Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 3 January 2020 [EN/AR]
IDP Response
The 6th cash distribution for areas under the Sana’a Country Office was completed on December 31. This marks the largest cash distribution of 2019, which was distributed over the course of three weeks. A total of 56,303 families (some 394,121 individuals) were targeted with cash assistance to cover urgent needs. For areas under Sub Office Aden, the 9th cash assistance distribution supported some 9,578 families (67,046 individuals). During 2019, some 165,000 families (1.16 million individual) received cash assistance as a single payment for protection services and winter assistance, or two instalments for rental subsidies.
Distribution of emergency items is ongoing for families fleeing frontlines, as well as replenishment of items for protracted internally displaced persons (IDPs). Field Office Ibb distributed basic household items to a total of 296 families, with 135 families receiving emergency shelter kits (ESKs) in Taizz, Dhamar and Ibb governorates. Some 158 families received nonfood items (NFIs), while 44 families received ESKs in Dhamar governorate. In the areas under Sub Office Aden, UNHCR distributed basic household items through partners to 1,074 families, while 56 families received emergency shelter support. UNHCR partner YRC, in collaboration with Amran Governorate and the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SMCMHA), provided settlement support for some 120 IDP families facing eviction who had self-settled in Amran district. The families will be relocated onto land this week belonging to Iyal Surayh district in Amran governorate. UNHCR will cover transportation costs for IDPs and provide NFIs and ESKs, while partner YRC will deliver WASH services to all families. The Prime Minister of Yemen, Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, confirmed in a meeting with UNHCR Aden that the Ministry of Local Administration has been instructed to provide suitable public land for IDPs. This vital step will reduce the risk of evictions and help the humanitarian response to meet international standards. On 31 December, UNHCR staff met with displaced persons residing at a school in Al Turbah city, Taizz governorate. The authorities have identified an alternative space to relocate the IDPs so that school can resume for host community and IDP children.
Refugee Response
UNHCR provided a one-off cash assistance to an additional 5,713 refugee families living in Aden and Mukalla city whose livelihoods have been impacted by insecurities in the southern governorates during the year. Families with valid ID cards received some USD 220 each to cover their most prioritised needs. During the reporting period, a ceremony commemorating the distribution of rehabilitated antiretroviral therapy and polymerase chain reaction units for HIV testing was held in Al-Sadaqua Hospital in Aden. The units will accommodate persons living with HIV—including refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs and vulnerable host community members—and provide free medication and follow-up. UNHCR had been supporting the expansion and finalization of the HIV centre at the hospital since 2012, and currently some 500 people (including 20 refugees and asylum-seekers) are receiving treatment.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-3-january-2020-enar