023, the United Nations (UN) and the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland cohosted a High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen. The event brought together representatives of Member States, international organizations, UN Agencies, NGOs and civil society to raise funding to meet the humanitarian needs of Yemenis affected by the conflict. At the event, 31 pledges were made amounting to USD $1.16 billion, or almost 30 per cent of the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) appeal for $4.3 billion.

Mr. António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations gave opening remarks. “If support dies up now, aid agencies will be forced to scale back or suspend programming at terrible human costs. Beyond sustained support, our humanitarian colleagues and partners need sustained access to people in need,” Guterres said.

Mr. Griffiths underscored the ultimate goal of peace for the Yemeni people and thanked those in the room for their efforts to find a path towards this goal. Mr. Griffiths noted the signs of progress, including the truce agreement in April 2022, during which civilian casualties and displacement dropped. “Peace is, as anywhere else, the greatest gift that could be given to the people of Yemen. And we may now hope that may be closer than ever,” he said. Opening statements were also delivered by the governments of Switzerland and Sweden, the Executive Director of Oxfam International and H.E. Dr. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, Prime Minister of Yemen, who called upon Member States to keep the Yemeni people at the top of their priorities. Member States spoke on the need to protect and expand on last year’s fragile gains, urged for the end to restrictions on movements of female aid workers, and underscored peace as the ultimate goal.

During the three-hour event, representatives from two Yemeni national NGOs, Tamdeen Youth Foundation and Field Medical Foundation, spoke on their critical life-saving work on the ground. The two speakers gave firsthand accounts of the challenges Yemenis face, as well as the implications of a lack of sufficient funding for the crisis. Na’aem Al Khulaidi, Program Coordinator of Tamdeen Youth Foundation, told the group, “The prolonged crisis and the lack of funding for the HRP threaten food insecurity that could result in famine, disease outbreaks and epidemics. For example, years after declaring Yemen free of polio, the deadly virus has re-emerged in the country in a frightening way. Just as measles has been spreading in most Yemeni governorates, and in 2020, more than 20,000 children were infected. The disease claimed the lives of 146 children under the age of 5 years, while diseases such as COVID-19, cholera, malaria, diphtheria and dengue continue to post threat to millions while funding to the health sector is severely underfunded at only five per cent,” she said.

DUTCH AMBASSADOR FOR YEMEN VISITS YHF-SUPPORTED PROJECTS AND IDP SITES IN MARIB

“I have spoken to people in Marib, and I would like to express my admiration for what they are accomplishing here under extremely difficult circumstances.” From 20 to 22 February 2023, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen, Mr. Peter-Derrek Hof, visited several internally displaced people (IDP) sites and Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF) projects in Marib Governorate to see firsthand the humanitarian needs and the ongoing response.

Mr. Hof is the first Ambassador to visit Marib since 2015. The Ambassador and his delegation met with local authorities, the Marib Regional Coordination Team, displaced people, civil society, women’s organizations and host community members. One of most pressing issues highlighted was the lack of funding. Marib hosts the highest number of IDPs in Yemen, with the majority relying on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. Sites are overcrowded and services are limited. Conflict has resulted in widespread infrastructure damage, reduced agricultural production, constraints to people’s movements and the transport of goods, and disruptions to livelihoods. The situation makes the displaced community vulnerable to food insecurity and facing shelter, WASH, food, protection and health needs. These compounding challenges also frequently push children out of school. Moreover, natural disasters, including flooding, exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the displaced households, causing multiple displacement, an increased risk to landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), and health complications.