UN agencies are moving to reduce their humanitarian programs in Yemen
English - Thursday 02 September 2021 الساعة 11:21 am
Aden, NewsYemen:
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen has warned that some agencies may resort to easing their work programs - including in the areas of water, health and other sectors - due to funding shortfalls, as of September.
"This would be disastrous for millions of people," David Grisley, the humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said in a statement.
Vital sectors are still severely underfunded, as the health sector group has so far received only about 11 percent of the funding it needs this year, while the water, sanitation and hygiene group has received only 8 percent of the required funding.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs called on donors to provide adequate and balanced funding to all sectors to enable relief agencies to avoid worse situations, at a time when 20.7 million people need some form of humanitarian assistance and protection in Yemen.
"It is critical that vulnerable groups receive life-saving assistance, especially people living in remote and underserved areas," Grisley said.
The Humanitarian Fund has allocated $50 million to enable aid partners to respond to needs, improve living conditions, and provide assistance and protection to people with disabilities and vulnerable groups such as marginalized, female-headed households, vulnerable children and others.
The amount will target areas with very high needs, such as Al-Sawadiya district in Al-Bayda governorate, Abs district in Hajjah governorate, Beit Al-Faqih and Hayes districts in Al-Hodeidah governorate, Al-Hazm district in Al-Jawf governorate and a number of districts in Ma’rib, Abyan and Al-Dhalea governorates.
About 25 percent of this funding will be allocated to cash assistance interventions, allowing displaced families to pay rents, avoid the risks of eviction, and invest in improving their livelihoods or covering their basic needs as they see fit.
An additional $5.44 million will be made available as part of the reserve allocation to ensure access to fuel for health facilities through December, and water plants and wastewater treatment facilities will receive fuel until November.
UNICEF will receive $3.86 million to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for 2.4 million vulnerable people. WHO will also receive $1.58 million to provide fuel to 206 health facilities across Yemen to meet the critical health care needs of five million people.
It is noteworthy that only 51 percent of health facilities in Yemen are fully functional, so the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for Yemen stressed the importance of keeping the remaining health facilities open, especially at a time when the Covid-19 virus is stressing the health care system in Yemen, which is suffering Already from exhaustion.
