CERF allocates some $1.2 million for assistance to IDPs in Sa'ada in Yemen

John Holmes, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), has allocated some US$2.6 million in emergency funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to respond to an increase in internally displaced persons (IDPs) and a deteriorating security situation in Yemen.

The funds will help kick-start critical projects to respond to growing humanitarian needs in Sa'ada for those already displaced and those who have been uprooted by recent unrest. The largest portion of the allocation, some $945,000, will support a World Food Programme (WFP) project to address the food insecurity of vulnerable families. The project will provide food assistance to some 25,000 people for three months. Some $700,000 will enable the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to provide protection and shelter assistance in Sa'ada governorate. Another $744,000 has been allocated to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to provide, among other things, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. UNICEF will also carry out emergency education programmes for some 50,000 vulnerable children. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been allocated some $229,000 to support emergency health needs in the affected communities.

So far in 2009, Yemen has received over $7.3 million. The ERC allocated some $5 million to humanitarian projects in Yemen earlier this year to address life-saving needs. Since 2006, the Fund has allocated some $18.7 million to United Nations agencies and the International Organization for Migration for humanitarian projects in Yemen, making it the 24th highest recipient of CERF funding.