The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen has led to wide-spread rights violations, civilian casualties, and large-scale displacements, with children disproportionally affected. Out of 18.2 million people in need, 53% are children who face significant risks, including threats from explosive ord-nances, child labour, recruitment and use by armed groups, and early and forced marriage. Birth registration rates re-main alarmingly low in Yemen and around 70% of children are not registered, rendering them invisible and particularly vulnerable. One of four children is out of school, therefore increasing their exposure to various child protection risks.

With its Child Protection Programme UNICEF addresses these issues at system, service and community levels.

• Children and adolescents

• Caregivers

• Child Protection professionals

Expected results:  

Output 1: Child protection systems are better able to deliver equitable preventive and responsive services to improve children’s access to justice, birth registration and case man-agement.

Output 2: More children, including adolescents, and women and men at risk, including those in humanitarian situations access better quality preventive and protection services.

Output 3: Parents, caregivers, children, including adoles-cents, and their communities are better equipped to reduce risks and prevent violence, abuse, exploitation, and ad-dress harmful social norms and practices.

Results from previous phases:   From October 2022 to October 2024, SDC has had a partnership with UNICEF to support the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism for Children and Armed Conflict (MRM-CAAC). This new collaboration builds upon this previous project-based partnership and expands the scope through a thematic contribution to UNICEF’s child protection programme with the aim to enhance the overall protection of children affected by armed conflict and crisis.

This collaboration complements existing partner-ships focused on the Protection of Civilians with Geneva Call, ICRC and UNHCR as well as Hu-manitarian Mine Action projects with Humanity and Inclusion and Halo Trust. It creates synergies with a project funded by SDC under the World Bank Multi Donor Trust Fund to support micro work for youth.

Furthermore, it reinforces SDC’s role as co-chair of the CAAC Group of Friends (GoF) for Yemen and supports Switzerland’s current role in the Se-curity Council and its upcoming membership in the Human Rights Council.