Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 4 June 2020
IDP Response
On 2 June, donors pledged USD 1.35 BN to support relief efforts in Yemen, at a virtual conference organised in Riyadh by KSA and OCHA. Top pledges included Saudi Arabia (USD 500 M), the US (USD 225 M), the UK (USD 196.5 M), and Germany (USD 139.8 M). However, the total amount fell below the estimated USD 2.4 BN target.
The UN and partners currently require at least 1.64 BN to maintain urgent life-saving activities for 18 million Yemenis dependent on international humanitarian aid.
The UNHCR-led Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) and Shelter/Non-Food Items (NFIs) clusters are coordinating with partners to respond to 457 flood-affected families in Al Dhale’e governorate with shelter, core relief items (CRIs), and food assistance. UNHCR will assist 400 families in need with plastic sheets and CRIs, including mattresses, blankets, and floormats, using its last stocks. On 24 May, torrential rains and flash floods affected 16 hosting sites in Al Dhale’e, causing widespread damage to shelters.
UNHCR delivered cash assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Marib governorate. So far, UNHCR reached some 4,000 IDPs with multi-purpose cash assistance of YER 100,000 (approx. USD 140) to cover their basic needs. In light of insufficient funding for humanitarian programmes in Yemen, protection services such as cash assistance may be forced to close if additional funds cannot be secured; of the 41 major UN programmes, more than 30 risk closing in the coming weeks.
During the reporting period, UNHCR provided protection services to 1,280 conflict-affected IDPs across the country. More than 300 IDPs received assistance with registration and documentation, legal and psychosocial counselling, referral to specialized services including child protection, SGBV. Some 300 displaced persons also received psychosocial support via telephone or through community-based networks. Some 40 vulnerable IDPs received emergency cash assistance to help cover their protection needs, including shelter. UNHCR also conducted door-to-door household assessments for approximately 660 displaced families. UNHCR will use the result of the assessment to provide adequate assistance to the most vulnerable families.
Refugee Response
Amidst the global pandemic and the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen, refugees and asylum seekers continue to arrive in the country, primarily from the Horn of Africa. Over the reporting period, the Government of Yemen (GoY)’s Immigration Passport Naturalization Authority (IPNA) and UNHCR registered 74 new arrivals from Somalia at reception centres in Basateen and Mukalla. New arrivals reported being abused and exploited upon arrival in Yemen. The Somali community leader alerted UNHCR of the expected further arrival of a group of Somali and Ethiopians in Mayfa’a, reportedly making its way towards Aden. UNHCR also provided registration and documentation to 17 Somali nationals that arrived in the south from the north. In total, 115 arrivals from the north have been registered so far.
Close to 1,000 refugees, asylum seekers, and Yemeni nationals accessed urgent health services at the five UNHCR-supported clinics across the country during the reporting period. UNHCR educational activities reached close to 3,300 refugees and host community members. About 200 refugees received mosquito nets and awareness-raising material on diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, including malaria, dengue and chikungunya. In Aden and Sana’a, clinics reported an increased number of patients suffering from a fever-like illness. The operation is closely monitoring this trend.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-4-june-2020