Emergency
Yemen
- 18.6 million
- need humanitarian assistance in 2024
- 17 million
- people are food insecure
- US$2.9 billion
- funding needed for WFP in 2024
Nearly a decade of conflict in Yemen has created one of the most severe humanitarian crises. The World Food Programme's (WFP) emergency response is also among the largest in the world, with over 15 million people reached in 2023.
The current level of hunger is causing severe hardship for millions of people. Despite ongoing humanitarian assistance, 17 million Yemenis are food insecure.
In December 2023, WFP announced a pause in general food distributions in areas under the control of the Sana'a-based authorities, due to limited funding and no agreement with the authorities on a smaller programme. WFP will maintain nutrition support, school meals initiatives, and livelihood and resilience programmes.
WFP supplies much of the logistics capacity for the humanitarian response in Yemen, supporting other UN agencies and NGOs.
WFP’s food assistance and the continued support of donors have been instrumental in keeping famine at bay. However, we urgently need to secure additional funding, with operations requiring US$1.27 billion from March to August 2024.
What the World Food Programme is doing to respond to the Yemen emergency
-
Food assistance
-
WFP's primary focus is on general food assistance, providing essential rations to food-insecure households across Yemen. WFP provides food through over 4,360 distribution points across all 333 districts of Yemen.
-
Cash assistance
-
WFP uses cash assistance in areas where markets are stable enough to provide for communities’ basic food needs. Using a biometrics system, people receive cash equal to the value of the food basket provided to families. Much higher food prices in the south versus the north of Yemen means the cash amount is different. Cash assistance injects much-needed liquidity into the economy
-
Nutrition
-
WFP nutrition activities target 2.2 million children and 1.9 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, through a moderate acute malnutrition treatment programme and a prevention of acute and chronic malnutrition programme. WFP also provides technical assistance and training in nutrition treatment to Ministry of Public Health and Population staff and community health volunteers.
-
School meals
-
Under the school feeding programme, WFP provides primary schoolchildren with fortified date bars or fortified biscuits each day they attend school. WFP also runs a Healthy Kitchens project, providing locally sourced and freshly prepared school meals.
-
Logistics
-
The WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service carries humanitarian workers between five key hubs in Yemen and the region. In addition, the Logistics Cluster enables regular sea and air transport for humanitarian cargo between Aden, Hodeidah, Sana’a and Djibouti.
How you can help
WFP urgently needs US$1.27 billion from March to August 2024 for its operations, amid a significant funding shortfall.
Donate now
