UNFPA Response in Yemen Situation Report #1 – January-March 2022

After more than seven years of war and economic decline, Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. A staggering 23.4 million people — 75 per cent of the population — require some form of humanitarian assistance in 2022. 

More than 4.3 million people have been displaced from their homes, the economy has collapsed and nearly the entire health system has shattered, with only half of all health facilities remaining functional. An estimated 19 million people require food assistance in 2022, and an estimated 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to experience acute malnutrition. They risk giving birth to newborns with severe stunted growth, and nursing malnourished infants, as a result of rising food insecurity. 

The aid operation in Yemen remains severely underfunded. Since the beginning of the year, lack of funding has forced UNFPA to scale back lifesaving reproductive health and protection interventions across the country, placing the lives of thousands of women and girls in grave danger. In the first quarter of the year, some 40,000 women lost access to protection services. To keep reaching the most vulnerable women and girls, UNFPA requires US$100 million in 2022. To date, only 13 per cent of this funding appeal has been received. 

From January to March 2022, UNFPA's response reached more than 700,000 individuals with life-saving reproductive health services, protection information and services and emergency relief, with support to 98 health facilities, 35 safe spaces, 7 shelters and 8 specialized mental health centres.