Today marks a devastating milestone: ten years since the Saudi-led coalition launched its first strikes in Yemen, intensifying a conflict that has since shattered the country. Cordaid and its Yemeni partners call for urgent and decisive action to break the cycle of conflict and humanitarian crises.
A decade of war has left Yemen fractured, its people caught between rival governments in the north and south, with violence continuing in regions like Marib, Taiz, and Hudaydah.
Despite occasional moments of de-escalation, peace remains elusive as regional powers—including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates—continue to shape the conflict.
The Heavy Price of a Decade of War
Yemen’s economy, once fragile but functioning, has collapsed. The country’s GDP has halved since 2015, while the Yemeni riyal has lost over 400% of its value, sending prices soaring and making basic necessities unaffordable for millions.
Public sector salaries, a lifeline for many, are delayed or unpaid, leaving doctors, teachers, and civil servants struggling to survive. An estimated 80% of the workforce has either lost their jobs or seen their income drastically reduced.
Water scarcity, a crisis long in the making, has reached alarming levels. Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries, and per capita water availability has plummeted by 80% over the past 50 years. Climate change is accelerating desertification, while unpredictable rainfall patterns are devastating small-scale farmers, pushing even more Yemenis towards hunger.
Funding Dries Up
At a time when the need for humanitarian assistance has never been greater, aid funding is drying up. In 2019, the UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen was nearly 90% funded. By 2024, that figure had dropped below 30%, and only 5% of the required funds had been secured this year.
The consequences are staggering: more than 19.5 million Yemenis—over half the population—now require humanitarian assistance, an increase of 1.3 million from the previous year. More than half of Yemen’s health facilities are no longer functioning, forcing many to turn to expensive private health care or go without.
Cordaid’s Response in Yemen
Since 2018, Cordaid has provided humanitarian assistance in Yemen, supporting over 227,000 people in 2023 alone. Partnering with local organisations, we support groups in vulnerable circumstances—including women, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly—by ensuring access to food, health care, mental health support, and water and sanitation services. We also address climate-related crises such as cyclones, floods, and the 2024 cholera epidemic, and in 2023, we launched a mental health web app to reduce stigma and improve psychosocial support.
Beyond emergency relief, Cordaid focuses on sustainable solutions, offering livelihood opportunities to reduce dependency on humanitarian assistance. Committed to equitable partnerships, we collaborate with local actors to enhance humanitarian responses, sustainable development, and community resilience.
A Call for Immediate Action
However, the world cannot allow Yemen to endure another decade of devastation. Urgent and decisive action is needed to break the cycle of conflict and humanitarian crises.
- Increase Humanitarian Funding: Donor countries must step up immediately, ensuring that at least 50% of Yemen’s Humanitarian Response Plan is funded by mid-2025.
- Invest in Climate Resilience: Sustainable water management, improved infrastructure, and climate-adaptive farming are crucial to mitigating the long-term impact of environmental degradation.
- Protect Civilians and Aid Access: Humanitarian corridors must be safeguarded, and the international community must hold all parties accountable for humanitarian law violations.
- Strengthen Peace Efforts: Conflict resolution must go beyond ceasefires. Addressing the root causes of instability and ensuring inclusive governance are vital for long-term peace.
Humanitarian organisations, including Cordaid and its Yemeni partners—Yamaan Foundation, Youth Without Borders Organisation for Development, NDEO, Family Counselling & Development Foundation, Nahda Makers organisation, and Afaq Shababia Foundation—continue to provide critical support. But they cannot do it alone. The responsibility to act rests on the shoulders of the international community.