Building Back Better and enhancing urban resilience in Yemen

Yemen has become the largest humanitarian crisis globally, the largest food security crisis, and the most widespread, with an estimated 20.7 million people in needs to humanitarian or protection assistance^[1]. The crisis resulted in almost total collapse of basic services and institutions, as well as immense pressure on essential basic services resulting in the collapse of institutions. Access to essential social services is extremely limited: only 50% of health facilities are functioning, and even these face severe shortages in medicines, equipment, and staff; 16 million people lack adequate access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene; resulting in unprecedented 2017 cholera outbreak; and 4.5 million children without access to education. More than 50% of the population requires support to meet their basic water, sanitation and hygiene needs. Around 5.4 million people need emergency shelter, and shelter remains the third most critical need for both IDPs and Returnees after food and access to income/financial assistance.

For decades, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen in various aspects, whether relief, humanitarian, or development. In 2018, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abduaziz Al- Saud issued a royal decree ordering the establishment of the Saudi Development and reconstruction program for Yemen, as a strategic initiative that aims to provide economic and development support across all sectors in Yemen, contribute to improving infrastructure and basic services available to the Yemeni people and create job opportunities, through cooperation with the Yemeni government, local authorities and civil society organizations. SDRPY has implanted 207 projects and initiatives in alignment with the SDGs in seven sectors, which are: Health, Energy, Agriculture and fishers, Education, Water, transportation, Government institutions, in addition to development programs.

SDRPY seeks to achieve development cooperation and unify efforts to contribute to achieving economic and social development in Yemen in coordination with the Yemeni government and local authorities. One of the most prominent constructive partnerships that has resulted in a project that contributes to supporting urban resilience is between SDRPY, Alwaleed Philanthropies, and UN-Habitat. The “Adequate housing” project aims at provision of safe and dignified living condition for Yemeni families through rehabilitating the damaged houses, covering the major to medium scale damages of houses and sanitation facilities in the 2 Districts of Aden” Moaala and Khor Mkasar”. These two districts are the most affected areas as per damage assessment of the ministry of Public Works and Highways. The project is a clear example of sifting from traditional construction to a development program with its unique components including, effective participation of the affected communities, community-based and self-help housing reconstruction, cash-for-work initiatives, capacity building, gender Mainstreaming adaptation, and provision of legal support of Land and Property rights.