Aden (South24 Center)

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that a deepening funding shortfall in Yemen is threatening the lives of around 64,000 refugees, as humanitarian needs continue to rise and the response capacity of international agencies comes under growing strain.

Armen Yedigaryan, UNHCR’s Acting Representative in Yemen, said on Sunday (June 1) that refugees in Yemen are facing increasingly difficult humanitarian conditions amid what he described as one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. He warned that the decline in funding is placing mounting constraints on humanitarian response efforts.

Yedigaryan said UNHCR continues to work with its field partners to provide protection, shelter, and basic services. However, he warned that limited funding is now affecting the agency’s ability to meet the growing needs of refugees and host communities alike.

He added that early and flexible funding is essential to the humanitarian response, as it enables agencies to intervene before conditions deteriorate further, particularly as pressure grows on Yemen’s already fragile humanitarian situation.

According to UNHCR’s latest funding update, the agency’s financial requirements for its Yemen operation in 2026 stand at $193.6 million. As of April 30, only 15% of that amount had been funded, leaving an indicative funding gap of around $164.5 million.

According to government and UN data, Yemen hosts tens of thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers, mostly from Horn of Africa countries, particularly Somalia and Ethiopia. Despite years of war and instability, Yemen remains both a country of asylum and a key transit point for mixed migration movements from the Horn of Africa.

UNHCR says it leads the Protection, Camp Coordination and Camp Management, and Shelter/Non-Food Items clusters in Yemen, and remains the only UN agency mandated to protect and assist refugees and asylum-seekers in the country. Its priorities include strengthening protection, improving access to basic rights and services, supporting self-reliance, and pursuing durable solutions such as resettlement and voluntary return.

Many refugees and migrants arriving by sea are concentrated in southern governorates, including Aden and Lahj, where large numbers depend on humanitarian aid programs provided by the UN and its partners.

The funding warning comes as Yemen’s broader humanitarian response faces severe financial pressure. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan requires around $2.2 billion, while funding coverage remains far below the level needed to sustain life-saving programs.

In April, OCHA warned that millions of Yemenis were facing worsening living conditions linked to food insecurity, displacement, and declining health services, pointing to a widening funding gap that is hindering the implementation of response plans.

Over recent months, UN agencies have repeatedly warned that the continued decline in humanitarian funding for Yemen could force the scale-back of essential programs, including protection services, health support, and assistance for refugees and displaced people, as the country’s crisis remains among the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies.