Executive Summary
This report highlights UNHCR’s protection response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which are conducted within the scope of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) under the umbrella of the Protection Cluster1. As part of its involvement in the IDP response, UNHCR is engaging in a number of protection activities in Yemen including displacement tracking at the community level, two-way communication with Persons of Concern through a humanitarian call centre, protection monitoring at the household level, targeted protection services such as legal assistance, psychosocial support and cash assistance and awareness raising and sensitization.
UNHCR is a co-lead of the Task Force on Population Movement (TFPM), which is a technical working group of the Protection Cluster and the authoritative source for displacement statistics in Yemen. Since its inception in April 2015,
UNHCR has contributed to 8 TFPM displacement reports and has produced 12 related information products. In April 2016, UNHCR commenced dedicated displacement tracking completing in excess of 7,000 mapping assessments through interviews with approximately 8,000 key informants. To foster two-way communication and promote accountability, UNHCR established the ‘Tawasul’ humanitarian call centre, the first of its kind in Yemen, which is available as a common-service to the Yemen Humanitarian Operation. Tawasul has generated 3 reports and 3 information products covering over 1,900 calls received in relation to 3,000 plus needs representing in excess of 35,000 individuals. Under its Protection & Basic Assistance Mechanism (PBAM), UNHCR has conducted protection monitoring for over 6,000 individuals with targeted assistance provided to 5,000 individuals and awareness raising, sensitization and training provided to close to 4,000 individuals including through 29 teams of Community-Based Protection Networks (CBPNs) composed of 215 members.
Through these activities, UNHCR has identified a number of protection trends and issues, which include the following:
• In the context of population movement there is tendency towards rapid large-scale displacement as well as return.
• Most IDPs are residing with host communities or are renting accommodation.
• There is a clear need amongst IDPs for basic necessities, however, there is also a need for targeted assistance for non-tangible assistance such as psychosocial counselling.
• There is a major need for health assistance and this has exposed the weakness of the current referral pathway in Yemen.
• There is scope for cash assistance for Extremely Vulnerable Individuals (EVIs) with the implication that such assistance needs to be scaled-up based on a clear objective of what is to be achieved through the approach.
• Cash needs may relate to other sectors such as shelter to the extent that cash assistance as a modality to meet cross-sectorial needs must be given additional focus.
• There is an emerging need for documentation both for the purpose of accessing assistance and services but also to facilitate movement. A linked concern is that the prevalence of documentation amongst females is low in comparison to males.
• The situation of muhamasheen IDPs warrants specific attention as they count amongst the more vulnerable persons of concern in Yemen.
• The ‘no-camp’ policy that has been adopted by the Yemen Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) impacts on the development of a strategic approach to shelter solutions for IDPs and access to services, especially those with infrastructural implications.
• This point links with the issue of competition over resources as the needs of non-displaced host communities also remain high.
• The lack of a legal framework to implement the National IDP Policy of 2013 presents a challenge to defending the rights of IDPs as has been exposed in relation to eviction of IDPs.