Japan contributes US$2.4 million to strengthen lifesaving services for Yemeni women and girls

SANA’A, Yemen, 22 July 2024 – The Government of Japan has contributed US$2.4 million to UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, for its humanitarian response in Yemen. The new funding will provide more than 120,000 vulnerable women and girls with access to life-saving reproductive health and protection services amid Yemen’s ongoing and devastating conflict.

The health and protection needs of women and girls in Yemen are immense. Displacement and the breakdown of protection mechanisms have drastically increased the risk that  gender-based violence will occur, with more than 6.3 million Yemeni women and girls facing heightened vulnerability to its various forms, including harmful traditional practices.

The crisis has also severely damaged Yemen’s health-care system. An estimated 5.5 million women of childbearing age, including pregnant and lactating women – especially in districts in rural areas or on the front lines of the conflict – face significant challenges to accessing reproductive health services. Less than half of births are assisted by skilled medical personnel and only one third take place in health facilities due to extreme shortages in essential medicines, supplies and specialized staff.

“Japan gives high priority to supporting the most vulnerable Yemeni women and girls, and  its partnership with UNFPA is essential to providing them appropriate assistance that meets their needs,” said  Kazuhiro Higashi, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Japan in Yemen.

The contribution from the Government of Japan will enable UNFPA to support six health facilities with medicine and supplies essential to providing emergency obstetric and maternal health care. In addition, the funding will support four safe spaces and two shelters where survivors of violence and abuse can access psychosocial support, legal aid and opportunities for income generation. 

“UNFPA shares its immense gratitude and appreciation to the people and to the Government of Japan for its commitment to the protection and health of Yemeni women and girls – especially the most vulnerable. Japan’s support is critical to our efforts to ensure the continuity of essential and life-saving services for women and girls who have suffered over nine years of conflict,” said UNFPA Representative to Yemen Enshrah Ahmed.

UNFPA is the sole provider of vital reproductive health medicines in Yemen and leads the coordination and provision of reproductive health and protection services for women and girls across the country.