Yemen remains one of the world’s most complex and protracted humanitarian crises, with years of conflict, economic collapse, and climate shocks driving deepening suffering. Nearly 20 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 9.6 million women and girls facing severe hunger, rising violence, and a collapsing health system. Maternal deaths are increasing as more than 70 per cent of Yemen’s population lacks sufficient food, 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished, and health facilities are destroyed or non-functional. Flooding in 20 governorates has further displaced families and damaged hospitals, schools, and water systems, compounding an already dire situation.
Despite immense operational challenges — from access restrictions and funding shortfalls to movement limitations for female staff — UNFPA remains a lifeline for women and girls. Between January and September 2025, nearly 1.5 million people received life-saving reproductive health, protection, and psychosocial support. UNFPA supports 72 health facilities, 34 safe spaces, and 8 shelters, enabling more than 19,000 safe deliveries and 6,500 emergency caesareans. Over 19,000 survivors of gender-based violence accessed case management, counselling, and legal aid, while mental health services reached more than 257,000 people. The Rapid Response Mechanism assisted 262,000 displaced people with essential supplies within days of crisis onset, and community midwives continued to deliver care in areas where clinics have closed.
Yet these achievements are under severe threat. Funding cuts have forced a 40 per cent reduction in UNFPA’s life-saving interventions, leaving nearly 2 million women and girls without access to care. The 2025 appeal for US$70 million was only 36 per cent funded by September, with US$44.5 million still required to maintain essential services through year’s end. Without urgent and flexible funding, maternal health facilities will remain dark, survivors will lose access to safe spaces, and Yemen’s women and girls — already paying the highest price of this crisis — will be left without the care and protection they deserve.
