OCHA Yemen Press Release - CERF Allocation $20M [EN/AR]

The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated US$20 million for the urgent needs of people affected by the multidimensional humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

In September 2023, the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC), Martin Griffiths, approved the allocation of $125 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help scale-up humanitarian assistance in some of the world’s most protracted and neglected crises. Of this, $20 million was allocated to Yemen to rebuild the resilience of internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and displacement-affected communities and scale up integrated service provision.

The allocation will enhance a multi-sectoral approach in locations hosting IDPs in Sa’ada and Ma’rib governorates. Such efforts will also benefit host communities in the targeted locations by reducing pressure on infrastructure and essential services. It will also support a pipeline of multi-sectoral lifesaving assistance and minimum response packages in strategic locations for new displacements caused by conflict, forced evictions from IDP sites, natural disasters, and winterization.

“This injection of funds comes at a critical time. With the gloomy funding forecast and substantial funding gaps across humanitarian aid organizations, this allocation will help us responding to urgent needs, strengthen the resilience of affected communities by enhancing access to essential services, ensuring dignified living conditions, and unlocking income-earning opportunities in the targeted areas,” stated the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Mr. David Gressly.

Under the CERF allocation, the projects will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In order to improve timely access to vulnerable populations and to ensure sustainability of humanitarian assistance, the concerned agencies will work in close collaboration with national NGOs.

The humanitarian response in Yemen continues to be severely underfunded, depriving hundreds of thousands of people of vital humanitarian assistance. As of end of October 2023, the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is only 35 per cent funded.

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For further Information please email: ochayemen@un.org