The food security situation in Yemen’s districts under the control of the Government of Yemen (GoY) slightly improved during the first five months of this year, while acute malnutrition increased, compared to the same period in 2022, a new analysis suggests. However, the outlook for the period between June until the end of 2023 indicates the need for more investments, as the modest improvements may be eroded, UN agencies warned on Thursday.
Yemen remains one of the most food insecure countries globally, mainly driven by the impact of the armed conflict and economic decline. The new Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) analysis on Yemen released Thursday found that, despite the slight improvements, nearly all districts under the control of the Government were assessed to be facing high levels of food insecurity.
“The United Nations and its partners made strides in rolling back the worst food insecurity last year, but these gains remain fragile and 17 million people are still food insecure in Yemen. We thank generous donors for commitments made so far but need further support to reach the level of funding received last year to sustain an integrated humanitarian response”, David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, said.
The report showed that Yemen continues to require attention, with hunger stalking millions of people and the situation could worsen if nothing is done to address the key drivers of food insecurity in the Middle Eastern country.
“With adequate resources, we will reach millions of Yemenis with critical food and nutrition support, clean water, basic health care, protection and other necessities, while building people’s resilience and preparing communities across the country to withstand future shocks”, Gressly added.
Between January and May 2023, about 3.2 million people experienced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and worse), representing a 23 percent reduction from the October – December 2022 estimates. Additionally, the number of people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) almost halved to 781,000 compared to the estimates for the last quarter of 2022.
However, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that these modest improvements were only a ‘temporary reprieve’ as the key drivers of food insecurity remain and are projected to worsen during the period June to December 2023.
The IPC report projected an increase in the number of people facing IPC Phase 3 and above (638,500 additional people) during the June to December period. The number of people likely to experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or worse) is estimated to increase to 3.9 million, out of which 2.8 million people are estimated to be in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and 1.1 million in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).
As acute malnutrition continues to worsen in southern governorates, it is estimated that in 2023, nearly 456,00 children under the age of five in Yemen will likely suffer from acute malnutrition over the course of 2023, including nearly 100,000 children who are likely to be severely malnourished and up to a quarter million pregnant and lactating women and girls.
“UNICEF and partners reached about 420,000 children suffering from severe and acute malnutrition with lifesaving interventions in 2022. This is the highest ever reached in Yemen, thanks to the scale up of nutrition services in 4700 PHC facilities”, said UNICEF Yemen Representative, Peter Hawkins.
The three UN agencies warn that the situation is likely to be compounded by a 20 percent decrease in humanitarian food assistance levels and an anticipated increase in food and fuel prices to about 30 percent above the average level. While there has been a relative calm, sporadic fighting may continue in the frontline districts which further impacts food security.
“WFP’s assistance is critical for getting people to firmer ground, for averting crisis and famine, for a better future, and we urge our donors to renew their commitment to supporting the most vulnerable Yemenis. Yemen's food insecurity situation remains fragile, and the hard-won gains of the past 12 months will be lost without continued and urgent support from our donors.”; said WFP Country Director, Richard Ragan.
“There are women, men and children behind these IPC statistics, whose lives straddle the fine line between hope and utter devastation. We simply cannot take our foot off the gas now.”
Eight years of armed conflict in Yemen have caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties and forced millions to flee, making Yemen one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Nearly 6 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the civil war in 2015. 4.5 million people are internally displaced inside Yemen.
17 million people in Yemen experience high levels of acute food insecurity, driven mainly by conflict, economic decline and climate change. The nutrition situation is improving slightly. However, this progress is extremely fragile and could reverse quickly if aid agencies are forced to reduce or suspend programs due to funding shortfalls. The UN estimates that 21.6 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2023. Among them are 12.9 million children.
IPC stands for the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a multipartner initiative for improving food security and decision-making. The IPC acute food insecurity scale consists of five classifications: (1) minimal/none, (2) stressed, (3) crisis, (4) emergency, and (5) catastrophe/famine.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is an international organization that coordinates and advances international efforts to combat hunger and improve food security and nutrition worldwide. The organization was founded on October 16, 1945, and consists of 195 members. Headquartered in Rome, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is the agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. Created in 1946 as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF is today one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect children’s rights.
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization. The UN agency, awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, is saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to support people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. The World Food Programme works in over 120 countries and territories. For millions of people worldwide, WFP assistance can make the difference between life and death.
Further information
Full text: Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Snapshot Yemen, published May 25, 2023
https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Yemen_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Malnutrition_JanDec2023_Report_English.pdf
Full text: Conflict and economic crisis drive food insecurity and malnutrition in Yemen, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), joint press release, published May 25, 2023
https://www.wfp.org/news/conflict-and-economic-crisis-drive-food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-yemen