ReliefWeb

Introduction

The ongoing conflict in Yemen has led to a severe and protracted humanitarian crisis, with over 24 million Yemenis in need of some form of humanitarian assistance in 2019.1 The economy of Yemen has been hit drastically, and the resulting higher prices and decreased purchasing power have contributed to increased food insecurity and an increased use of negative coping strategies by large portions of the population. In order to address the basic needs of vulnerable groups across Yemen, humanitarian actors are employing an increasing number of cash and voucher-based programs.

With this increased use of cash programming in Yemen, it is critical to have reliable, relevant, and accessible data sources that can inform the design and implementation of cash-based programs. Additionally, since the volatile context can cause the economic situation and needs of the population to change rapidly, access to up-to-date information is crucial for humanitarian actors to plan their interventions appropriately. However, publicly available data sources related to cash in Yemen are limited, largely due to the difficulties associated with data collection, as well as a lack of coordinated systems for the sharing of information amongst humanitarian and development actors.

In line with the Grand Bargain, the CMWG is actively pursuing the means to increase the coordination and harmonization of data collection, analysis, and dissemination.3 To this end, the Cash and Markets Working Group for Yemen (CMWG), with support from REACH, launched a secondary desk review of publicly available data related to cash and markets in Yemen. The overall objective of this SDR is to develop key recommendations for how to expand and improve the evidence-base available to inform cash and markets programming in Yemen.

The SDR aims to achieve this objective through:

1. Cataloging existing relevant data and analysis that is publicly available on cash and markets in Yemen;

2. Identifying global guidelines for data and information that are critical for organizations to make informed decisions about cash and markets programs, and comparing these standards to available data in Yemen in order to highlight possible evidence gaps;

3. Identifying key areas where CMWG data collection and analysis processes could be streamlined and/or harmonized.