One Shock Away: EU-Funded Programme Targets Over 234,000 Vulnerable People as Yemen Faces Renewed Conflict

Funded by the European Union through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the programme is implemented by the CCY, prioritising households facing the greatest vulnerabilities and helping them meet daily needs while strengthening their ability to withstand future shocks. After more than a decade of conflict, and as the country faces renewed hostilities alongside mounting economic pressures and increasingly unpredictable climate-related shocks, many Yemeni families have exhausted the ways they once coped.

The programme is providing cash assistance, giving vulnerable households the flexibility and dignity to determine how best to meet their most pressing needs – whether food, medicine, rent, transport, education, debt or other essential expenses. Sameha, who received EU-funded emergency cash assistance through CCY partner (Prosper Global) after fleeing fighting in Taiz, said: “I know my family's needs. The money lets me choose our priorities myself.”

Across Yemen, vulnerability is increasingly shaped by successive and overlapping crises. Prolonged conflict and economic decline have been compounded by floods, drought and changing rainfall patterns, disrupting livelihoods and placing further pressure on households already struggling to recover. Climate variability associated with phenomena such as El Niño adds further uncertainty, particularly for communities dependent on agriculture, livestock and other climate-sensitive livelihoods. Additionally, recent escalations have resulted in more than 300,000 being displaced, impacting livelihoods even further.

For households with few financial buffers remaining, a new displacement, loss of income, price increase, flood or failed agricultural season can quickly push them into deeper crisis.

“The EU’s new €10.5 million in funding for the Cash Consortium of Yemen will provide assistance through cash transfers, putting people’s choices first and their dignity at the centre of the response. This countrywide programme will reach some of the most vulnerable people in Yemen, enabling them to prioritise their families’ most urgent needs. As needs rise amid renewed conflict, sustained international support is essential to scale up this vital humanitarian response,” said Daniela D’Urso, Head of Office of the European Union Humanitarian Aid Office in Yemen. 

CCY partners will use harmonised approaches, working together to identify and prioritise those most in need, while connecting households, where possible, to complementary services and resilience interventions. This will help families access additional support beyond immediate cash assistance and strengthen their capacity to cope with future shocks.

Accountability to affected people will remain central to implementation, ensuring communities have access to information and can provide feedback or raise concerns about the assistance they receive.

Prolonged conflict remains a central driver of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, forcing displacement and undermining livelihoods. Economic decline, displacement and climate-related hazards compound the consequences of conflict, leaving families with fewer resources to recover when the next crisis hits.

Through this programme, EU support is helping vulnerable families address their immediate priorities while protecting their ability to navigate an increasingly uncertain future.

About the Programme

The Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) is led by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in partnership with Acted, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Prosper Global, Solidarités International (SI), and Building Foundation for Development (BFD), with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) serving as a non-funded technical partner. Funded by the European Union's Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), CCY delivers Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) – flexible, unrestricted cash support - to conflict-affected and displaced households across Yemen.

About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid

The European Union and its Member States are among the world’s leading humanitarian donors, providing assistance to people affected by conflicts and disasters worldwide. Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, the European Commission delivers life-saving support to millions each year, guided by humanitarian principles and based on identified needs.

Find out more: https://linktr.ee/ccyemen