Sana’a – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, has launched an appeal for USD 96.2 million to fund its 2018 response for what is being called ‘one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world’ in Yemen.

The Appeal falls under the USD 2.96 billion Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) which covers the entire humanitarian community.

Due to a protracted economic crisis, intermittent conflict, and weak rule of law, Yemen was already facing chronic vulnerabilities even prior to the escalation of conflict on 25 March 2015. This has led to a system-wide failure in the health and education sector, as well as a shutdown of governmental services and mass unemployment. Some 22.2 million Yemenis – more than 2 out of 3 people – will need humanitarian aid in 2018, with half of the population living in areas directly affected by conflict.

“Three years of conflict have inflicted suffering on millions, affecting every Yemeni – man, woman or child,” said William Lacy Swing, IOM Director General from the Organization’s headquarters in Geneva.  “With armed conflict ongoing, a stalled peace process and an economic blockade, Yemen is in the grips of a devastating protracted humanitarian and developmental crisis,” said DG Swing.

The conflict has also displaced some 2 million Yemenis within their own country, according to the Task Force on Population Movement. Nearly 90 per cent of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been displaced for one year or more, including 69 per cent who have been displaced for over two years. The protracted nature of the displacement is straining IDPs’ and host communities’ ability to cope.

A further 1 million IDPs have returned to their area of origin but are in dire need of aid. Their homes have been severely damaged by the fighting and urgently require rehabilitation assistance.

Despite all the challenges that Yemenis are facing, the country remains a transit point for thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa seeking work opportunities in Gulf countries. In 2017, more than 87,000 migrants made the perilous journey to Yemen. The irregular migration is facilitated by human trafficking and smuggling networks.

IOM’s appeal will provide frontline emergency response in the sectors of Health, Coordination and Safety, Food Security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Non-Food Items (NFIs) and Emergency Employment and Community Rehabilitation, as well as multi-sectorial assistance for migrants.

Download the appeal here. 

For more information, please contact Saba Malme at IOM Sana’a, Tel: + 967 736 800 329; Email: smalme@iom.int