WASHINGTON, June 21, 2023 — The World Bank Group has approved an International Development Association (IDA) grant of $19.5 million, alongside a $5.9 million grant from the Global Partnership for Results Based Financing (GPRBA), for a second additional financing for the Yemen Integrated Urban Services Emergency Project II (YIUSEP II). This project will restore access to critical urban services and bolster resilience in selected Yemeni cities. It will provide critical urban infrastructure and services to 19 eligible urban centers across Yemen, thereby facilitating humanitarian assistance and paving the way for a sustainable economic recovery.
Over eight years into the ongoing conflict, the Yemeni people continue to face extreme hardship. Approximately 22.5 million people, or about 75 percent of the entire population, require humanitarian assistance, with over 4.3 million civilians displaced. The conflict, severe climate-related hazards, an ongoing cholera epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic have collectively led to one of the direst humanitarian crises in the world.
The project aims to benefit three million people, focusing on strengthening local institutions to provide continuous, resilient, and sustainable urban service delivery, in the sector of water and sanitation, road rehabilitation, energy provision, solid waste management, and other municipal services. This additional financing seeks to scale up existing YIUSEP II activities, and expand their scope with regards to solid waste management (SWM). Notably, the SWM sector has been significantly impacted by the conflict, leading to inadequate waste collection and disposal services that pose severe health and environmental risks.
Following the successful completion of the women-owned businesses (WOB) initiatives under YIUSEP II, the project will further expand opportunities for women by allocating an additional US$1 million value of tender slots to WOB.
“This additional financing demonstrates our steadfast commitment to the people of Yemen in these challenging times. We aim to restore critical urban services for vulnerable households, bolster resilience, and lay a strong foundation for sustainable recovery," said Tania Meyer, World Bank Country Manager for Yemen.
The World Bank’s country-wide program for Yemen has reached US$3.7 billion in IDA grants since 2016. In addition to funding, the World Bank provides technical expertise to design projects and guide their implementation by building strong partnerships with UN agencies and local institutions with working capacity on the ground.
