Centre for Applied Reflection on Humanitarian Practice
Enablers and Obstacles to Aid Delivery- Yemen Crisis 2015

Round Table ‘Insecurity in Yemen, impossible obstacle or surmountable challenge?’

Livedstreamed public event

Tuesday, May, the 3rd. 19:00 – 21:15 hs. (UTC+2). New York 13:00 p.m. / London 18:00 p.m / Sana´a 20:00 p.m. / Amman 20:00 p.m

The ability of the system to provide humanitarian assistance in conflicts is shrinking fast. The Yemen crisis being the most recent example of failure and paralysis of the traditional system to stay and deliver.

Most INGOS evacuated with the UN when the Saudi Lead Coalition started the aerial offensive in March 2015, progressively returning after June. Once back, the bulk of the system bunkered down in Saana, leaving humanitarian action effectively on standby for months. Local charities were mostly dependent on funds from the UN and donors and even if Yemeni populations have shown big solidarity there has been difficult for most of the local NGOs.

Security concerns are put forward by many as one of the main reasons behind the slow return, or the decision not to return for the moment. Certainly the effects of the coalition bombings and ground fighting have been horrendous and traumatic for the population. And there have been very critical incidents such as the kidnapping of an aid worker and bombing or shelling of medical facilities, water points. Was it really impossible to work in Yemen?

This panel will bring together a number of perspectives to reflect on the specificities of the Yemen crisis as well as broader systemic implications.

Panelists

  • Andrew Cunningham, independent consultant and author of ‘’To Stay and Deliver? Reflections on the Yemen Humanitarian Crisis 2015’’: Providing the meta-analysis based on article
  • Teresa Sancristoval, MSF Emergency Desk in charge of Yemen operations: What allows MSF to stay and deliver? what are MSF’s challenges?
  • Maria Fuentenebro, former UN officer in Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination and in security-related programmes: An insider view in UN security management and deconfliction efforts
  • Nawal Al Maghafi, Indepent Yemeni journalist: How does it look from outside the humanitarian system?
  • Moderator: Ed Schekenberg, Executive Director, HERE Geneva

ZERO FILE with: Action Against Hunger, AECID (Spanish Agency for Development and Cooperation), Rafael del Prado (Head of Humanitarian Aid Office) and Arab House (Karim Hauser)