Subject: Yemen is now considered a Level 3 emergency
From: "Erin Cochran" <[email-masked]>
To: "Allison Sapp " <[email-masked]>,Allyson Alvaré <[email-masked]>, "Amanda Chowning" <[email-masked]>, "Bonnie Raquet" <[email-masked]>, "Carl W. Stern" <[email-masked]>, "Dan Glickman" <[email-masked]>, "Danley Laurenceau" <[email-masked]>, "Darlene Shively" <[email-masked]>, "David Novak" <[email-masked]>, "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Jo Ann Emerson" <[email-masked]>, "Jonathan Blum" <[email-masked]>, "Katie Dodge" <[email-masked]>, "Larry Darrow" <[email-masked]>, "Laura Gilk
Cc: "Rick Leach" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 15:58:46 +0000

We wanted to share with you the announcement that WFP has declared Yemen a Level 3 humanitarian emergency. Please see below.

(This is an internal message to staff so this should not be forwarded)

Message from the Executive Director to All WFP staff on the Activation of a WFP Level 3 (Corporate) Emergency Response for the Republic of Yemen

The humanitarian situation in the Republic of Yemen has been rapidly deteriorating in recent months due to airstrikes, shelling and ground fighting. More than 21.1 million people – over 80 percent of Yemen’s population - now need some form of humanitarian assistance.

Food insecurity continues to deteriorate with close to 13 million people facing a food security crisis – 6.1 million of whom are severely food insecure. Both import reductions and limited port capacity are obstacles adding to the precarious food situation faced by the Yemeni people. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification rates ten out of 22 governorates at the emergency level - one level short of “famine.” This will have lasting consequences on the Yemeni society while negative coping mechanisms are beginning to be observed across the country.

Severe fuel shortages are causing the collapse of public services and impeding the humanitarian operation, thus preventing the distribution of critical supplies, including food. Acute malnutrition, already above the ten percent emergency threshold, continues to rise, and without urgent action, the number of acutely malnourished children is forecast to rise to 1.3 million – including 400,000 severe cases.

Limited access, due to constant insecurity, remains an obstacle to the effective delivery of food commodities via road and sea.

The risk of cholera and other water-borne diseases, polio and mosquito-borne diseases across the country continues to escalate while dengue, rubella, and measles continue to spread. Poor sanitation conditions, lack of safe water, continued internal displacement (more than one million people), and the dysfunctional health system are creating the conditions for such outbreaks. Over 4,300 Yemeni refugees have fled to Djibouti and Somalia.

A Level 2 emergency declaration for the Republic of Yemen was put in place on 30 July 2012, as the response required regional augmentation of capacity and resources. Moreover, I decided on 11 May 2015 that elements of a Level 3 emergency should be set up to support the response following the deterioration of the humanitarian and security situations due to the intense fighting and airstrikes that started end of March 2015.

There are ongoing discussions for gradually increasing the overall international UN staff ceiling from 70 to 200 throughout the country. Increased surge capacity and speed in deployment of staff, assets and resources have to be prioritized.

In light of this, extraordinary procedures, capacities and resources resident in WFP corporate capability are temporarily required.  As a result, the Republic of Yemen emergency operation is categorized as a WFP Level 3 (Corporate) Response with immediate effect until 30 September 2015.  This is in line with the decision taken during the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Principals meeting on 1 July 2015 to activate an IASC Level 3 Humanitarian System-Wide Emergency Response for the Republic of Yemen till the end of December 2015, which includes an interim review planned for September 2015.

Response Management

The decision to activate a Level 3 Response is intended to ensure that appropriate resources are put at the disposal of the Country and Regional Offices. To ensure optimization of resource allocation and to facilitate a timely and effective response, the Level 3 Response will be coordinated in accordance with the WFP Emergency Response Activation Protocol (OED Circular 2012/012) and as outlined below:

1.   Mr. Muhannad Hadi is appointed Corporate Response Director (CRD) and will be responsible for operational management and first line support to the Emergency Coordinator. In his role as CRD, Mr. Hadi will ensure proper coordination and integration of corporate assets into existing country and regional structures as required for the response, and reports directly to the Executive Director. The CRD will chair the Operational Task Force (OTF).

2.   Ms. Purnima Kashyap is appointed the Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Yemen and will have full delegated authority for the management of relevant operations.  She will report to the CRD for the duration of the activation. She remains the official accredited Representative of WFP in the Republic of Yemen.

3.   In order to establish a leadership structure that is up to the challenge of the highly complex context of the Republic of Yemen, the position of Deputy Emergency Coordinator (DEC) is created. The DEC will report to the EC and ensure backstop support for the EC.

4.   The Executive Director, with Assistant Executive Director (AED) Operations Services Department (OS), Mr. Ramiro Lopes da Silva, will chair a Strategic Task Force (STF) to address strategic and/or sensitive issues related to the response.  The STF comprises the Deputy Executive Director; the Chief of Staff; Assistant Executive Directors; the CRD; the Director of Emergencies; and the Director of Communications.  Other Senior Managers may be included, as determined by the Chair.

5.   The Director of Emergencies, Mr. Stefano Porretti, will ensure cross-divisional coordination in support of the OTF, including the existing Rome HQ Operations Centre (OPSCEN) for support to the Yemen Response.

6.   HQ Divisional Directors are requested to nominate Level 3 Emergency Response Officers to work closely with the OPSCEN to ensure coordinated support.