Yemen in 2020 — a dire situation
The incident of the ICRC 2 staff members killed and 1 unaccounted for after an airport blast in Aden, South of Yemen remains unjustified and ads more suffering to the last five years of war in the country.
"The deaths and injuries caused by the blast are a heavy blow for many families," said Katharina Ritz, ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.
“Our unaccounted staff member weighs heavily on our hearts. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of all victims, and we hope for a speedy recovery for anyone injured.”
Yemen has endured many difficult days; we hope for a brighter one tomorrow.” she concluded.
With current disasters like the cholera outbreak, floods and the increased number of Covid-19 cases across the country - one can easily overlook the situation childrens in Yemen are going through.
Over 7,500 children have been killed in Yemen since the beginning of the war in 2005.
More than 325,000 children under 5 years are suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), and more than 20.5 million people urgently need WASH services.
Nutrition needs are continuing to rise in the south of Yemen, and lack of funding for WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) is undermining the WASH response.
These conditions are heightening the risk of cholera, malnutrition and other WASH-related diseases, including COVID-19.
In the first six months of 2020, nearly 110,000 suspected cases of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera and 27 associated deaths were recorded.
At least 2 million children in Yemen were out of school before the COVID-19 outbreak; and following COVID-19 school closures, an additional 5.8 million children have had their educations disrupted.
School closures and the worsening economic situation due to COVID-19 restrictions have increased the vulnerability of children and women to exploitation, violence and abuse, including child labour, domestic and gender-based violence and child marriage.
It’s notable to address the health clusters work across the country and its achievements especially whilst facing several humanitarian disasters all at once.
Despite the achievement the health cluster has achieved, the situation in Yemen remain on the edge.
Immediate and coordinated humanitarian support is critical to preventing famine and saving lives in Yemen.
But significant funding shortfalls threaten lifeline food assistance, life-saving malnutrition services for infants and pregnant and nursing women, and critical livelihood support.
“The world cannot stand by as Yemen slips into famine and millions of vulnerable children and families go hungry,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
“The situation is already catastrophic, and without urgent action, more children will die.
We have prevented famine in Yemen before, and we should be able to prevent it again, with increased support and with unimpeded access to every child and family in need.” she concluded.
To highlight the risks in Yemen these two major themes remain critical;
- People going hungry and Desperate:
Food and basic commodity prices continue to increase, in line with the inflation of the riyal the Yemen currency and at varying speeds.
This is based on the difference in the exchange rate between the north and south parts of the country in addition to other factors.
- Shortage of funds amidst pandemic:
A second global wave of COVID-19 is impacting donor countries’ domestic economies, resulting in a reduction in global humanitarian funding.
Another cause of reduced funding is the restricted operating environment in Yemen which makes it difficult to ensure delivery of aid in accordance with humanitarian principles.
As we conclude the year of 2020, the work of humanitarian aid workers and organization is needed more than ever.
In 2020 about 109 organizations implemented Humanitarian Response Plan activities in all of Yemen’s 333 districts.
The image above outlines the presence of INGOs and it’s counterparts working across several themes responding to multiple disasters as of this year.
With 9 UN agencies being active in 331 districts, 32 international NGOs were active in 239 districts, and 68 national NGOs were active in 312 districts.
Without additional funds, millions of children will be at even greater risk.
This is a recipe for disaster for Yemen and beyond.
By now the international community knows that potential threats from millions of young people having little hope do not stay confined to national borders.
Of the $3.4 billion requested by aid agencies in 2020, only 42 percent had been received by October 2020.
Aid now only reaches 9 million people a month, compared to 13 million in January 2020.
Obstruction of aid delivery by Houthi authorities in the north but also to a lesser extent by the internationally recognized government and the UAE-supported Southern Transitional Council has led donors to slash funding.
Numerous agencies have called for aid flows to be resumed, especially to the north but to little avail so far.
Despite these challenges, Yemeni resilience provides some hope. You could see communities rebuilding their own schools, others using solar power to connect homes and schools, including women-run solar microgrid stations.
Mobile phone technology and platforms like WhatsApp are used to reach more students, including for remote psychotherapy.
Sources UNICEF, World Health Organization, United Nations OCHA, UN Human Rights
Author of several publications for AIPMM, LinkedIn Learning, Sam Alsroré is the recipient of "UNICEF Humanitarian of the
Year Excellency" award and the “U.N.
Africa Award” in the humanitarian sector.
