The World Bank: An additional financing proposal worth $150 million to continue basic services in Yemen
English - Sunday 03 September 2023 الساعة 03:04 pm
Al-Mukalla, NewsYemen, exclusive:
The World Bank confirmed that a second additional financing has been proposed for the emergency project being implemented in Yemen with a grant of up to $150 million provided by the International Development Association.
According to the additional financing document published by the World Bank website and viewed by NewsYemen, the second additional financing will aim to maintain the continued provision of basic services in the areas of health, nutrition, water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.
The bank explained that more than $260 million was disbursed from the beginning of the project in June 2021 until June 27, 2023. At a rate of 91% of the total funding to the bodies responsible for implementation in Yemen, indicating that the project funds will be implemented to provide basic health and nutrition services until September 30; In addition to conducting interventions in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene, such as transporting fuel supplies to water and sanitation facilities and transporting water by truck to health facilities.
According to the bank, the proposed additional financing will prevent interruptions in the provision of basic services and the resulting potential negative effects on human capital in Yemen, explaining that the health, water, sanitation and hygiene sectors in Yemen have been devastated due to the conflict that has been ongoing for about 10 years, as well as Economic fluctuations that led to damage to public infrastructure, disruption of services and reduction of tasks.
The report confirmed that the short- and medium-term recovery and reconstruction needs in the water and sanitation sector range between $763-932 million, indicating that about 38% of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities were damaged; In addition, 38% of health facilities were destroyed and damaged. Moreover, shortages of fuel, electricity and water have weakened the country's ability to provide public services.
The emergency project has been implemented in Yemen since its launch in June 2021 through several bodies, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office for Project Services, and the World Health Organization, with an amount of $150 million. Initial additional financing of $150 million was provided in July 2022. These grants were distributed to the implementing agencies, amounting to $90 million to the World Health Organization and $60 million to the United Nations Office for Project Services, while UNICEF received more than $149 million.
The second additional financing grant, estimated at $150 million, will be added to the total of previous funds received by previously implementing agencies to enhance their activities aimed at improving basic services. The emergency project in Yemen is scheduled to close in 2025.
The continuation of the armed conflict that has been taking place in Yemen for 9 years has destroyed the Yemeni economy and deepened the humanitarian crisis in the country. It also caused significant material damage to the infrastructure in most governorates, in addition to the depletion of institutions and the contraction of the economy, exposing Yemen to great risks.
In 2023, the number of citizens in need of humanitarian assistance and protection reached more than 21 million people. That's nearly three-quarters of Yemen's population, including 12 million children. While the number of displaced people reached more than 4 million people, including two million children, while more than 17 million Yemenis suffer from acute food insecurity, and two million children and more than a million pregnant and breastfeeding women suffer from acute malnutrition.
