ReliefWeb

SUMMARY

Despite positive political developments in 2013, Yemen continues to be a large scale humanitarian crisis, with more than half the population or 14.7 million people in need of some form of humanitarian assistance. The needs remain largely unchanged since 2013. They include 10.5 million food-insecure, of whom 4.5 million are severely food insecure. An estimated 1,080,000 children under five suffer from acute malnutrition, of whom 279,000 children who are severely acutely malnourished. In addition, about 13.1 million Yemenis, amounting to over half of the population, have no access to improved water sources or to adequate sanitation facilities, with rural areas the worst affected. A further 8.6 million people have insufficient access to health services.

The weakness of rule of law institutions and protection systems, as well as the proliferation of small arms, makes women, children, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, migrants, refugees and other groups vulnerable to grave violations of their rights and significantly exposes them to exploitation and gender-based violence (GBV). Women, girls and boys are particularly vulnerable because of the lack of access to protection, education, health care and economic opportunities. Improved security and a stable, but fragile, political situation has allowed some 200,000 IDPs to return home in the south of the country. Their situation remains precarious due to limited access to basic services, protection and livelihoods opportunities. In the north, an estimated 250,000 IDPs remain displaced, with a further 70,000 people reported to have returned to Sa’ada.

Some 7.6 million people will be targeted for humanitarian assistance in 2014. Meeting their needs will cost US$ 592 million. This year, the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan has improved targeting and prioritization of humanitarian actions and the humanitarian requirement is based on the costing of planned interventions per beneficiary rather than on projects.

The political and economic situation in the region continues to impact on Yemen. This includes a steady inflow of refugees over and above the 243,000 refugees already registered in the country. In 2013, an estimated additional 10,900 refugees had arrived in Yemen by October. The number of economic migrants attempting to transit through Yemen, though highly seasonal, appears to have declined in 2013, with an estimated 16,948 arriving in the country in the second quarter of 2013, including unaccompanied/separated children (25% lower than the same period in 2012). The introduction of new labour policies in Saudi Arabia has forced an estimated 400,000 Yemenis to leave the country since April. A further 400,000 Yemenis could be expelled from Saudi Arabia in the coming months. This is expected to have an impact on the humanitarian situation in Yemen through a sharp reduction in remittances and exposure of thousands of expelled children –many of whom are accompanied and separated- and their families to violence and abuse while stranded at the border or en route back to their communities. The returns will also put pressure on labour markets and place an additional burden on already threadbare basic social services.

The 2014-2015 humanitarian strategy builds on the strategy outlined in the 2013 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, with an emphasis on providing life-saving interventions for the most vulnerable Yemenis, as well as refugees and migrants. The strategy calls for increased prioritization to ensure that the most urgent needs are met as far as limited resources allow. A second strand of interventions has been identified that will aid transition towards recovery and, eventually, development. This will aim to rebuild communities through early recovery interventions and durable solutions, as well as seek to build communities’ resilience and capacities to withstand or recover from shocks. A key element of both these strands of intervention is to build the capacity of institutions to plan for and deliver humanitarian action. It is noteworthy that the strategy is envisioned as a two-pronged approach and that these two strands of activities are not mutually exclusive. Immediate response and long-term capacity/resilience building strategies are to be adopted concurrently and in a complementary fashion.