Emergency Response Fund Yemen. Credit: UN OCHA Yemen/Eman Al-Awami. Annual Report Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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1 Emergency Response Fund Yemen Credit: UN OCHA Yemen/Eman Al-Awami Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

2 Note from the Humanitarian Coordinator Dear Colleagues, The OCHA team and I are happy to share with you the 2011 Emergency Response Fund (ERF) Annual Report. Over the past two years, the ERF proved to be a vital tool for the humanitarian community in Yemen. Since its inception, the ERF in Yemen has received little over US$10 million to provide an essential and timely response to unforeseen and sudden emergencies. Furthermore, the Fund was effectively used to improve the inter cluster coordination and strengthening partnership among UN agencies national and international NGOs and the Donors community. Despite the increase of acute humanitarian needs in the first half of 2012, funding for lifesaving programming decreased compared to the CAP Only three Clusters (Early Recovery, Food Security and Shelter) have received more funding this year compared to the situation mid For all the other Clusters funding decreased compared to mid This includes the WASH Cluster with urgently need requirements to provide 1.3 million people with access to clean potable water and basic sanitation facilities. The Nutrition Cluster is funded at 36% compared to 63% at mid-2011 which prevents the Cluster from carrying out lifesaving activities. The majority of the ERF funding was contributed in 2011, and to date, the Fund has disbursed over 50 per cent of the total funds received to national and international NGOs and UN Agencies across seven sectors. In 2011, the ERF funded 21 projects at a total of US$ 3,736,659. It helped 14 organizations provide assistance and protection to more than 235,000 people in need. As such, the ERF once again this year was instrumental in improving the timeliness and appropriateness of humanitarian response through the provision of a flexible resource that were e activated quickly. The emphasis of the ERF was to support rapidresponse projects seeking to contribute sustaining lives. The Fund was also available to strategically fill gaps (geographic or sectoral). The (YHRP). The overall funding of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) as of 15 May 2012 was 42% which is above the average of funding for all appeals in 2012 (32%). This is a positive development since early April, when the YHRP was only 20% funded. However, the funding gap remains large: USD 262 million, or 58% of the total needs. The revised requirements through the MYR process will hopefully further increase this funding gap. In addition, funding has not been even among clusters. Education, health and protection remain funded below 20% which has serious consequences for the integrated response within these sectors but also in response to ongoing trends, i.e. the increase of malnutrition rates that requires also a health component; the deterioration of the protection situation through inter-tribal conflicts in the north and armed conflict in the south that leads to an increase of protection concerns etc. Two years on, the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate. The humanitarian impact of the political unrest and multiple conflicts continue to place pressure on Yemen s most vulnerable communities. This demonstrates that new unpredicted needs are continuing to escalate, and more demands are now being placed on the ERF. The humanitarian situation in Yemen demands further enhancement and efficiency of the Fund through a more holistic ERF that not only addresses unforeseen and unplanned humanitarian needs, but also ensures that funds are focused on addressing priority underfunded needs within the CAP. The Fund will need to balance between short term rapid responses and being flexible to work in high-risk areas by extending the duration of the projects combined by increasing the fund ceiling. Furthermore to develop a more robust accountability and rigorous monitoring and reporting framework to ensure full accountability will be needed. Special attention will be given to empower and strengthen partnership with local NGOs. The ERF team and I look forward to facing these challenges in With the support of our donors and cooperation of UN agencies, national and international NGO colleagues, we are sure that the ERF will continue to be an efficient tool in providing timely relief and protection to people in need. 1

3 Executive Summary The situation in Yemen continues to be characterized by conflict, large scale displacement and a high number of refugees. Combined with civil unrest and political insecurity leading to increased displacement; migrants stranded in north Yemen; conflict in North and South; economic decline; increase in the cost of living in various parts of the country. The most affected groups are internally displaced people (IDPs), rural children, female-headed households, returnees and stranded migrants. The affected population is located in the Northern Governorates (Sada a, Hajjah, Sana a, Al-Jawf, Marib) where armed conflict, malnutrition, outbreak of diseases and intensified civil unrest is taking place. Also in the Southern Governorates (Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Shawah, Taiz, Al Dhale e, Al- Bayada) where the majority of refugees is located, an increasing amount of hostilities between the government forces and non state actors is being reported. In the West and Central Governorates the vulnerability is characterized by severe chronic food insecurity. The ERF in coordination with the cluster coordinators and OCHA field units reviewed more than 33 project proposals to insure a coordinated response to the identified needs. After insuring no gaps or overlaps exist, together with a satisfactory technical review by the respective cluster, the successful proposals were sent to the Review Board (RB) and the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for endorsement. In 2011 a total of 21 projects were approved to address the needs of more than 235,059 persons, for more than US$3.7 million. More than half of the funds were directed to urgent needs in the WASH and the Health clusters. Cluster Number of US$ projects Cluster Coordination 1 234,200 Education 2 292,135 Food Security 3 506,916 Health 6 968,328 Logistics Cluster 1 251,500 Service Shelter 1 93,327 WASH 5 1,062,915 Protection 2 327,338 Total 21 3,736,659 Graph 1: ERF allocations per cluster 2

4 WASH 24% Protection 9% Cluster coordination 5% Food Security 14% Education 9% Shelter 5% Logistics Cluster Service 5% Health 29% 2

5 Country Map 3

6 Information on Contributors The number of ERF donors has increased from three in 2010 to five in Australia, Ireland and Switzerland contributed to the Fund for the first time in 2011 while Sweden and the United Kingdom continued their support. Compared to 2010, the funds received almost tripled. The continued support of the donors will enable the Fund to increase its outreach and potentially expand to include more projects in 2012/13. Table 1: Contributions received by donor Donor (Funding Source) Pledges and Contributions Received in US$ Australia 1,002,004 Ireland 273,598 Sweden 2,214,366 Switzerland 542,888 United Kingdom (DFID) 2,467,105 Total 6,499,961 Fund Overview Summary of ERF Allocations in 2011 Requested for 2011 in US$ Carry over from 2010 in US$ Amount pledged or received in 2011 in US$ Exchange loss in 2011 in US$ Total available in 2011 in US$ 5,000,000 2,415,058 6,499,961 3,502 8,911,517 ERF allocationsin 2011 by partner type in US$ ERF allocations in 2011 by project type in US$ UN Agencies 1,264,842 Emergency response 3,736,659 International NGOs 1,998,779 Preparedness 0 National NGOs 472,812 Innovative (if any) 0 Total 3,736,659 Total 3,736,659 4

7 Graph 2: Type of NGO / Agency NNGO 13% INGO 53% UN 34% 5

8 Results of ERF Projects per Cluster Overview of HEALTH Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 6 968,328 CSSW, WHO, RI, ADRA and SC Taiz, Hajjah, Haradh, Mazark, Amran, Sana a, Sada a and other affected cities Total number of beneficiaries: 51,528 Outputs Gender consideration: number of women: 7,838, men: 20,159 and children: 23,531 Projects results: Lifesaving and emergency evacuation facilities were made available in hotspots and evacuation destinations during demonstrations, 36 ambulances in four major cities evacuated 3168 patients to these facilities. 80 primary health kits were made available which reduced potential public health problems in IDP camps for five months. Additionally awareness campaigns and rapid test facilities were made available in the same camps families were provided with Malaria prevention tools in addition to disease awareness raising 15,000 IDPs in Mazrak III camp were enabled to access healthcare facilities during the implementation of the project. The IDPs benefited from health care services and awareness campaigns. Furthermore medical staff were made available to continue to operate the facility after the end of the project. The outbreak of dengue fever was controlled by conducting insecticide spraying campaign to eliminate vector responsible for the transmission of the dengue fever, as well as improving access to medical services for those infected. In total, 40,000 persons infected by the dengue fever were targeted, and another 12,000 were targeted to raise their awareness through public health education campaigns on dengue fever. ERF s added value to the project: o The ERF enabled the humanitarian partners to contribute to the reduction of the mortality and morbidity among the displaced population. o Support was provided to health facilities in order to timely manage all injured people to prevent mortality and disability in times of conflict. o The spread of dengue and other insect-borne diseases during the winter season among IDPs and conflictaffected host communities in the Hajjah Governorate was prevented. o The health of residents of Mazraq III camp, IDPs in settlements and surrounding villages was enhanced by delivering basic health care services to the target populations. 6

9 Overview of WASH Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 5 1,062,915 CARE, RI and Oxfam GB Amran, Sana a, Hajjah, Aden, Sada a and Aden. Total number of beneficiaries: 26,088 Outputs Gender consideration: number of women: 2,307, men: 2,401, girls 10,490, boys 10,890 Project results: The five WASH projects were implemented by three agencies in the following areas: Aden, Amran, Sahar and Sana a. These WASH activities targeted IDPs and vulnerable communities to improve their hygiene level, promoted environmental health, improved access to purified potable water and storage capacity, through distribution of water purification kits and and cleaning tools and detergents and a replacement parts for IDPs. Latrines, drainage and sewerage system were rehabilitation for schools and public buildings used as temporary shelters for IPDs. The target group for these WASH activities included vulnerable groups most affected by civil unrest in Sana a, Aden, Amran, and Hajjah (including IDPs and at risk host communities, and refugees) ERF s added value to the project o o The ERF was used to fill critical gaps in the overall WASH intervention response plan for the IDP crises. The ERF also helped filling gaps resulted from spillover effects of the IDPs crises on the host communities. Overview of EDUCATION Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 2 292,135 YWU and UNICEF Sada a, Dheher, Shida, Razeh and Haradh Total number of beneficiaries: 19,932 Outputs Gender consideration: number of women: 493, girls: 9650, men: 439 and boys: 9350 Project results: 90% of the targeted students have increased their awareness of diseases resulting from a lack of personal and environmental hygiene. 85% of targeted pupils have been provided with children school kits encouraging them to continue their education. 70% of the pupils' parents have been provided with psychological support leading them to make their children continue their education. The dropout rate was decreased from 58.1% to 37.5% in the targeted conflict areas. ER Funds were used to purchase tents to established temporary classrooms, as well as learning materials, textbooks and school bags which facilitated education of pupils. Gender sensitization and advocacy sessions were conducted among community and religious leaders. Special needs of the conflicted affected children were met through knowledge and skill upgrading training of 600 teachers to enable them to provide psychosocial support in school. Fathers and Mothers councils in thirty (30) schools in the targeted areas were trained and encouraged to take active 7

10 part in the education of their children ERF s added value to the project: o The ERF funded projects enabled the humanitarian agencies to access high risk areas were the central government s could not provided basic social services as education, health and sanitation facilities. o The ERF enabled the humanitarian agencies to improve the health and environmental status for displaced students in Sada'a government and helped decrease the dropout rate. Overview of CLUSTER COORDINATION Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 1 234,200 WFP Sada a Outputs Total number of beneficiaries: 20 UN agencies working in Yemen (782 staff) Gender consideration: N.A Project results: 17 out of the scheduled 24 flights took place between Sana a and Sa adah and Aden Total of 252 UN staff flew from 15 agencies. ERF s added value to the project: o The ERF enabled the UN agencies to ensure operational continuity and enhance the predictability, timeliness and efficiency of the emergency response to Sa adah governorate by facilitating the transportation of UN personnel and light cargo to conflict-affected areas. Overview of LOGISTIC CLUSTER SERVICE Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 1 251,500 WFP Sana a Outputs Total number of beneficiaries: 20 UN agencies plus 15 NGOs working in Yemen (782 staff) Gender consideration: NA Project results: Service Level Agreement signed with 35 humanitarian agencies for fuel provision service Total of 123,000 liters of fuel were distributed to humanitarian agencies during the political crisis which resulted into fuel shortage by the logistic cluster which was given the responsibility to set up three fuel distribution sites in Sana a, Aden and Hardt, these being three hubs for humanitarian operations in Yemen. ERF s added value to the project: o ERF enabled the continuation of operations for 35 humanitarian agencies through the provision of funds to the logistic cluster. 8

11 Overview of EMERGENCY SHELTER AND NFI Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 1 93,327 HFY Taiz Outputs Total number of beneficiaries: 695 families (approximately 4,244 individuals) Gender consideration: women: 475, men: 494, girls: 1603, boys: 1672 Project results: Distribution of Non Food Items (NFI) (mattresses, blankets, sleeping mats, water buckets, kitchen sits and plastic sheets) to the IDP families in the camps ERF s added value to the project: o The ERF enabled the humanitarian agencies to facilitate the speedy delivery of necessary NFIs to save lives, improve the living conditions and restore human dignity for IDPs and people affected by war from Sana'a and Abyan to Taiz. o The ERF enabled the local NGOs to provide needed items for IDPs and helped in building the capacity of the NGOs and the partners during the implementation. Overview of FOOD SECURITY Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 3 506,916 CSSW, IR and VHI Haradh, Adan, Lahj, Abyan and Arhab Outputs Total number of beneficiaries: 5906 families (approximately 38,309 individuals) Gender consideration: women: 4,334, men: 4,510, girls: 14,469, boys: 14,969 Project results: Identification and verification for IDP families was supported 5791 food packages (flour, rice, sugar, vegetable oil, canned beans) were distributed to the IDP families in the camps 1750 hot meals were provided to newly arrived IDPs ERF s added value to the project: o The ERF filled a gap in food security plan as a result of a sudden displacement wave until mean funding made available 9

12 Overview of PROTECTION Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 2 327,338 UNDP, INTERSOS Aden, Lahj, Abyan Total number of beneficiaries: 94,476. Outputs Gender consideration: number of women: 11,815, men: 15,149, girls: 33,081, boys: 34,431 Project results: Extremely Vulnerable Individuals (EVI) - Children 0-4, pregnant women, eelderly persons, persons with disabilities, sick or injured persons - among the IDPs received packages of NFIs (clothes, kitchen tools, mattresses, medicines, diapers, hygiene products). EVI received psychosocial, social and legal counseling EVI received life saving drugs An area of 71 km² was cleared of Unexploded ordnance (UXO), Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) Awareness campaign for residents or the project area including IDPs and children about UXO, ERW and IED were conducted Using ER Funds, high risk areas for UXO, ERW and IEDs where identified and cleared. ERF s added value to the project: o o The ERF enabled the humanitarian agencies to improve the living conditions of EVIs IDPs and improved their capacity to cope with the emergency situation caused by the displacement. The ERF enabled other agencies to start life saving activities until other sources of funds were identified 10

13 Summary and analysis of achievements Yemen is facing a complex emergency that includes widespread conflict-driven displacement, a slow-onset crisis in food security, malnutrition and outbreak of communicable diseases, particularly water-borne diseases. In the north, the vast majority of long-term IDPs displaced by six rounds of conflict in Sa ada remain in displacement due to fears of insecurity, damaged homes, a lack of livelihood opportunities and poor basic services. In the south, recent fighting between security forces and insurgents has additionally displaced a total of 465,000 people. The influx of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers (220,000) from the Horn of Africa continues, driven by conflict and famine. Civil unrest, in some instances involving high levels of violence, has severely disrupted the delivery of basic social services, exacerbating widespread and chronic vulnerabilities. and address unforeseen gaps in the planned overall response, however due to the different levels of review and consultation some bottlenecks might delay the final endorsement to few weeks. In 2011 in Yemen, 21 projects helped more than 235,059 people in need covering eight clusters/sectors. Five NGOs worked in the Health cluster and provided support to the health facilities to timely treat all injured people in order to prevent mortality and disability during the demonstrations in the first seven months of While the teams could respond to all cases, it was not easy to estimate the number of casualties beforehand, which affected the efficiency of the teams in some areas. The Fund was also used to provide IDPs in various areas of Yemen with health care and life-saving intervention and to fight malaria and dengue fever in remote areas with severe weather conditions. Moreover, the activities contributed to more permanent solutions by relocating a clinic to be near an IDP camp and providing primary health care for six months in the same clinic. Weak economic growth, a growing trade deficit, and an unstable national currency have exposed the population to rising global food and fuel prices. A delayed political settlement to the current stalemate could trigger further conflict across the country which would only deepen the humanitarian crisis. The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Yemen had indentified the priority needs as a result of the above challenges, the ERF as a tool was made available to complement the HCT efforts. The process for reviewing projects begins with OCHA and the relevant cluster coordinators undertaking a preliminary review of the proposal, including a technical review. If the proposal passes this stage it will hence be referred to the ERF RB (made up of UN agencies, INGOs and local NGOs representatives) who will carry out a further review of the proposal before forwarding the proposal to the HC with their recommendations. Engaging the cluster coordinators has positively supported their role, and the ERF served as tool not only to respond to emergency needs but also as coordination tool to support the leadership of the HC. The projects that respond to new/unforeseen emergency and urgent humanitarian needs were approved for funding. ERF applications usually take few days to process, provided they fulfill the ERF criteria, reflect priority needs identified by the humanitarian community Another intervention was implemented to reduce the mortality and morbidity of conflict affected children and their families and to create conditions which foster the voluntary return of IDPs to their pre-conflict areas. The intervention succeeded to improve the health situation of the targeted population; however the continued fighting in some areas of Yemen hindered the return of IDPs. Three NGOs worked in the WASH cluster insuring that vulnerable groups most affected by civil unrest, including IDPs and host communities as well as marginalized communities, have access to safe and clean water, and increase their resilience, in addition to raise their awareness about hygiene. As the IDPs movement continued more challenges were put on the implementing parties to face fluctuating demand. Moreover, the security situation around the camps reduced the flexibility of the implementing partners. Three NGOs worked in the Food security cluster ensuring that food and non-food items were accessed by IDPs and that their living conditions improved and their human dignity was restored. The interventions could provide the most needed rapid assistance to newly arrived IDPs in the first day of displacement. However, continues movement of the IDP increased the pressure to meet more demands. One NGO and one UN agency worked in the Education cluster to rehabilitate schools damaged during the 11

14 conflict and decrease the dropout rate. Furthermore, the intervention raised the awareness of the students of hygiene practices. The interventions in these areas not only helped the students but also increased the credibility of humanitarian agencies and NGOs in a high-risk area where the central government services in not available. The ERF enabled the Logistic cluster to ensure operational continuity of the emergency response by providing fuel and by facilitating the transportation of humanitarian personnel and light cargo to conflictaffected areas. This intervention enabled the UN agencies and NGOs to stay and deliver in high-risk areas and secured predictable fuel supply. Though the intervention succeeded to secure access to conflict-areas; challenges to provide a continuous fuel supply was not as successful, due to overall fuel shortage in the country consequent to political crisis. One NGO and one UN agency worked in the Protection cluster to help IDPs and most vulnerable people to cope with the emergency situation in the country. Another intervention was to raise awareness in the conflict areas on UXOs, ERW and IEDs. The intervention was designed to continue to clear large areas affected by the conflict. However, the continuous fighting the south restricted the advance of the intervention. 12

15 Project Monitoring The monitoring of ERF projects are done internally by the agencies as well as externally by OCHA. Agencies were requested to submit progress reports during the implementation period, and a final narrative and financial report, in addition to the audit report after completion of the projects. Field visits were carried out by the ERF Manager and OCHA field staff to monitor the progress of EFR funded projects for compliance and quality executions. Due to security restrictions, only one third of the projects / sites were visited by ERF Manager. Gender Consideration The Gender marker was rolled out in Yemen for the CAP and the ERF in 2011, with the help of the Gencap advisor. The ERF guidelines, documents and applications forms for gender mainstreaming were already included in the application documents (beneficiary data that includes a breakdown of women, girls, boys and men). Also, training was carried out to local NGOs, explaining the concept of gender and how to include it during the preparation of the proposal. In 2011, out of the 21 projects approved, five projects were marked 2 a (Gender mainstreaming, Potential to contribute significantly to gender equality), Three projects were marked 2 b (Targeted action Project s principal purpose is to advance gender equality), one project was marked 1 (Potential to contribute in some limited way to gender equality) and three were marked 0 (No visible potential to contribute to gender equality). Nine projects were not specified. Graph 3: Gender Marker Codes 13

16 Conclusion Entering the third year since the establishment of the ERF in Yemen, the Fund has proved to be an effective tool for a rapid respond to unforeseen emergencies and filling critical gaps in cluster response plans, it helped the humanitarian actors in Yemen to have a more better timed and focused humanitarian response. It is also a critical tool with the humanitarian community for coordination and promoting partnership among UN agencies, INGOs, NNGOs and donors. Balancing between rapid response, insuring high quality and appropriateness of response is difficult. Delays are encountered during the review process which results in major delays in the processing of the applications. Low quality applications, slow responsiveness from stakeholders and difficulties to access affected areas are among the challenges of the ERF. OCHA is working with local and international NGOs to improve the quality of ERF proposals to insure smooth processing and more rapid response. Furthermore, the humanitarian impact of the continued political unrest and multiple conflicts is placing more pressure on Yemen s most vulnerable communities. New unpredicted needs are continuing to escalate, and more demands are now being placed on the ERF to fund responses. eligibility criteria need to be expanded to ensure that the funds are even better focused on addressing priority needs. The Fund will need to balance between short term rapid responses and being flexible to work in high risk areas by extending the duration of the projects.. Furthermore a rigorous monitoring and reporting framework to ensure full accountability will be needed. As well as attract new donors to the Fund. To address these new challenges and responsibilities, OCHA will continue to improve the ERF capacity in In addition to creating new a national post for the ERF, OCHA will work on shortening proposals processing time and develop a more comprehensive database to monitor the status of the projects during processing as well as during implementation. OCHA will continue to improve the flow of information to donors and ERF stakeholders to ensure the transparency and accountability of the Fund. These challenges demand from the ERF to be even more efficient and to have a more holistic scope that addresses unforeseen and unplanned humanitarian needs. The 14

17 Glossary Term ADRA CAP CARE CSSW ERF ERW EVI HC HCT HFY IED INGO IR IDP NGO NNGO OCHA Oxfam GB RB RI SC USD UN UNDP UNICEF UXO VHI WASH WFP WHO YWU Description Adventist Development and Relief Consolidated Appeals Process CARE International Chartable Society for Social Welfare Emergency Response Fund Explosive Remnants of War Extremely Vulnerable Individual Humanitarian Coordinator Humanitarian Country Team Humanitarian Forum Yemen Improvised Explosive Devices International Non Governmental Organization Islamic Relief Worldwide Internally Displaced Person Non Governmental Organization National Non Governmental Organization Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Oxford Committee for Famine Relief Great Britain Review Board Relief International Save the Children United States Dollar United Nations United Nations Development Programme United Nations Children's Fund Unexploded ordnance Vision Hope International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene World Food Program World Health Organization Yemen Women Union 15