Key figures:

24M people in need

3.9M displaced in the last three years

81% of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) displaced for more than one year

1M IDP returnees

1.2M IDPs given in-kind or cash assistance in 2018

Funding

USD 198.6 M required for 2019 operations

Funded 18% Gap 82%

USD 35.4 M received as of 9 January 2019

Cash assistance

UNHCR started its first round of 2019 cash disbursements in northern governorates of Yemen. Almost 1,200 households (8,000 individuals) in Sa’ada and Al Jawf Governorates were provided with cash assistance, to allow them to meet their protection needs. Additionally, in Al Jawf Governorate rental subsidies were distributed to over 1,000 households (7,000 individuals), helping to bring liquidity into the local economy.
Verification of beneficiary lists for protection cash in southern Yemen has been completed. Close to 4,000 households (comprising over 40,000 individuals) have been identified with protection needs that can be addressed through financial support. They will receive a one-off protection cash transfer of 100,000 Yemeni Rials (approximately USD 165).

Resettlement

The first resettlement case of 2019 departed Yemen for Sweden on 22 January. In cases where UNHCR identifies particularly vulnerable refugees who meet specific protection criteria, the agency works closely with receiving countries and with affected individuals to help provide a safe, voluntary and durable solution through resettlement.

IDP hosting sites

Around 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in 1,200 hosting sites identified by the Cluster working on Shelter and Camp Coordination / Camp Management (CCCM), marking a huge swell in the population living in such sites.
A Shelter-CCCM Cluster map, published this month, shows 641 collective centres and 587 spontaneous settlements country-wide, hosting 80,000 households. While the number of sites has increased by almost half over twelve months, the number of people living in such sites has trebled. The north-western Governorates of Al Hudaydah and its neighbours Hajjah and Al Mahwit have jointly seen a six fold increase to 413 IDP sites – of which 306 are in Hajjah. Meanwhile, the number of sites in the Governorates of Amran (north of Sana’a) and Taizz (southwest Yemen) remains high – now at 180 and 142 respectively – which is little changed from last year.

Ongoing UNHCR support at hosting sites includes the promotion of secure land tenure, the improvement of living conditions and the construction of transitional shelters. For example, in Abs (in Hajjah), 3,200 ecologically adapted transitional shelters are being built – to every extent possible these eco-shelters use materials that are locally available and designs that are adapted to the high temperatures of the coastal plane. In the southern Governorates of Aden and Lahj, six new hosting sites were identified between October 2018 and January 2019. Based on needs assessments, UNHCR is implementing rehabilitation and upgrades, which include improved lighting and access to water, as well as installing latrines and cooking facilities.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-25-january-2019