1. After 8 years of war, millions of people in Yemen are suffering from the complex effects of an economic crisis, the disruption of public services, the collapse of the national currency, a decline in national income, high inflation, and a cessation of all aspects of life. An estimated 21.6 million people (72 percent of the total population) are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection services, 12.9 million of whom are in dire need (severe or catastrophic levels). This number includes approximately 5.5 women and 8.6 children.
2. Nearly 17 million people, or more than half of the population in Yemen, are likely to experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3).
3. While overall funding levels for the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan only reached 52.5 percent of total need, many sectors were under-resourced. This led to the cessation of many of its services and projects, which had a negative impact on the humanitarian situation in the country.
4. Within the protection plan, gender-based violence and child protection received only 6.2 percent of the required funding.
5. Health Cluster partners continue to support and strengthen the public health system to ensure the provision of essential life-saving health services to respond to the urgent health needs of the Yemeni people. However, funding shortfalls during 2021 and 2022 respectively led to further deterioration of the existing health system. Of the US$438.8 million requested for the health sector, 21% has been funded.
6. The amount of shares for implementing humanitarian response plan projects is only 0.75 of the total funding for various humanitarian sectors by civil society organizations.
7. The continued fragility of the Yemeni economy has exacerbated vulnerabilities among poor households, including as a result of the devaluation of the Yemeni riyal, macroeconomic instability, the virtual separation of economic institutions, the issuance of competing monetary policies, and the decline in household purchasing power. Because Yemen is largely dependent on imported food and goods, it is highly vulnerable to price fluctuations around the world.
8. Despite the devastating effects of war, famine, and economic insecurity, local civil society organizations continue continuous offers of support in multiple crises due to their proximity to the affected community and groups, and understanding of political, cultural, and social dynamics.
9. Amid these statistics and numbers that increase day after day, we are also confronted with numbers that limit our ability and reach the weakest and most vulnerable groups.
10. As a result of the scarcity of financial resources and the lack of funding in recent years, especially civil society organizations. In addition, the current practice of providing overhead expenses (indirect costs) to NGOs is inconsistent with many donors and intermediaries (referring to United Nations agencies and international NGOs), according to our experiences through partnerships with UN agencies and some international organizations. For non-governmental organizations, there are those who adopt this percentage based on negotiations , There are those who believe that the national partner is able to recover indirect costs from the direct costs of the project, and often the indirect costs are not provided to the local national partner, and this in turn undermines the quality and effectiveness of the humanitarian response by trapping national NGOs in a “famine role.”
11. While saving overhead (indirect cost) will not independently “solve” localization, it is an important step in enabling more locally-led humanitarian practices. It is also an important step towards correcting some of the inequalities in humanitarian work based on the principles of the international legal framework.
12. Public expenditures are very important for the survival and sustainability of civil society organizations, which are considered an effective partner in the development process and humanitarian response in Yemen . The humanitarian situation in Yemen and the practices obligate us, as civil society organizations, to carry out social accountability before our societies by taking serious action, and to urgently appeal for increased funding to Yemen in line with the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, ensuring fair distribution, and complete transparency in practices regarding partnerships, and highlighting the issue. Failure to adopt the operational cost ratio of the local national partner.
13. We, the undersigned, from (national) civil society organizations demand the following:
14. We urge donors to respond to these urgent needs to address Yemen’s complex, wide-ranging and protracted crisis by committing the required funding based on the 2023 Response Plan.
15. Increasing the shares for implementing response plan projects is equivalent to 50% of the total funding for various humanitarian sectors by civil society organizations.
16. Donors and intermediaries must commit to covering the full direct and indirect costs incurred by all implementing partners in implementing activities, and request policies on providing general expenses for organizations from UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. This would send a clear signal to the intermediaries that the funders are serious about adopting this element of the plan. Budget for the local partner.
17. Increase and support multi-year investment in the institutional capacities of local and national responders, including capacities in preparedness, response and coordination, especially in fragile contexts and places where communities are vulnerable to armed conflict, disasters, recurring disease outbreaks and the impacts of climate change. We should achieve this through cooperation with development partners and including the concept of capacity strengthening in partnership agreements.
18. We present this advocacy statement to you and hope that you will take all messages and demands into consideration in responding to the complex humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Signatories:

1. Nabd Organization for Development and Development
2. Abs Developmental Organization for Women and Children
3. Democratic school
4. Basma Foundation for Child and Women Development
5. Al-Ghad Foundation for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Relief
6. Weam Foundation for Empowerment
7. Hodeidah Girls Foundation for Social Development
8. White Hands Women's Developmental Charitable Association
9. Rawabi Al Nahda Development Foundation
10. Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled in Al Muftah District
11. Nasaem Development Foundation
12. Yemeni Red Crescent - Abs Division
13. Al-Shafaqa Foundation for the Care of Patients with Kidney Failure and Cancer
14. A contributing organization for human development
15. Treasures of Yemen Foundation
16. Human aid organization
17. Ramz Foundation for Development
18. Prisoner Foundation
19. Mercy Medical Foundation
20. Khadija Foundation
21. Rifaa Foundation for Community and Human Development
22. Humanitarian Work Library - Yemen
23. Sustainable Development Foundation
24. Future Women Makers Association
25. Atar Foundation for Social Development
26. Hajjah Cultural and Development Foundation
27. An institution for all
28. Make Hope Foundation for Relief and Development
29. Qudra Foundation for Sustainable Development
30. Humanitarian Aid Society
31. National Foundation for Development and Health Care
32. Founded by us
33. Peace Foundation
34. Yemeni Development Network for NGOs
35. Light Foundation for Development
36. Bedaya Youth Organization for Sustainable Development
37. And the Giving Bridge Association
38. Life Makers Organization
39. Sol Development Organization
40. Rowad Foundation for Development and Human Rights
41. Socotra Foundation for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Relief
42. Tamdeen Youth Foundation
43. With him is the direction for human development in Al Mahwit Governorate
44. Humanitarian Forum - Yemen
45. Preservation of Grace Association
46. Hope Ambassadors Association for People with Special Needs, Beit Al-Faqih
47. Fanar Aden Foundation for Humanitarian Work
48. Family Welfare Association
49. Angela Foundation
50. Communication Foundation
51. Bena Development Foundation