UNICEF: The economic collapse threatens to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen

Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Protracted armed conflict, widespread economic collapse, and over-stretched national systems and services have left 70 per cent of the total population, including 11.3 million children, in need of humanitarian assistance.

The protracted situation severely impacted the health and nutrition of children: nearly 400,000 children are severely malnourished, and 2.3 million children are acutely malnourished. The COVID-19 pandemic further strained the fragile health system and exacerbated the underlying protection and gender-related vulnerabilities of children, adolescents and women.

UNICEF’s humanitarian strategy in Yemen has a dual focus on direct life-saving assistance and system strengthening, in order to strengthen the linkages between humanitarian action and development/ resilience programming.

The COVID-19 response involves protecting children and their families from infection, minimizing mortality, and supporting the continuity of essential services.

UNICEF requires US$484.4 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen in 2022. Children’s nutrition is increasingly threatened, with life-long consequences. Across the country, acute malnutrition is now at serious levels.