Socio-Economic

N UP ME YE EN GDP SOCIO- DAA SOCIO-EEC M $ ECONOMIC TE ONOMIC $ YE

UPD UP GDP DA A SOCIO-ECONOMICS $ TE Ministry of Planning YEMETE N 2019 & International Cooperation Economic Studies & Forcasting Sector N SOCIO-ECONOMICME Issue (41) March, 2019 YE UPDATE Yemen in International Reports

Introduction In this edition: International reports have become very important to governments worldwide and are widely covered by Yemen in Human Development Index 2018 local and international public opinion. The indicators Yemen in Global Hunger Index 2018 highlighted by these reports serve as global measure- ment tools for comparing and assessing economic, Yemen in Good Governance Indicators social and institutional conditions in countries and re- Yemen in Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 gions of the world. They also guide local and international donors and entrepreneurs in resource allocation Yemen in Fragile States Index 2019 and decision-making in finance and investment. Yemen in Global Peace Index 2018 In this regard, the issue highlights Yemen’s situation in a package of important international reports related Yemen in World Happiness Report 2019 to human development, hunger, good governance, corruption control, fragile states, global peace and happi- Yemen in Human Development Index 2018: ness. In general, Yemen was placed at the bottom of The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) annu- these reports. There are some rankings that no country ally issues the Human Development Indices and Indicators of all wants to lead but unfortunately Yemen came on top of countries and regions of the world, providing a precise and con- the 2019 Fragile States Index (FSI). Only three coun- cise assessment of the state of humanitarian development with tries worldwide ranked on top of the FSI since the re- its multiple social, economic and environmental dimensions. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite indicator that lease of the FSI. measures human progress based on a technical methodology that The conflicts that are currently plaguing Yemen combines information on the health, education and income of don’t only threaten human security, but also under- people in just one number. Over the years, the HDI has been a mine development achievements of decades. Yemen’s comparative tool of excellence among states and a reliable plat- form for serious debates on national priorities. rank significantly descended into the bottom three Countries are classified into four categories according to the countries in the Global Hunger Index and fall back to HDI value: very high human development (0.894), high human about 16 years in the HDI. development (0.757), medium human development (0.645) and There is no doubt that these ranks are upsetting for low human development (0.504). Figure (1) reflects human de- every Yemeni and ring the alarm bells that it’s enough. velopment progress worldwide during 1990— 2017 in terms of HDI values and the number of people in the four human devel- It is time for Yemen to restore urgent and sustainable opment categories. In the figure, each slice’s innermost band re- peace, to heal its bleeding wounds and to make use of flects the population in the human development category, and the its lost energies, allowing it to have an advanced place height of the slice represents the HDI value for each category. among other nations. Figure (1): Human Development in the world during 1990-2017

ent elopm Ve dev ry h an igh m hu Facts and Indicators hu Hum m w an D an o ev d L elo e pm ve 0 e l .89 nt o YER 530/ USD 2.8% 4 In p d m 0.504 e e x n v The parallel exchange rate Self-sufficiency ratio of wheat a t lu at the end of April 2019. in 2017 e

6 m 1.439 b 92 n pe 24.1 million 4.4 million * o p l e people in need of humanitarian people displaced (IDPs & re- M 2017

e . 7 assistance in 2019 *. turnees) as of December 2018 . d 3 i n u 3 HDI b m b n 9 7 h 0.645 .3 u 2 m

$ 49.8 billion 46.1% a n

d e t Cumulative losses in real GDP Cumulative decline in real v n e e lo m during 2015-2018 GDP during 2015-2018. p p m lo e 0.757 e n v t e d an ** um 24.3 million Sources: h gh 90% of the population lack * UN Agencies. Hi access to public electricity. ** WB, June 2016. Source: UNDP, 2018 Statistical Update.

The figure shows that although the global population rose from 5 billion to 7.5 billion between 1990 and 2017, the number of people in the low human development decreased from 3 billion to 926 million- or from 60% of the global population to 12%- and the number of people in the high and very high human development have more than tripled, from 1.2 billion to 3.8 billion- or from 24% of the global population to 51%. Despite the human progress among countries, Yemen has not been able to maintain its pre-war and conflict levels, but has lost much of its previous attainments. The Human Development Index in Yemen reached its lowest value (0.452) in 2017, compared to the highest value of (0.507) in 2013, leaving the country in the low human development category among the lowest 12 countries worldwide— 178 out of 189 countries in 2017 (Figure 2). This is mainly attributed to the shrink in Gross National Income (GNI) per capita due to the war and conflict repercussions. Comparing the 2017 Human Development Index in Yemen (0.452) with the Arab countries (0.699), the significant dif- ference between them can be seen evidently and how Yemen’s rank is lower than the Arab region. Conflicts in the Arab world are the rule rather than the exception. Conflicts don’t only threaten human security, but also undermine development achievements and wipe out decades’ gains in a few years. Figure(3) asserts the great loss of human development in Yemen as a result of war and conflict, where the score of the HDI has declined significantly, approaching in 2017 the same score of 2001, going back to about a decade and a half.

Figure (2): Human Deelopment Index in Yemen copared to Arab State Figure (3): Change in Human Deelopment Index Average rank in conflict-affected countries, 2012-2017

Change in HDI rank 0.8

0.7 0.686 0.694 0.697 0.699 0.6 0.675 0.690 0.613 0.5 –20 Yemen 0.498 0.499 0.505 0.507 0.505 (from 158 in 2012 to 178 in 2017) 0.474 0.483 0.4 0.443 0.450 0.462 0.452

0.3

0.2 –26 Libya 0.1 (from 82 in 2012 to 108 in 2017) 0 2000 2001 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 –27 Syrian Arab Republic (from 128 in 2012 to 155 in 2017) Yemen Arab States Average

Source: UNDP: 1. http://hdr.undp.org/en/data 2. http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/trends According to the Human Development Report Office, the largest increases in HDI rank between 2012 and 2017 were for Ireland, which moved up 13 places, and for Botswana, the Dominican Republic and Turkey, which each moved up 8 while the largest declines in HDI rank were in conflict-affected countries in Syria (27 down), Libya (26) and Yemen (20) due to economic setbacks and the focus on war economy at the expense of the social and developmental priorities that affect the sub-indicators of the HDI in health, education and income. These countries will take years, if not decades, to regain the pre-conflict levels of development.

Yemen in Global Hunger Index 2018: Hunger refers to destitution associated with insufficient calories. A Global Hunger Index (GHI) is published every year to measure hunger indicator at national, regional and global levels to assess progress and setbacks in fighting hunger, providing a tool to compare hunger levels between countries and regions of the world.

The values of hunger in any country are mainly determined based on four indicators: undernutrition among the population, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. The GHI Severity Scale is a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best (no hunger) and 100 being the worst “chronic undernutrition”. According to this scale, countries are categorized into five categories, where the green category is the best “low” and the red category is the worst “extremely alarming” (Figure 4).

Figure (4): Global Hunger Index Severity Scale

≤9.9 10.0–19.9 20.0–34.9 35.0–49.9 50.0 ≤ low moderate serious alarming extremely alarming

0210 03550 Source: K. von Grebmer and e tal . 2018. 2018 Global Hunger Index: Forced Migration and Hunger. Bonn and Dublin: Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. www.globalhungerindex.org According to the 2018 GHI, Yemen was placed among the three worst countries on the Global Hunger Map, ranking 117 out of 119 countries covered by the report. Yemen’s GHI score was 39.7 and the country fell into the fourth category (orange), which means that it suffers from alarming levels of hunger. Only Chad (45.4 points) and the Central African Republic (53.7 points) ranked worse than Yemen. (Figure 5).

Figure (5): 2018 GHI SCORES AND PROGRESS SINCE 2000 55 y

Central African Republic tremel alarming ex

Higher hunger

45 ng alarmi

40 Y emen

Madagascar Zambia

Sierra Leone Haiti

e 35 Afghanistan North Korea Scor e dex In Scal 30 ty

Rowanda s I Severi riou GH se

Global Hunger 18 25 20

Iraq

Philippines 20

Sri Lanka Senegal Vitnam

15 Ghana Egypt

Lower moderate

hunger Mongolia Lebanon Jordan Oman 10 Morocco lo w

5 -40 -35-30 -25-20 -15-10 -5 0510 Higher reduction Lower reduction Increase in in hunger in hunger hunger

Absolute change in GHI score since 2000

Source: K. von Grebmer and e tal . 2018. 2018 Global Hunger Index: Forced Migration and Hunger. Bonn and Dublin: Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. www.globalhungerindex.org

According to the GHI, proportion of undernourishment among Yemenis was 34.4%, prevalence of wasting and stunting in children under five was 16.3% and 46.5%, respectively, and under-five mortality rate was 5.5%. These indicators are much higher than the global average (Table 1).

Table (1) Global Hunger Index Indicators Values Proportion of Prevalence of Prevalence of wasting Under-five mortality Undernourished in stunting in children in children under five rate (%) Country / Description the population (%) under five (%) (%) 2015–2017 2013–2017 2013–2017 2016 Yemen 34.4 46.5 16.3 5.5 Global Average 12.3 27.9 9.3 4.2

Source: Global Hunger Index: Forced Migration and Hunger, 2018. www.globalhungerindex.org.

Restrictions on imports, depreciation of the national currency value and interruption/ nonpayment of sala- ries to civil servants have worsened malnutrition and food insecurity rates among the population, especially as Yemen is heavily dependent on imported goods, including food and fuel. With the beginning of the fifth year of conflict and war in the country, segments of the population are at high risk of famine. According to Human Appeal, the Household Hunger Scale has nearly tripled since 2014 (Human Appeal, 2018). Accord- ing to the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP), the number of people unable to predict when they will next eat has risen by 13% in 2018. There are 45 districts with households classified as phase 5 under the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) system. At least 65,000 people are already in advanced stages of extreme food deprivation and 238,000 people in districts with IPC 5 areas will face similar conditions if food assistance is disrupted for even a few days.

Yemen in Good Governance Indicators: The good governance indicators reflect the effectiveness of the institutions in which the authority is exer- cised in any country. The World Bank has been publishing six aggregate indicators annually for countries worldwide since 1996. These indicators have become global standards for comparing and evaluating the performance of institutional and legal frameworks in different countries worldwide. Donors and local and foreign investors use these indicators to guide them in taking finance and investment decisions. Thus, the improvement of these indicators helps mobilize domestic resources and facilitates the attraction of foreign aid and investments to achieve development and alleviate poverty. Good governance involves three dimensions: political, economic, and institutional. Each dimension is measured by two indicators. The political dimension is measured by the indicators of voice and accountability and political stability and absence of violence, the economic dimension is measured by government effectiveness and regulatory quality, while the institutional dimension is measured by rule of law and control of corruption. This index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is low and 100 is high among the countries of the world. Figures (6 & 7) indicate the low ranking of Yemen in all indicators in the few last years due to repercussions of the ongoing war and conflict in the country. In 2017, the highest rank was in the regulatory quality index (5.8), while the lowest rank was in the political stability index and absence of violence (0). Yemen was also placed among the lowest 1.4% countries worldwide in the government effectiveness and control of corruption indices.

Figure (6): Percentile Rank of Yemen in Good Governance Indicators

100.0

90.0

80.0

70.0 ank 60.0 50.0

rcentile R 40.0 Pe

(0 is low - 100 high) 30.0

20.0

10.0

0.0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Voice and Accountability 11.4 9.4 9.4 11.7 11.8 7.4 5.4 5.4 Political Stability and Absence of 1.9 1.9 1.4 1.9 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 Violence/Terrorism Government E ectiveness 14.4 11.8 8.5 11.4 6.7 3.4 2.4 1.4

Source: The World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators, Country Data Report for Yemen. www.govindicators.org.

In general, Yemen’s rank in the good governance indicators ranged between 0% and 6% of the countries worldwide in 2017. This indicates further deterioration in the role of public institutions in Yemen, although it was already weak compared to other countries.

Figure (7): Percentile Rank of Yemen in Good Governance Indicator

100.0

90.0

80.0

70.0

ank 60.0

50.0

rcentile R 40.0 Pe

(0 is low - 100 high) 30.0

20.0

10.0

0.0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Regulatroy Quality 28.2 22.3 27.5 25.1 18.8 12.0 5.3 5.8

Rule of law 13.3 8.0 8.9 11.3 7.7 7.2 3.4 2.4

Control of Corruption 9.0 6.6 8.5 9.0 1.9 3.4 1.4 1.4

Source: The World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators, Country Data Report for Yemen. www.govindicators.org.

UUP N UP N ME ME D YE P D YE AT SOCIO EN GD $ SOCIO- ATE SOCIO EN GDP $ E -ECONOM M ECONOMM -ECONOM M IC $ YE IC IC $ YE N UP ME YE EN GDP SOCIO- DAA SOCIO-EEC M $ ECONOMIC TE Issue (41) March, ON2019OMIC $Page 6 YE Yemen Socio-Economic Update Yemen in Corruption Perceptions Index 2018: Transparency International has been publishing the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) every year since 1995, classifying countries and regions of the world based on the level of corruption in the public sector according to opinions of experts and businesspeople. The CPI uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is “highly corrupt” and 100 is “very clean”. Corruption Perceptions Index 2018- Yemen The CPI focuses on measuring bribery, misappro- priation of public funds, exploitation of government 14 out of 100 scores positions for personal gain, ability of governments to end corruption, excessive routine and bureaucratic procedures and prosecutions of corrupt officials. Rank 176 out of 180 countries, In 2018, Yemen scored 14 out of 100 scores in the among the five most corrupt 2018 CPI, falling back to the rank 176 out of 180 countries worldwide countries worldwide, among the five most corrupt countries in the world. Only South Sudan, Syria and Source: https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018 Somalia came in lower ranks after Yemen (Figure 8). In parallel, Yemen’s scores (14) were much below the average of the Middle East and North Africa countries (39 scores), making Yemen in the penultimate rank (before Syria) among the countries of the region. Figure (8): Corruption Perceptions Index 2018

TOP COUNTRIES

0 100

01 DENMARK 88/100 02 NEW ZELAND 87/100 03 FINLAND 85/100 04 SINGAPORE 85/100 05 SWEDEN 85/100 06 SWITZERLAND 85/100

176 NORTH KOREA 14/100 177 YEMEN 14/100 178 SOUTH SUDAN 13/100 179 SYRIA 13/100 180 SOMALIA 10/100

06 0 100

BOTTOM COUNTRIES REGIONAL AVERAGE GLOBAL AVERAGE

Source: https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018

Figure (9) shows the fluctuation of Yemen’s scores in the CPI during 2012-2018, ranging from the highest score (23) in 2012 to the lowest score (14) in 2016 and 2018. Over the past three years (2016-2018), CPI scores fell to the lowest level between 14-16 scores. This is mainly due to the exceptional circumstances in Yemen and its political, judicial, legislative, press and monetary authorities in light of the war and conflict; erroneous practices and division of state institutions, including economic institutions and their inability to perform their functions. This requires returning to the path of peace; ensuring financial and administrative transparency; activating the institutions of control and accountability and frameworks of integrity; strength- ening the independence of the judiciary authority; easing restrictions on the media and enforcing the right to information act.

Figure (9): Rank of Yemen in Corruption Perceptions Index out of 100 Score

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 23 19 20 14 14 10 18 18 16 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Source: Corruption Perceptions Index 2018: Score timeseries since 20102: https://files.transparency.org/content/download/2337/.../file/2018_CPI_FullDataSet.xlsx Yemen in Fragile States Index 2019: Each year, the Fund for Peace releases the Fragile States Index (FSI), ranking 178 countries worldwide based on the challenges facing these states and affecting their level of fragility. Countries are ranked according to their total scores in 12 indicators covering the security, economic, political and social aspects. These indicators are: Security Apparatus, Factionalized Elites, Group Grievance, Economic Decline, Un- even Development, Human Flight and Brain Drain, State Legitimacy, Public Services, Human Rights and Rule of Law, Demographic Pressures, Refugees and IDPs and External Interventions. The FSI uses a scale of 120 scores, where 0 is (very stable) and 120 is (most fragile). Countries are divided into four categories and each category has a certain colour indicating its score in the index (Figure 10).

Figure (10): Scale of fragile countries index 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

SUSTAINABLE STABLE WARNING ALERT

Source: Fund for Peace, Fragile States Index 2019. There are some rankings that no country wants to lead. Since the launch of the FSI in 2005, only three countries took top position as most fragile states, namely Somalia, South Sudan and the Ivory Coast. How- ever, a fourth country has taken top position in 2019 out of 178 countries in the world and, unfortunately, this country is Yemen with a total score of 113.5 out of 120. Yemen’s ascension up in the FSI wasn’t sur- prising to many due to the protracted war and conflict and escalating humanitarian catastrophe. According to the 2019 FSI, Yemen was the fourth fastest-deteriorating country over the past decade, after Libya, Syria and Mali. Since 2014, Yemen’s scores in the FSI increased by 8.1 scores.

TOTAL SCORE RANK CHANGE MEDIUM-TERM LONG-TERM FSI SCORE 2019 OVERALL 2019 YEAR-ON-YEAR TREND TREND YEMEN 113.5 1st +0.8 +8.1 +15.4

(MAXIMUM 120) (OF 178 COUNTRIES) POINTS SINCE 2018 POINTS SINCE 2014 POINTS SINCE 2009

Source: Fund for Peace, Fragile States Index 2019.

Figure (11): The highest and the lowest Countries in Fragile States Index 2019 Figure (11) indicates the scores and rankings of the VERY SUSTAINABLE VERY HIGH ALERT

world’s very stable countries 16.9 Finland (178) 110.2 Congo (DR) (5) classified as “very sustainable” with Finland at the top 18.0 Norway (177) 111.5 Syria (4) of countries with sustainable 18.7 Switzerland (176) 112.2 South Sudan (3) stability in the world. In con- trast, Yemen, Somalia, South 19.5 Denmark (175) 112.3 Somalia (2) Sudan, Syria and the Demo- 19.7 Australia (174) 113.5 Yemen (1) cratic Republic of Congo 19.8 Iceland (173) were classified “very high alert” as the five most fragile 20.0 Canada (172) countries in the world. Source: Fund for Peace, Fragile States Index 2019. Yemen in Global Peace Index 2018: Every year, the Institute for Economics and Peace releases the Global Peace Index (GPI), which has become a leading indicator of the state of peace in countries and regions of the world. The GPI covers 163 countries worldwide based on their performance in 23 quantitative and qualitative indicators. These indicators are divided into three main catego- Figure (12): Most & least peaceful countries in the World ries: ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security MOST PEACEFUL SCORE CHANGE and militarization. These indicators are: 1 Iceland 1.096 Terrorism Impact, Incarceration Rate, 2 New Zealand 1.192 Weapons Imports, Political Instability, 3 Austria 1.274 1 External Conflicts Fought, Nuclear and 4 Portugal 1.318 1 Heavy Weapons, Refugees and IDPs, Police Rate, Military Expenditure (% 5 Denmark 1.353 GDP), UN Peacekeeping Funding, LEAST PEACEFUL Violent Demonstrations, Political Ter- 158 Yemen 3.305 1 ror Scale, Perceptions of Criminality, 159 Somalia 3.367 Intensity of Internal Conflict, Neigh- bouring Countries Relations, Homicide 160 Iraq 3.425 1 Rate, Armed Services Personnel Rate, 161 South Sudan 3.508 1 Violent Crime, Weapons Exports, Inter- 162 Afghanistan 3.585 nal Conflicts Fought, Deaths from In- 163 Syria 3.600 ternal Conflict, Access to Small Arms, Deaths from External Conflict. Source: Institute for Economics & Peace. Global Peace Index 2018: Measuring Peace in a Com- plex World, Sydney, June 2018. Available from: http://visionofhumanity.org/reports

The GPI scores range from 1 (most peaceful) and 5 (least peaceful). In this context, tabel (2) and figure (12) show Yemen’s fall in the lowest countries in the world, where Yemen scored 3.305 in the 2018 GPI, ranking 158 out of 163 countries worldwide and became among the six least peaceful countries in the world in 2018 while it was among the 16 least peaceful countries in the world in 2014. Globally, Iceland ranked first with 1.1 scores, representing the most peaceful country in the world in the 2018 GPI, followed by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal and Denmark, respectively. Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria, respectively, came at the bottom of the list in the GPI. The Arab region is one of the most conflict-affected areas with 5 countries (Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Syria) among the 10 least peaceful countries in the world. No country in the Arab region has ranked better than 42 in the 2018 GPI.

Table (2) Yemen’s ranks and scores in GPI during 2011-2018 Year/ Description 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Yemen’s rank 138 143 152 147 147 158 159 158 Total countries (lowest global ranking) 153 158 162 162 162 163 163 163 Yemen’s scores* 2.8 2.6 2.75 2.63 2.75 3.39 3.41 3.31 Yemen’s rank in the MENA region 15 14 16 15 14 18 18 18 * Scores of countries range between 1 (most peaceful) and 5 (least peaceful). Source: Global Peace Index 2011- 2018 Yemen in World Happiness Report 2019: On March 20 of each year, the world celebrates the World Happiness Day, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) releases the World Happiness Report (WHR) every year. The happiness index is based on three key measures: life evaluations, positive affect and negative affect, in addition to 6 variables. A questionnaire is provided to people around the world and respondents are asked to value their lives on a 0 to 10 scale, with 0 as (the worst possible life) and 10 as (the best possible life). The six variables are then taken into account: GDP per capita according to the US dollar purchasing power parity, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, social support, generosity and absence of corruption. According to the WHR 2019 published to coincide with International Day of Happiness, Yemen was placed among the six least happy places in the world ranking 151 out of 156 countries worldwide. Rwanda, Tan- zania, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, respectively, came at the bottom of the Happiness Index after Yemen. Conflicts were the common factor between those countries. Finland, for the second year in a row, topped the list of the 10 happiest countries in the world in 2019. While the Finns ranked as the happiest people in the world, expatriates in Finland were also classified as the happiest migrants in the world. Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria, respectively, came after Finland. All these countries shared their outstanding performance in several wellbeing-related criteria, including economic competitiveness, quality of life, level of education and human development, healthcare system and low corruption.

Figure (13): Ranking of happiness 2016-2018

1. Finland 2. Denmark 3. Norway 4. Iceland 5. Netherlands 6. Switzerland 7. Sweden 8. New Zealand

The 10 happiest countries 9. Canada 10. Austria 147. Haiti 148. Botswana 149. Syria 150. Malawi 151. Yemen 152. Rwanda 153. Tanzania 154. Afghanistan 155. Central African Republic The 10 least happy countries 156. South Sudan

012345 678

Source: World Happiness Report 2019. http://worldhappiness.report/

No Arab countries were placed among the 10 happiest countries in the world and the 20 happiest countries list didn’t include any Arab countries as well. In the Middle East and North Africa, the UAE ranked first in the region and 21 globally, followed by Saudi Arabia (28), Qatar (29), Bahrain (37) and Kuwait (51). At the bottom of the list came Iraq (126), Egypt (137), Syria (149) and Yemen (151), respectively.

Conclusion:

This edition focuses on tracking Yemen’s image as provided by the most important international reports related to development, governance and peace to determine Yemen’s rank among other nations from the point of view of the producers of these reports, regardless of our confidence and believes in the quality of the assessments included. According to these indices, Yemen had very low ranks. Yemen was placed among the lowest 12 countries worldwide in Human Development Index and was classified among the three worst countries facing hunger threats in the Hunger Index. In the Good Governance Indicators, Yemen was among 6% of the world’s lowest ranked countries in all these indicators. In the CPI, Yemen was among the five most corrupt countries in the world. On the Fragile States Map, Yemen topped the list in the FSI 2019, a ranking that was occupied only by three countries in the world. Yemen was among the six least peaceful nations in the world in the GPI. Since happiness is the goal sought by the entire world, and the hope that all Yemenis long for, this edition ended with a review of Yemen’s status in the World Happiness Report, where Yemen was placed among the six least happy countries in the world in 2019. Overall, these rankings may not be a surprise for many in a country that experience prolonged war and conflict and worsening humanitarian catastrophe. However, we will remain hopeful that we will restore peace in our country and move towards a better future for all Yemenis. As Yemen seeks to rebuild the state and imagine the post-conflict future, it is important to focus on addressing the roots of conflict and the driv- ers of fragility to ensure that long-term needs are met and sustainable peace is achieved, from promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth to building strong, fair and transparent state institutions.

Table (3) Summary of Yemen Status in International Reports Yemen The best The worst Yemen The best The worst International Reports Rank worldwide worldwide Scores worldwide worldwide Human Development Index 2017 178 1 189 0.452 0.953 0.354 Global Hunger Index 2018 117 1 119 39.7 Less than 5 53.7 Good Governance Indicators 2017: • Voice and Accountability 5.4 100 0.0 • Political Stability and Absence of 0.0 100 0.0 Violence/Terrorism • Government Effectiveness 1.4 100 0.0 • Regulatory Quality 5.8 100 0.0 • Rule of Law 2.4 100 0.0 • Control of Corruption 1.4 100 0.0 Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 176 1 180 14 100 0 Fragile States Index 2019 1 178 1 113.5 10 120 Global Peace Index 2018 158 1 163 3.305 1 5 World Happiness Report 2019 151 1 156 3.38 7.769 2.853

Key Sources:

1. UNDP. 2018. Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical Update, New York, USA. Available from: http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/trends 2. United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports: Available from: http://hdr.undp.org/en/data & http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/trends 3. K. von Grebmer and e tal. 2018. 2018 Global Hunger Index: Forced Migration and Hunger. Bonn and Dublin: Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. Available from: www.globalhungerindex.org. 4. Human Appeal. 2018. Hunger as a Weapon of War: How Food Insecurity Has Been Exacerbated in Syria and Yemen. Cheshire, UK. Accessed July 20, 2018. Available from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/advocacy-report-v013-final.pdf. 5. OCHA .2019. Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2019, February 2019. Available from: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/operations/yemen 6. World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators, Country Data Report for Yemen. Available from: www.govindicators.org. 7. Transparency International- the global coalition against corruption. 2018. Corruption Perceptions Index 2018, Berlin, Germany, ISBN: 978-3-96076-116-7. Available from: https://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/overview https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/publication/corruption_perceptions_index_2018 https://files.transparency.org/content/download/2337/.../file/2018_CPI_FullDataSet.xlsx 8. Fund for Peace, Fragile States Index: Annual Report 2019, Washington, D.C. 20005. Available from: http://fundforpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/9511904-fragilestatesindex.pdf 9. Institute for Economics & Peace. Global Peace Index 2018: Measuring Peace in a Complex World, Sydney, June 2018. Available from: http://visionofhumanity.org/reports 10. Helliwell, J., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. (2019). World Happiness Report 2019, New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network. ISBN 978-0-9968513-9-8. Available from: http://worldhappiness.report/

Contact Person For more detailed information about items in this update please contact: Mr. Abdulmageed Albatuly Email: [email protected] Tel.:+967 771 555 730 www.mpic-yemen.org “This monthly update is supported by UNICEF YCO”

UUP N UP N ME ME D YE P D YE AT SOCIO EN GD $ SOCIO- ATE SOCIO EN GDP $ E -ECONOM M ECONOMM -ECONOM M IC $ YE IC IC $ YE