Summary

Water Situation in Yemen Yemen suffers from a severe water shortage, where more than 150% of its renewable water resources are used each year. Only 22% of the population has access to clean drinking water, safe sanitation and hygiene services.

Program Objective:

To increase community access to clean drinking water, improve sanitation and promote hygiene.

Water is essential to health and food production. Globally, nearly 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water in their homes and about 4.4  billion lack access to proper sanitation, putting them at risk of disease. Coupled with poor hygiene, the lack of adequate water and sanitation is a leading cause of disease and death worldwide. Food production is the largest consumer of water, and also represents the largest unknown factor of future water use as the world population continues to increase. Global population growth projections of 2 to 3 billion people over the next 40 years, combined with changing diets, are expected to increase food demand substantially by 2050.

IYCY Water and Development Plan

IYCY developed an agency-specific plan (the “Water and Development Plan”) in conjunction with the whole-of-government Global Water Strategy. It provides a framework for IYCY’s contribution to the Yemen. government’s shared vision for a water-secure Yemen, and links directly to the following strategic objectives in the Global Water Strategy:

• Promote sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services, and the adoption of key hygiene behaviors;
• Encourage the sound management and protection of freshwater resources; and,
• Strengthen water sector governance, financing, and institutions.

This contribution is aligned with and complementary to other IYCY investments across development sectors that promote water security.

Delivering results

Stay Up to Date

To better serve IYCY partners, staff, and members of the broader WASH and development community, the U.N Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3) Water Office supports Globalwaters.org (link is external), an online knowledge-sharing platform for disseminating best practices, lessons learned, and the latest research on IYCY’s water and sanitation programs.