Years of conflict have caused a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with more than 230,000 deaths at the end of 2020. More than half of those deaths were caused by a lack of access to food, health services and infrastructure. And the COVID-19 pandemic has added yet another challenge for Yemen to grapple with.

As part of the World Bank's Yemen Emergency Human Capital project, UNOPS will help increase access to water and sanitation services in urban, peri-urban and rural areas of the country. 

Over two years, UNOPS will work to rehabilitate water supply, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, using a $30 million grant from the World Bank. 

"The project will provide around 850,000 people with access to safer drinking water and improved wastewater collection and treatment services," said Muhammad Usman Akram, Director of UNOPS Multi-Country Office in Amman

Training will also be provided to local workers to ensure that rehabilitated infrastructure is maintained and will continue to benefit local communities for years to come.

As part of the project, UNOPS will procure and install water wells with solar-powered pumps as well as solar panels in disadvantaged areas of Yemen, to provide a clean, cost-effective and reliable source of energy. To support COVID-19 response efforts, UNOPS will procure personal protective equipment.

The Yemen Emergency Human Capital project – funded by a $150 million grant from the World Bank and implemented by UNOPS, UNICEF and the World Health Organization – aims to increase access to basic health, nutrition, and water and sanitation services while building national and local capacities in Yemen. As part of this, UNOPS is implementing a $30 million water, sanitation and health project. Read more about the Yemen Emergency Human Capital project here.