Yemen UNHCR Flash Update, 30 November 2018
Key figures:
22.2M people in need
2M internally displaced persons (IDP)
89% of IDPs displaced for more than one year
1M IDP returnees
Funding
USD 198.7 M required for 2018
USD 137.5 M received as of 26 November 2018
Highlights
UNHCR’s winter response continues in Yemen. Over 6,000 households have been assessed for shelter and protection needs. Vulnerable people living in areas at higher altitudes are prioritised for winter assistance as they are more exposed to harsh weather conditions. Recent assessments have been completed in Al-Maghrabah and Kuhlan Affar, in the highlands of Hajjah Governorate, 70km northwest of Sana’a. In the highlands of Sana’a and nearby in Amanat Al Asimah, the needs of close to 1,000 households were also assessed. Where assessments have identified people with immediate needs, such as serious medical cases, urgent assistance has been provided. Other vulnerable households, with substantial but less urgent needs will be assisted in the next round of distributions. More than 10,000 families will receive cash-based assistance to cover their basic needs during the winter.
UNHCR Response
In Aden Governorate, a UNHCR team visited two collective centres housing internally displaced persons (IDP). The team identified shelter and WASH-related gaps, including water shortages, inadequate water and sewage management. Activities are underway to upgrade the two centres – Al Shaab and Fuqoom – which are located in Al Buraiqeh district, west of Aden city.
Disbursements are ongoing as part of UNHCR’s plans to provide USD 41 million in cash assistance in Yemen this year. To date in 2018, UNHCR has provided cash assistance to over 63,000 households, including IDPs, IDP returnees and vulnerable members of the host community. Of those, over 26,000 received cash to help respond to protection needs while more than 37,000 received rental subsidies for shelter.
On 25 November, five Eritrean refugees departed for resettlement to Sweden, bringing the number of Eritreans resettled to Sweden from Yemen this year to 60. So far in 2018, UNHCR has submitted 64 for resettlement out of Yemen. The emergency resettlement programme, which is implemented through close cooperation between UNHCR, IOM and relevant state authorities.
In Hajjah Governorate, north of Al Hudaydah, UNHCR is constructing 3,200 transitional shelters for people who fled to Abs and have been living in poor conditions. The new shelters are being set up in Abs, in the coastal plane, 140km north of Al Hudaydah and 60km from the border with Saudi Arabia. Adapted to the hot local climate, they have roofs made of thatched grass over a layer plastic sheeting, using a design which allows for airflow and reduces temperatures inside. The construction of 800 of the shelters has been completed, while another 500 are already underway.
In Aden on 22 November, UNHCR, the Civil Registration Authority (under the Ministry of Interior) and others, celebrated the completion of the first issuing of official temporary ID cards for displaced people. This important initiative aims to provide government-issued civil documentation to 2,000 IDPs and IDP returnees, which should improve their access to services, including access to cash assistance.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-flash-update-30-november-2018
