Highlights
• Despite access constraints, UNICEF and its partners continue to reach some of the most complex, insecure and affected zones where communities are facing dire conditions, particularly in Taiz.
• In Taiz, mobile teams provided health and nutrition services for children and pregnant and lactating women; water-trucking reached displaced and host communities; and select families living in sieged areas received cash transfers.
• Starting on 9 January, UNICEF is supporting the operation and promotion of the national Polio vaccination campaign, expecting to reach over 5 million children in the coming weeks, including hard-to-access locations in Taiz.
• Bombardments and street fighting in several zones of Yemen continue to expose children and their families to violence, disease and deprivation. Unhindered access isrequired to assist the most affected communities.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
More than nine months of continuing conflict in Yemen, have left over 21 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, in 20 of 22 governorates.
The current crisis has exacerbated the already critical humanitarian situation in the country. Collapsed social infrastructure and basic services have left millions of people without access to healthcare, safe water and sanitation services, and thousands of children out of school.
On top of that, partners estimate that 2.5 million people are currently displaced within Yemen and need assistance and protection, 31 per cent ofthem are boys and girls. 1 Coping mechanisms and regular incomes of the most vulnerable families, have been highly impacted by the crisis - particularly by the increased price of basic goods, food and fuel, and the suspension ofsocial programmes. Such conditions are increasing poverty and malnutrition among the most vulnerable populations.
To mitigate against increasing humanitarian needs, UNICEF continues to provide support across different sectors, including, but not limited to, health and nutrition, WASH, education, child protection and social protection, working closely with Governments and local partners.
Humanitarian response has been particularly challenging considering access constraints and the extremely hazardous working environment. In a recent statement, UNICEF’s Representative in Yemen called for urgent help for children in Yemen, calling on “all parties involved in the conflict – as is their duty under International Humanitarian Law -- to allow unhindered access to areas affected by the fighting, where civilians are dying because hospitals are not functioning, medicines are in short supply and children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases”.