Highlights
• Armed clashes and air strikes continued to be reported across the country. Sa’ada, Sana’a and Taiz regions were the most affected. In Taiz City, despite ongoing blockades, some areas are accessible by humanitarian partners. On 18 February, the United Nations Security Council urged all parties to the conflict to take urgent steps towards resuming a ceasefire and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
• Since the beginning of the year, UNICEF has ensured regular access to safe water for nearly 2.6 million. Plans are to provide and maintain regular water supply for over 5.1 million people in 2016.
• UNICEF continues to support the establishment and functioning of outpatient treatment programmes (OTPs) across the country. A total of 2,836 OTPs are now functional, 220 were established during the reporting period. In Sa’ada, as a consequence of security concerns, nine OTPs were closed.
• The Humanitarian Country Team launched the 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) in Geneva on February 18, appealing for US$ 1.8 billion to provide life-saving assistance to 13.6 million people UNICEF’s Yemen Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC), aiming to reach 7.5 million people, is included in this appeal. Nearly 4 per cent of the 2016 YHRP has been funded to date, further efforts from partners and donors are needed to prevent the ongoing needs from being forgotten.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
As the one-year mark of the escalation of the conflict approaches, hostilities, extensive ground fighting and violations of international humanitarian law continue to be reported across Yemen. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate with over 21.2 million people in need of some kind of humanitarian assistance, including access to safe water, health services, malnutrition treatment, protection and education.
The situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is dire, IDPs are dispersed across the country making it difficult for humanitarian agencies to assess and respond to their specific needs. Some regions (i.e. Ibb) are host to increasing numbers of IDPs, posing additional strain on already vulnerable communities and weakened social services.
Sustained efforts from humanitarian partners are needed to ensure that those in need receive humanitarian assistance. On February 18, the Yemen Humanitarian Country Team launched the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) 2016, urgently appealing for US$ 1.8 billion to provide critical and life-saving assistance to 13.6 million people affected by the escalation of the conflict across the country. Included in this appeal is the UNICEF 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) 1 , aiming to reach 7.5 million people – including 5.2 million children – to provide support across different sectors, including, but not limited to, health and nutrition, WASH, education, child protection and social protection.