Geneva – After four years of escalating violence and rising displacement in Yemen, the scale of the world’s worst humanitarian emergency cannot be ignored. More than 3.3 million Yemenis are internally displaced and 80 per cent of its 28.6 million people are in critical need of assistance and protection.

Throughout the country, a man-made food security crisis has pushed millions to the brink of famine while nearly half of the country’s medical facilities are no longer functioning.

To address these critical, life-threatening gaps the International Organization for Migration is appealing for USD 142 million to provide humanitarian assistance to more than four million Yemenis.

The Organization joins its United Nations and other humanitarian partners at the High-Level Pledging Event for Yemen today (26/02) in Geneva. The event aims to secure support for the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen, a joint USD 4.2 billion appeal to assist 19 million people in need this year.

“The needs throughout the country are overwhelming,” said IOM Yemen Chief of Mission, David Derthick. “Yemenis are being displaced repeatedly. Resources are scarce and communities struggle to cope as the crisis drags on. Building on our 2018 response, IOM will expand to work in more communities and increase services in 2019.”

Since the conflict began in 2015, nearly 15 percent of its population —4.3 million people— have been forced to flee their homes: more than 685,000 were newly displaced in 2018 alone.

Last year, IOM served more than 5.5 million Yemenis —some in their homes, or others displaced— in districts across the country. IOM’s Health, Water and Sanitation, Shelter and Camp Coordination and Camp Management teams provided efficient and timely responses to those in need.

IOM enhances the broader humanitarian response by maintaining a network of 1,000 Displacement Tracking Matrix enumerators who work with partners to help define the population in need and provide verified data and analysis of displacement and migration trends. 

While the vast majority of IOM’s response targets Yemenis, the Organization also provides ongoing support to migrants trapped by the crisis, Yemen was and remains an arrival, transit and destination country for migrants from the Horn of Africa.

For additional information, please contact:

Joel Millman, IOM Senior Press Officer, Spokesperson Tel: +41 22 717 9486 Mobile: +41 79 103 87 20 Email: jmillman@iom.int; Angela Wells, IOM Public Information Officer in Geneva, Tel: +41 7940 35365, Email: awells@iom.int; Saba Malme, IOM Yemen Communications Focal Point, Email: smalme@iom.int

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