Press Release: Amid escalating conflict and growing displacement, the Yemen Displacement Response Consortium Launches New EU-Funded Humanitarian Action in Yemen

Yemen, 26/10/2026
Recent conflict escalations in Yemen have led to the displacement of over 200,000 people in a few weeks, intensifying humanitarian needs among vulnerable families and communities. Amid this new wave of conflict and massive displacement, the Yemen Displacement Response (YDR) Consortium has launched a new humanitarian action that will support over 321,000 people including displaced families and host communities, across 11 governorates in the frame of a 9.5 million EUR allocation allotted by the European Union for 2026.
Led by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), in partnership with Acted, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the action will improve living conditions and strengthen resilience among internally displaced people and vulnerable host communities through integrated site management, shelter, water and sanitation, protection, disaster preparedness, and emergency response interventions.
The new action builds on years of collaboration between the YDR Consortium and the European Union to support communities affected by displacement and help address some of Yemen's most pressing humanitarian challenges.  Against a backdrop of renewed conflict and growing humanitarian pressures, the action will ensure affected communities receive timely and coordinated support, while strengthening their capacity to cope with and recover from future shocks.

“As the war in Yemen resurges, the European Union remains unwaveringly committed to those most affected. Partnering with the YDR Consortium with a new allocation for 2026, we deliver together safe shelter, clean water, sanitation, and essential protection to ensure dignity for vulnerable populations, while providing rapid aid to the newly displaced. We commend our local and international partners and staff for carrying out critical fieldwork despite the high risks — and despite being deeply affected by the war themselves," said Daniela D’Urso, the EU Humanitarian Aid Head of Yemen Office. 

Yemen remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crises. More than 5 million people are currently displaced across the country, and millions more rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. Recent fighting has triggered new waves of displacement in several areas of Yemen, forcing families to flee their homes, often for the second, third, or even fourth time. Many now face inadequate shelter, limited access to essential services, protection risks, and increasing exposure to climate-related shocks such as flooding.

At the same time, funding shortages continue to put pressure on humanitarian services, making coordinated and efficient responses increasingly important. Through its coordinated approach, the YDR Consortium works alongside communities, local authorities, and humanitarian partners to address immediate needs while strengthening resilience and supporting longer-term solutions to displacement.

This newly launched action builds on the achievements of the YDR Consortium's previous European Union-funded phase, implemented between July 2023 and July 2026, during which more than 242,000 people affected by displacement were supported across over 200 displacement sites in Yemen.

Through a coordinated multi-sector response, communities benefited from improved site management, shelter support, water and sanitation services, legal assistance, education activities, and disaster preparedness initiatives. The consortium also supported local leadership structures that help communities identify priorities and address challenges collectively.

The action contributed to improved living conditions and strengthened community resilience, while supporting longer-term support that helps communities recover and rebuild their lives across Yemen.

The YDR Consortium remains committed to delivering accountable assistance alongside displacement-affected communities, local authorities, and humanitarian partners to improve living conditions, strengthen community resilience, and support more sustainable solutions to displacement across Yemen.

The action will help ensure that vulnerable families can access essential services, protection, and support to recover from repeated displacement. YDR partners will continue expanding the implementation of the Area-Based Site Management (ABSM) where feasible and appropriate. 

The new action reflects the consortium’s continued commitment to delivering coordinated, accountable, and community-centered assistance in some of Yemen’s most vulnerable displacement-affected areas.