Aid agencies in Yemen continue to scale up response efforts despite limited financial resources, the COVID-19 pandemic, a challenging operating environment and a deteriorating humanitarian situation due to escalating hostilities and a perpetually declining economy.

With $2.1 billion received by the end of October, aid agencies have been able to resume full food rations to some of the most food insecure Yemenis in 2021 as donors stepped up with $1.2 billion for food assistance. The funding came at a critical time as it helped to temporarily curb and push back the risk of famine and to scale up nutrition intervention.

Aid agencies are conducting countrywide needs assessments to understand the most pressing humanitarian needs across sectors in Yemen and the results will provide valuable information for strategiclevel decision-making including funding requirements for 2022.

Additional funds are required to maintain assistance for the next six months – and protect the gains made thus far. Without additional funding, five million people may soon see cuts in food assistance by the end of the year, rising to 7.5 million people in early 2022.

In addition, key humanitarian response sectors – including health, WASH, shelter, camp management and protection – are struggling to meet needs. All of these sectors have received less than 20 per cent of needed funds. By August, over 3.4 million people were reached with WASH services, health cluster partners assisted 528,235 people, while 771,307 people received nutrition treatment.

While donors have pledged additional resources towards the humanitarian response at the Yemen High-Level Side Event at 76th United Nations General Assembly in September , only 55 per cent of the $3.85 billion required for 2021 has been provided by the end of October. Donors are urged to disburse pledges and provide additional funding to enable partners to sustain the current level of response until the end of the year.

During his media briefing in Geneva on 11 October, Mr. Gressly reiterated the importance of sustaining the aid operation, unlocking the economy and stopping the war. “We cannot reverse what’s happening in Yemen without a political settlement, without a ceasefire. As long as the conflict continues, we are going to continue to see massive humanitarian needs in Yemen. That is just the reality. We would like to see otherwise,” he told the media in Geneva.

With some 20.7 million people in need of assistance and protection, Yemen remains at high risk of descending into a deeper crisis. Unprecedented levels of humanitarian assistance helped to avert famine and other disasters in recent years, yet the underlying drivers of the crisis persist. As the armed conflict continues to escalate alongside the waning economy, vulnerable populations are increasingly unable to cope. Aid agencies are conducting country-wide humanitarian needs assessments to enable the understanding of the most pressing humanitarian needs across sectors in Yemen and the results will provide valuable information for strategic-level decision-making including funding requirements for 2022.