European Union Provides €3 Million to Support Women , Girls in Yemen
Aden – The European Union has provided €3 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to finance lifesaving humanitarian and health services for women and girls in Yemen, as the humanitarian response continues to face a severe funding shortfall.
According to a statement issued by UNFPA on Thursday, the new funding will benefit nearly a quarter of a million of the most vulnerable women and girls, including displaced women. It will support emergency relief, reproductive health services, protection, psychosocial assistance and mental health care, particularly across Yemen’s southern and eastern governorates.
UNFPA said that more than a decade of conflict, economic collapse and climate-related shocks has displaced approximately 5.2 million people across Yemen, while nearly 11 million women and girls are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Around 662,000 pregnant women require lifesaving reproductive health services, while fewer than half of all births take place in health facilities, increasing the risk of preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
More than 6.2 million women and girls also lack access to basic protection services, while approximately seven million people urgently require mental health support.
Patricia Mirella Hoorlbeke, Acting Head of Office for EU Humanitarian Aid, reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting the Yemeni people, particularly those most affected by the humanitarian crisis. She said the new contribution would help women and girls access lifesaving health, protection and mental health services.
The European funding will enable UNFPA to continue providing immediate assistance to newly displaced people through the UN-led Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), as well as emergency obstetric care at 10 health facilities in areas facing particularly severe humanitarian needs.
The funding will also support protection, legal aid and psychosocial services through eight women and girls’ safe spaces, in addition to trauma and mental health care through a specialized mental health centre.
The European Union is one of UNFPA’s key humanitarian partners in Yemen. Since 2018, its financial contributions have exceeded €60 million, helping provide lifesaving services to more than six million people.
Francesco Galtieri, UNFPA Representative in Yemen, said the partnership with the European Union has been instrumental in ensuring that women and girls continue to receive healthcare and protection services even under the most difficult circumstances.
Funding Shortfall Threatens Humanitarian Services
Despite the latest European contribution, UNFPA warned that severe funding shortages continue to threaten essential humanitarian services.
The Fund said it requires US$71.9 million in 2026 to continue reaching Yemen’s most vulnerable women and girls. So far, however, it has received only 18 percent of the required funding.
UNFPA warned that the funding shortfall could result in the closure of health facilities and women and girls’ safe spaces in the coming months, as well as threaten the continuation of the Rapid Response Mechanism.
The agency urged international partners to sustain and scale up their support as humanitarian needs continue to rise across Yemen.