Aden (South24 Center)

The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Yemen reports that over 22 million people in the country will require humanitarian assistance and protection services during 2026. This comes amid a protracted crisis, conflict-induced economic deterioration, displacement, and climate-related shocks, alongside severe operational constraints and a substantial decline in international funding.

According to the plan, Yemen enters 2026 in an "increasingly complex" operating environment, also shaped by a system-wide reform agenda. Millions of people continue to face dire humanitarian conditions, struggling to meet basic needs and access essential services, amid a continuous erosion of household coping mechanisms, making them more exposed to hunger, preventable diseases, and protection risks.

Data indicates that those in need of assistance this year include approximately 10.95 million women and girls, 5.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), 329,000 migrants, and 63,000 refugees and asylum seekers.

The plan states that acute food insecurity remains at "alarming levels," with 18.3 million people being acutely food insecure. The latest Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) analysis indicates further deterioration, including districts shifting from "Crisis" to "Emergency" levels, as well as pockets of "Catastrophic" conditions affecting some of the most fragile communities.

Furthermore, the plan warns that malnutrition levels remain critically high, noting that over 2.2 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, including 516,157 with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). Additionally, 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are also expected to be malnourished during the year.

In the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, the plan estimates that 14.4 million people will require assistance, with water scarcity and damaged infrastructure heightening health and WASH vulnerabilities.

It explains that essential services in Yemen remain under severe strain, with only 59.3% of health facilities fully functional, while complete vaccination coverage stands at 63%, at a time when the country continues to face a high burden of epidemic-prone diseases.

The plan also notes that a highly challenging operational environment in areas controlled by the de facto authorities (DFA) in 2025, affecting UN actors, alongside substantial funding reductions, led the UN to scale back critical life-saving programmes in the final months of last year.

The 2026 HNRP aims to reach 12 million people with assistance, including 9.4 million people prioritized for targeted assistance based on severity.

The 2026 HNRP requests US$2.16 billion to deliver assistance at scale, including US$1.6 billion to support prioritized life-saving interventions for the most vulnerable.

The plan emphasizes that as needs intensify, "sustained and flexible funding" will be critical to prevent further deterioration and support timely, prioritized assistance in the areas of greatest severity.

It also clarifies that the humanitarian community in Yemen is advancing the "Global Humanitarian Reset," with the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) committed to a more people-centred, locally led, and cost-effective approach.

While emphasizing that humanitarian assistance saves lives, the plan stresses that humanitarian action alone "cannot reverse the drivers" of Yemen’s crisis. Reducing long-term needs will require restoring essential services, reviving livelihoods, and strengthening resilience, reinforced by progress towards a political solution.

The document warns that without sustained support, millions of people will remain at risk of deepening hunger, preventable illnesses, and protection threats.