The level of need in Yemen is staggering. Nearly 80 per cent of the population requires humanitarian assistance and protection. Close to half of all families are in acute need. As many as 4.3 million civilians have been displaced, including 375,000 during 2019. Conditions are worst in conflict-affected areas, including in the sub-districts where humanitarian access remains restricted.

Two-thirds of the population, more than 20 million people, are hungry, and 36 percent of the population is malnourished. Economic decline, restrictions on imports, shortages of foreign exchange and liquidity, and fluctuations in the value of the currency continue to put millions of people at risk of famine.

Despite operational challenges, the humanitarian operation in Yemen is the largest in the world, and one of the most impactful. Partners are reaching an average of 13.7 million people each month. Catastrophic levels of food insecurity have been rolled back in at least 29 of the 45 districts with IPC 5 conditions. Although substantial gaps remain, UN agencies have re-opened many programmes that had been suspended, including support for health facilities. UNFPA is supporting 268 health facilities with reproductive health medicines and emergency obstetric care services, as a result, many rural hospitals are able to undertake Cesarean sections, reducing the risk to women's health and their babies during pregnancy and delivery.

With rigorous resource mobilization efforts, UNFPA has been able to open up reproductive health and protection services that were suspended due to the lack of funding, since August 2019, and continue operations of existing services till the end of the year. To keep reaching the most vulnerable women and girls, UNFPA appealed for US$110.5 million for its response in 2019. To date, only 70 per cent of funding has been received.