Course: The EU and European Policies Practice

Professor: Szaniszló Réka Brigitta

Name: Siekleng SAM

Username: U2XGQA

Homework 3: Analyse the relationship between EU-Yemen in terms of migration and

humanitarian aid.

Yemen is a country located in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle
East. It has a population of approximately 30 million people. Yemen has been facing numerous
challenges, including political instability, armed conflict, economic crisis, and a severe
humanitarian crisis. Yemen's economy was already having problems prior to the conflict. exports
for revenue, but production and exports have significantly declined due to damage to oil facilities
and the closure of ports. The decline in oil revenues has severely impacted the government's ability
to provide basic services and pay salaries, leading to widespread poverty and economic hardship.

The war in Yemen happened since 2014 plus the pandemic of covid-19 has been turn a
country into a humanitarian crisis. This has been known as one of the world’s largest humanitarian
crises while there are about 21.6 million in need humanitarian assistance as about 80% has struggle
to have food and basic public service by 2023. 1 Moreover, the consequences of the conflict
remaining the whole country’s economy collapse, increasing of poverty, inadequate health care,
lack of supplies, and damage infrastructure. Importantly, it has driven more than 4 million people
from their home internally, and more than a million refugees moved to different countries. 2

The European Union (EU) has been actively involved in addressing the migration and
humanitarian aspects of the crisis in Yemen. The EU has provided significant financial and
technical support to Yemen to enhance its capacity to manage migration flows, including border
control and reception facilities. The EU has also been one of the largest donors of humanitarian
aid to Yemen, providing assistance to address the urgent needs of affected populations.

1
UNFPA, “Yemen: A crisis for women and girls”. 2023. https://www.unfpa.org/yemen-crisis-women-and-
girls#:~:text=Yemen%20remains%20one%20of%20the,table%20and%20access%20basic%20services.
2
UNHCR, “About crisis in Yemen”. 2023.
https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/yemen/#:~:text=About%20the%20Crisis%20in%20Yemen&text=Eight%2
0years%20of%20war%20have,internal%20displacements%20in%20the%20world.

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 1. Migration

The European Union (EU) and Yemen have engaged in various forms of cooperation and
dialogue on migration-related issues, although there is no specific migration agreement. EU has
engaged with Yemen on migration-related issues through broader regional frameworks and
initiatives. Through financial support and technical aid, the EU has helped Yemen solve the issues
brought about by migration. This assistance has been directed on things like border control,
stopping human trafficking and smuggling, and enhancing migration governance. 3

However, EU concerned about irregular migration flow from Yemen, so EU has been
implementing the various measures to strengthen border control prevent migrant from Yemen to
European. The EU and Yemen have collaborated on migration-related issues, including border
management, refugee protection, and counter-smuggling efforts. The EU has provided financial
and technical support to Yemen to enhance its capacity to manage migration flows.

There is only small number of refugees from Yemen to EU comparing to neighboring

countries. Mostly Yemen refugee moved to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Djibouti, Egypt and so on.4

2. EU-aids to Yemen

EU has been remaining given support actively to Yemen in three main areas such as

a) Political support

The European Union (EU) involved in supporting Yemen politically with alternative
initiatives and engagement. First of all, EU has been engaged in diplomatic efforts with regional
actors, full support of and closely coordinated with the efforts of current UN Special Envoy Martin
Griffiths to end the war including neighboring countries and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
members, in order to enhance peace and stability in Yemen. It has actively participated in
international conferences and talks aimed at resolving the conflict via political means and
dialogues aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict.

The EU also assisted in mediating and promoting communication between various Yemeni
factions and other regional players. It has backed attempts to get different groups to the bargaining
table and promoted communication to settle political disagreements amicably. Especially, the

3
OCHA service, “EU humanitarian funding supports”. Relief Web, Published March 2023. Retrieved from
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/eu-humanitarian-funding-supports-15721-refugees-and-asylum-seekers-
yemen
4
Elizabeth J, “The road From Yemen”. June 2019. Available: https://www.internal-displacement.org/expert-
opinion/the-road-from-yemen-part-1

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advocated for the respect of human rights and the rule of law in Yemen. It has raised concerns
about human rights abuses, violations, and the protection of civilians in the conflict. The EU has
called for accountability for human rights violations and has supported efforts to strengthen
Yemen's justice and legal systems.

Currently, the EU is funding crisis response initiatives with €15 million. The EU provides
economic and development analyses, facilitates local dialogues, builds inclusive capacity on
political negotiations and governance for young Yemenis, supports agreements on local ceasefires,
and encourages the involvement of local actors in peace negotiations, all in coordination with the
office of the UN Special Envoy. The EU is supporting UN-led initiatives to ease the flow of goods
and humanitarian help into Yemen, a nation that is largely dependent on imports.5

b) Humanitarian aid

Due to the lacking of supplies, food, medicine and service; EU support to humanitarian
funding total about €648.36 million since the beginning of the conflict in 2015 (by 2023 there was
€998 million in humanitarian aid and €487 million in development assistance). This assistance
goes to projects implemented by EU partners (such as UN, International Committee of the Red
Cross, Red Cross branches and International Non-Governmental Organisations) across the whole
country. Additionally, EU’s focus on emergency assistance to the conflict that can affect to people
including internally displace people, children and highly support in nutrition to address food
insecurity and malnutrition in Yemen. It has funded emergency food assistance programs, nutrition
interventions, and agricultural projects to improve food production and access for vulnerable
populations.

EU has made access to sanitary facilities, clean water, and healthcare services a top priority.
It has helped finance the building and renovation of healthcare facilities, the supply of medical
equipment, the education of healthcare professionals, and the distribution of hygiene kits and clean
water to stop the spread of illness.

Not only that, during the pandemic the EU supports infection prevention and control
measures. EU has provided funding for protection initiatives that specifically target gender-based
violence, emergency preparedness education, actions that increase partners' ability to respond
quickly, logistical support and coordination, and advocacy initiatives. Also, initiatives provide

5
EEAS, “EU-Yemen Relations”. The diplomatic service of the EU. 2020 November. Available from.
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-yemen-relations_en

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shelter, legal assistance, psychosocial support, and mine action programs to mitigate the impact of
the conflict on the civilian population.6

c) Development assistance

In term of development, EU provided €353.7 million in long-term assistance (2020). Its

emphasis on providing essential services to resilience of local communities in the face of crisis.
The EU will remain a strong partner for Yemen's development and recovery, and it is presently
planning the next seven years of international development aid.

The EU has also focused on maintaining the social fabric, building trust between the
citizens and their local institutions, re-establish hundreds of local community councils and ensure
adequate access to education to a generation of Yemeni children. 7

Providing education is the priority key areas in development support the purpose is to
improve access to quality education, rehabilitate schools, provide teacher training, and support
vocational and technical education.

6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.

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