YEMEN HUMANITARIAN UPDATE Covering 24 January – 19 February 2019 | Issue 3
KEY ISSUES: • The Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview indicates 24 million Yemenis will need some form of humanitarian assistance in 2019. • Scale-up of the humanitarian operation in 2018 saved millions of lives. • 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan released - humanitarian partners aim to assist over 21.4 million people this year. • Weekly trend of suspected cholera cases remains stable at the country level.
THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN YEMEN REMAINS THE WORST IN THE WORLD
The recently released 2019 Yemen Humanitarian and one-third face a convergence of multiple acute Needs Overview (HNO) indicates that four years vulnerabilities. into the crisis, conflict and severe economic decline are driving the country to the brink of famine and Overall, the number of people in acute need has exacerbating needs in all sectors. Eighty per cent of increased by a staggering 27 per cent. Millions the population, 24 million people, will need some of Yemenis are now hungrier, sicker and more form of humanitarian or protection assistance in 2019, vulnerable than a year ago and greater numbers rely including 14.3 million people in acute need. Two- on humanitarian assistance, which is a lifeline for vast thirds of all districts across the country are pre-famine swathes of the population.
Source: Yemen HNO 2018 and HNO 2019
A comparison with data from the 2018 HNO indicates data collection and enhance evidence-based needs that across all sectors, humanitarian needs have both analysis to inform the Yemen response. Consequently, increased and deepened. The caseload of people in addition to cluster-specific assessments such as in acute need has significantly increased across all Famine Risk Monitoring (FRM), a WASH household cluster areas with the highest increases in education assessment, Health Resources Availability Monitoring (up by 32 per cent); health (up by 49 per cent); shelter System (HeRAMS) and SMART surveys, and a and non-food items (NFIs – up by 73 per cent). The nationwide Multi-Cluster Location Assessment (MCLA) Nutrition Cluster represents the only exception where were conducted to better understand the scale and the caseload of people in acute need decreased by 2 scope of humanitarian needs. per cent.
As more granular information is required to better The 2019 HNO analysis is informed by needs analysis understand the specific needs of vulnerable groups, conducted at both the cluster and inter-cluster level. In more frequent and enhanced needs assessments are 2018, significant efforts were made to expand primary planned for 2019. SCALE UP OF YEMEN HUMANITARIAN OPERATION TO MEET INCREASED NEEDS
During 2018, the humanitarian operation in Yemen received Immediate Response Rations and monthly underwent a step-change in order to meet increasing food baskets. In 2019, WFP’s operation is being scaled needs, saving millions of lives and averting further up to meet the needs of 12 million food-insecure catastrophe. Key milestones during the year included people per month. a massive, synchronized and rapid scale-up of all forms of humanitarian aid in 45 of the 107 districts out Despite a difficult operating environment throughout of the pre-famine category. WFP managed one of the the year, 254 international and national partners largest, fastest and most difficult scale-ups, increasing actively coordinated to assist people with the most the number of people provided with general food acute needs in priority districts across Yemen’s 22 assistance from 3 million to a record 10.2 million governorates. Together they assisted on average people, including one million provided with voucher 7.9 million people per month with some form of support and 800,000 people in Al Hudaydah who humanitarian assistance.
People Reached (monthly average Jan to Dec 2018)
1.84 M Men 2.1 M Boys .9 1.83 M Women 2.1 M Girls
In the WASH cluster, 67 partners scaled up their cent of the target of 5 million people despite funding operation across 22 governorates to reach an gaps and operational constraints. This included average of 11.5 million people with assistance providing 81,000 people with life-saving services per month, exceeding their target of 11.1 million such as psychosocial support and legal assistance, people per month; this included support for water and 2 million children and community members with and sanitation systems which reached 6 million and information about how to protect themselves from 3.8 million respectively. The Nutrition Cluster also mines and explosive remnants of war. overreached its 5.6 million target, providing services to 5.7 million people. Health partners reached 98 As part of the humanitarian effort, logistics support per cent of the cluster target, including 12 million was expanded enabling the mass scale-up of medical consultations, treating 36,491 trauma patients, assistance, and there have been major changes to providing the Penta vaccine to over half a million the structure of the operation, including contingency children and antenatal care to 1 million women. planning and the pre-positioning of emergency Protection services reached 4.8 million people, 97 per supplies.
BENEFICIARIES BY CLUSTER (MONTHLY AVERAGE JAN-DEC 2018)
Food Security and Agriculture Nutrition Health