Japan allots $8.6m in UNICEF funds for Yemen

UNICEF has announced that $8.6 million of the Japanese largest-ever humanitarian contribution to the organization was allocated to support its humanitarian activities in Yemen.In a press release, UNICEF said that the Japanese contribution of $189.5 million would support a wide range of projects in 35 developing countries in Africa and the Middle East including Yemen."The $8.6 million allocated to UNICEF Yemen will help support lifesaving interventions for the most vulnerable children in the southern conflict affected governorates of Abyan, Lahj, Aden, Shabwa, Al-Bayda and Al Dhale," UNICEF said, pointing that its interventions would focus on nutrition, health, education, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene.In details, UNICEF said that the project would provide preventative and therapeutic nutrition services for malnourished children, pregnant women and women breastfeeding and facilitate access to life saving maternal and child interventions including immunization, prompt treatment diarrhea and pneumonia.It would also improve access to quality water and sanitation for internally displaced persons and other conflict affected children and communities as well as promoting a protective environment for children through violence prevention and psychosocial support.In January 2013, UNICEF released the Humanitarian Action for Children Report and appealed for almost $1.4 billion for children in 45 countries and regions gripped by conflict, natural disasters and other complex emergencies. Most of the countries covered by the report have benefited from Japan's foreign aid assistance."This contribution by the Government of Japan could not have been more timely" states UNICEF acting representative Jeremy Hopkins. "Despite positive gains made on the political and humanitarian front, the situation in Yemen remains fragile with children bearing the brunt of it."The organization said that the localized conflicts in the north and south, pervasive poverty, coupled with sub-optimal functioning of basic social services, are all conspiring to worsen the humanitarian situation in 2013."An estimated 1 million children are affected by acute (sever and moderate) malnutrition; 7,500 children are expected to be infected with vaccine preventable diseases with serious consequences; and lack of adequate water and sanitation are impacting more than half of the Yemen population, at the risk of precipitating outbreaks high levels of diarrhea and worsening the malnutrition situation of children."The urgent priority of UNICEF at the current crucial transition stage in Yemen is to restore basic social services for vulnerable communities especially children, pregnant and lactating women in the most underserved districts in the country, Hopkins concluded.This contribution to UNICEF is part of a $47.2 million allocation in support of UN humanitarian interventions in Yemen by the government of Japan.