At a glance: Yemen

The big picture

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This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.

Since 1990, when North and South Yemen unified, the country has had to deal with the merging of two different political and administrative systems, the effects of the Gulf war, and the impact of the 1994 civil war. Traditionally, North Yemen has been a very closed society with very little contact with the outside world and where education was confined only to religious schools. It is only during the last two to three decades that educational opportunities have been made available and enrolment in basic education has increased significantly. With the unification of North and South Yemen, the fight against poverty is the main theme of Government's poverty policy for the years to come and the need to improve the situation of children and women is emphasized.

UNICEF priorities

In this context, the most remarkable development was the completion of the "Basic Education Development Strategy" in October 2002, which was the basis of the Yemeni application for participation in the Education For All initiative. The Office will work with the Ministry of Education and its donor partners on a three-year action plan to implement the strategy and thus ensure UNICEF’s active participation in the new initiative in the area of girls' education. A new partnership with the World Bank has already created an effective working relationship. Future challenges include enhancing community participation, creating effective local capacity to implement and monitor the activities and developing a partnership with the elected Local Council who will administer their own budgets.

Yemen has some way to go before being certified polio-free, no polio virus has recently been reported in the country. Some 46 per cent children under five are moderately to severely underweight, and one fifth of infants suffer from low birth weight. Surveys conducted in parts of the country have shown prevalence of vitamin A deficiency and anaemia, the latter as high as 74 per cent among children age one to six years old in some districts.

Key results in the country include:

• An increased number of children and women immunized, especially against polio, measles and tetanus. 
• The implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) in all health facilities of two districts; the rehabilitation/construction of health centres/units. 
• The distribution of Vitamin A as part of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. The gradual application of laws on the fortification of flour with iron and oil and ghee with vitamin A.
• The Ministerial Decree on "The Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitute."
• The development of standards and guidelines for emergency obstetric care. 
• The extension of water and sanitation services to un-served rural areas, training community water committee members and operators of water schemes. 
• An increased number of classrooms rehabilitated and constructed in under-served areas and training of teachers and trainers. The development of standard criteria and tools for school supervision.
• An increased number of women benefiting from literacy/life skills courses and the micro-credit scheme.
• The on-going training of an increasing number of social workers, the development of a training manual on Juvenile Justice, the establishment of five Juvenile Courts; the adoption of the Integrated Child Law.  
• The adoption of a National Strategic Framework for the Control and Prevention of HIV/AIDS.