USAID grants UNFPA US$23 million to boost women’s health and protection in Yemen

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) contributes US$23.4 million to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, to provide emergency relief and life-saving reproductive health and protection services to 1.3 million of the most vulnerable women and girls in Yemen.

UNFPA welcomes this generous support within the premise of its longstanding partnership with USAID which will allow for the uninterrupted provision of these life-saving services at a time when UNFPA’s humanitarian response is being challenged by limited financing and growing humanitarian needs, particularly among women and girls.

After eight years of grinding conflict, Yemeni women and girls remain extremely vulnerable. An estimated 7.1 million women require urgent access to protection services, while services remain severely overstretched or completely absent. More than 5 million women and girls of childbearing age have limited or no access to reproductive health services, among them 1.5 million pregnant women are acutely malnourished.

Mental health care remains scarce with only one psychiatrist available for every 700,000 people, way below the global ratio of 33.9 psychiatrists per 100,000 people. An estimated 7 million people require mental health treatment and support in 2023, but only 120,000 have uninterrupted access to these services.

The impact of climate change is compounding the displacement of families brought about by the conflict with nearly 100,000 people displaced since January 2023 due to torrential rains and flooding.

“The needs of women and girls in Yemen are huge and urgent. This generous contribution will enable UNFPA and its partners to continue safeguarding the health and well-being of women and girls in surviving one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises,” said UNFPA’s Representative in Yemen, Ms. Enshrah Ahmed.

The USAID contribution will help to ensure access to high-quality reproductive health and protection services for women and girls in areas where needs are most severe. More specifically, the funding will allow UNFPA to provide an integrated package of reproductive health, protection, mental health, and psychosocial support services in 14 hospitals and four mobile health clinics. Twenty women and girls’ safe spaces will be supported to provide psychosocial care, livelihood opportunities, and referral for legal aid and medical services. The new funding will also help the delivery of immediate, life-saving supplies to families on the move as they flee conflict or natural disasters, through support to the UNFPA-led Rapid Response Mechanism.

UNFPA requires US$40 million over the next five months to fund its life-saving response for the reproductive health and protection of women and girls in Yemen. UNFPA leads the coordination and provision of women’s reproductive health and protection services across the country.