Ordinary Yemenis are suffering as food and fuel prices rise – and aid programmes are desperately short of funds
By Ashley Clements
This commentary was published in the Guardian on 26/04/2011
Political unrest in Yemen continues. But for ordinary people, life must go on against a backdrop of escalating food and fuel prices, and growing hardship.
Jasmeen (not her real name) is a cleaner living in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. She is desperately worried about the current situation, she says. High food and fuel prices mean Jasmeen and her family often only eat one meal a day; usually either bread or rice. She can no longer afford luxuries such as beans or eggs.
She says she has recently heard a rumour that food prices are soon to drop and is clinging to that hope. Otherwise, Jasmeen mournfully tells Oxfam, she is not sure how she and her six children will survive once the small supply of grain, rice, oil, and sugar she has stockpiled runs out.
I am worried that Jasmeen's hope of lower prices is misplaced. Rises in the price of most staple goods show no signs of abating under current political and economic pressures. The recent harvest has helped ease things in the short term, and there are plenty of cheap vegetables available in some markets at the moment. Household budgets, however, are being stretched to the limit by the volatile currency.
Living on the breadline and battling each day against the odds is nothing new for many living in the poorest country in the Middle East. According to the World Food Programme, more than 7 million people – a third of the country's population – have been struggling to find enough to eat each day. And in some parts of the country, rates of malnutrition are at emergency levels, comparable with countries such as Afghanistan and Niger.
The current political crisis threatens to compound the country's economic woes and push even more of Yemen's vulnerable residents deeper into poverty, worsening their daily struggle for food.
Fuel is already in short supply and people in some areas are relying on firewood or coal because the price of gas has rocketed. Compounding this, oil production (ordinarily accounting for the vast majority of the country's exports and government revenue) is in jeopardy.
The Yemeni currency – which had been stable for the previous six months – has recently slipped against the dollar, prompting some analysts to warn of a currency collapse, the knock-on effects of which would be devastating for ordinary people already struggling to make ends meet.
As the political stalemate continues in Sanaa and across the country, investor confidence, central reserves, oil production, jobs and incomes are all taking a hit.
So far, we have heard of few food shortages. But poorer Yemenis tell Oxfam that goods are becoming too expensive – shortages could soon begin if the currency slips much further or the political turmoil drags on for many more weeks.
Over recent years, both donors and the Yemeni government have shared responsibility in tackling the immediate needs of the country's people. Yet repeated calls for assistance have failed to mobilise sufficient resources, particularly from Gulf donors.
Donors are sceptical about the impact their aid has in the country. Others are using aid as a tool to pressure the Yemeni government into adopting certain change.
But I believe this is short-sighted – not least because it is mothers such as Jasmeen who will suffer most. Donors must continue to prioritise pro-poor development assistance in the troubled country; now more than ever.
Avenues such as the UN-administered humanitarian response plan – a pool of funds to respond to life-threatening issues across the country – have not been adequately supported by donors; the fund is well under a third funded as of the end of April. The UN's World Food Programme also oversees a nationwide initiative to bring extra food to severely malnourished families across the country. But this too is suffering from only half the funding requested, meaning many families are not receiving the support they need to stave off the impact of the current pressures. Donors can do more.
Oxfam supports the rights of all people to live in dignity with political freedom and full social and economic rights. Yemenis want the same things as people all over the world. They want clean, fresh water, the opportunity to earn a living, and to be able to feed their families. This must not be forgotten.
By Ashley Clements
This commentary was published in the Guardian on 26/04/2011
'The Yemeni currency has recently slipped against the dollar, prompting some analysts to warn of a currency collapse, the knock-on effects of which would be devastating for ordinary people.' Photograph: Hani Mohammed/AP
Political unrest in Yemen continues. But for ordinary people, life must go on against a backdrop of escalating food and fuel prices, and growing hardship.
Jasmeen (not her real name) is a cleaner living in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. She is desperately worried about the current situation, she says. High food and fuel prices mean Jasmeen and her family often only eat one meal a day; usually either bread or rice. She can no longer afford luxuries such as beans or eggs.
She says she has recently heard a rumour that food prices are soon to drop and is clinging to that hope. Otherwise, Jasmeen mournfully tells Oxfam, she is not sure how she and her six children will survive once the small supply of grain, rice, oil, and sugar she has stockpiled runs out.
I am worried that Jasmeen's hope of lower prices is misplaced. Rises in the price of most staple goods show no signs of abating under current political and economic pressures. The recent harvest has helped ease things in the short term, and there are plenty of cheap vegetables available in some markets at the moment. Household budgets, however, are being stretched to the limit by the volatile currency.
Living on the breadline and battling each day against the odds is nothing new for many living in the poorest country in the Middle East. According to the World Food Programme, more than 7 million people – a third of the country's population – have been struggling to find enough to eat each day. And in some parts of the country, rates of malnutrition are at emergency levels, comparable with countries such as Afghanistan and Niger.
The current political crisis threatens to compound the country's economic woes and push even more of Yemen's vulnerable residents deeper into poverty, worsening their daily struggle for food.
Fuel is already in short supply and people in some areas are relying on firewood or coal because the price of gas has rocketed. Compounding this, oil production (ordinarily accounting for the vast majority of the country's exports and government revenue) is in jeopardy.
The Yemeni currency – which had been stable for the previous six months – has recently slipped against the dollar, prompting some analysts to warn of a currency collapse, the knock-on effects of which would be devastating for ordinary people already struggling to make ends meet.
As the political stalemate continues in Sanaa and across the country, investor confidence, central reserves, oil production, jobs and incomes are all taking a hit.
So far, we have heard of few food shortages. But poorer Yemenis tell Oxfam that goods are becoming too expensive – shortages could soon begin if the currency slips much further or the political turmoil drags on for many more weeks.
Over recent years, both donors and the Yemeni government have shared responsibility in tackling the immediate needs of the country's people. Yet repeated calls for assistance have failed to mobilise sufficient resources, particularly from Gulf donors.
Donors are sceptical about the impact their aid has in the country. Others are using aid as a tool to pressure the Yemeni government into adopting certain change.
But I believe this is short-sighted – not least because it is mothers such as Jasmeen who will suffer most. Donors must continue to prioritise pro-poor development assistance in the troubled country; now more than ever.
Avenues such as the UN-administered humanitarian response plan – a pool of funds to respond to life-threatening issues across the country – have not been adequately supported by donors; the fund is well under a third funded as of the end of April. The UN's World Food Programme also oversees a nationwide initiative to bring extra food to severely malnourished families across the country. But this too is suffering from only half the funding requested, meaning many families are not receiving the support they need to stave off the impact of the current pressures. Donors can do more.
Oxfam supports the rights of all people to live in dignity with political freedom and full social and economic rights. Yemenis want the same things as people all over the world. They want clean, fresh water, the opportunity to earn a living, and to be able to feed their families. This must not be forgotten.
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