Mid-Year Review of the Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen 2012

2.4 UPDATED NEEDS ANALYSIS

Malnutrition and food insecurity have increased.

The 2011-12 Comprehensive Food Security Survey (CFSS) has shown the numbers of people suffering from acute malnutrition and people under food security stress have risen dramatically. Between 2009 and 2011, the number of severely food-insecure Yemenis more than doubled from 2.5 million to 5.2 million people needing immediate assistance. In Hajjah, Rayma, Sana’a, Marib and Al Bayda Governorates, more than 30% of the entire population is severely food-insecure. The total number of people suffering moderate to severe food insecurity increased from 6.8 to 10 million. That amounts to approximately half the population in the country. People in Yemen simply cannot produce or buy enough nutritious and healthy food.

Approximately 33% of Yemeni citizens had to take loans to purchase food. The prevalence of food insecurity in rural areas is 51% versus 27% in urban areas. However, the city of Sana’a is the place most exposed to food insecurity. In addition to Sana’a, the Food and Agriculture Cluster prioritized the Hajjah, Marib, Raymah, Al Bayda, Ibb, Al Dhale’e and Lahj Governorates in its response to food insecurity.
267,000 children under five are now severely malnourished (an increase of more than one-third since the issuance of the 2012 YHRP/December 2011) and another 700,000 are moderately malnourished (almost doubled since 2012 YHRP). At the same time, nutrition surveys concluded in April this year demonstrate steeply rising levels of acute malnutrition in several governorates (nationwide increase of 83% over first half of 2012). This is in addition to existing chronic malnutrition levels, where above half of Yemeni girls and boys are stunted. This is the second-highest level of chronic malnutrition in the world after Afghanistan. The data further inform us that there is no single governorate in the country with an acceptable level of acute malnutrition.
Water and sanitation worsening

Over the first half of 2012, both urban and rural water and sanitation needs increased. Yemen is going to miss both water and sanitation targets for the 2015 UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It has one of the world’s lowest freshwater resource levels, with 140m³ per person. At the same time, it has one of the highest rates of water use for agriculture, 90%, of which more than 70% is used for qat production. The population will double by 2035, but the infrastructure is not in place to store and conserve water, or to recharge ground water. More than 12.7 million (28% urban and 66% rural) Yemenis do not have access to improved water and at least 12.54 million (about 60% urban and 73.3% in rural areas) do not have adequate access to sanitation. Groundwater exploitation has led to violent conflicts between communities as well as between urban and rural users.

Deteriorating protection environment, in particular for children

The protection environment has further deteriorated over the first half of 2012 due to continuing political uncertainties, armed conflict, the limitation of Government capacities and state services. Protection challenges in Yemen include the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the lack of a protective environment for children who are subjected to killings, maiming, use and recruitment by armed forces and groups, and affecting their psycho-social well-being. Other challenges are the lack of access to services and livelihood; increased economic hardship and deepening poverty; an increase in child labour, unaccompanied migrant children/cross-border movements, child trafficking/smuggling and child marriage as negative coping mechanisms among vulnerable households. Unaccompanied displaced women and girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, and there are increased risks for physical safety (landmines, UXO, improvised explosive devices / IEDs, etc.) and a lack of documentation.

Displacement has continued to increase following renewed conflict in the north and south. Adequate shelter solutions for IDPs continue to prove elusive in the north and south, bringing further protection challenges. Comprehensive verification data concerning protracted displacement will become available to inform programming revision for the rest of 2012.
Summary of updated needs in Yemen:

Food: severe food insecurity doubled over the last two years—44.5% of the population (over ten million people) are food-insecure; of these more than 5 million people are severely food-insecure and need immediate assistance.

Health: following the breakdown in public services, more than five million people lack access to basic health care, leading to deaths from preventable diseases.

Shelter & NFIs: newly displaced in the north and south are increasing the pressure on communities—most of the new arrivals have to manage with plastic sheeting and makeshift accommodation.

Nutrition: almost one million children under five are victims of acute malnutrition. More than a quarter of these children are severely affected and may die if they do not very quickly receive life-saving assistance.

WASH: over half of the population does not have access to safe water due to chronic water shortages and lack of proper sanitation, including solid waste management and poor sewage systems, increasing the risk of communicable diseases and malnutrition.

Protection: conflict zones: Grave human rights violations, landmines/UXO, risk of detention, forced recruitment and reprisals, use and recruitment of children, vulnerability of women and girls to sexual violence. Sana’a: Insecurity, extensive UXO/IED/land mines, damage to property, fear of arrest, detention. Occupation of schools by armed forces and armed groups, high level of distress among children, high risk of ill health, physical abuse and emotional distress for stranded migrants, particularly women, children, elderly, and those with chronic illness. Psycho-social consequences of conflict will have long-lasting impact on children.

Agriculture & livelihoods: the increase of food insecurity agriculture and livelihoods support is vital to stop the trend of increasing food insecurity. Also, the agricultural sector employs half of the population and provides an income for two-thirds of it. Urgent funding of CAP projects is therefore needed, as the sector has received only 22% funding.

Education: recent events have caused major disruptions to children’s education. Close to 300,000 children within the conflict-affected governorates do not have regular access to schools. In some cases, like in Aden Governorate, IDPs are temporarily living in the schools, while in other cases, such as Ja’ar and Zinjibar in Abyan Governorate, the schools have been occupied by armed groups. Providing an education of minimum acceptable quality is also a challenge as the security situation affects teachers’ and children’s attendance and performance.

Multi-sector / Migrants: the first half of 2012 has seen an acute increase in the number of irregular migrants and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa arriving on Yemeni shores, from 30,000 in the first quarter of 2011 to 43,000 in the same period of 2012.