Sana’a – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced the distribution of multi-purpose cash assistance to more than 52,000 displaced persons and refugees across Yemen between January and May 2025, in a bid to support the country’s most vulnerable populations amid worsening humanitarian conditions.

According to the UNHCR report, the aid reached 45,842 internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and host community members, in addition to 6,100 refugees and asylum seekers. A further 480 individuals received emergency cash support to help them cope with sudden crises such as displacement or loss of shelter.

“This assistance empowers families to meet their needs with dignity and reduces reliance on negative coping mechanisms like child labor or early marriage,” the agency stated.

Yemen currently hosts approximately 60,911 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Somalia and Ethiopia, alongside 4.8 million IDPs and over 335,000 returnees, according to UN data.

The cash aid program is part of a broader UN strategy to provide flexible, life-saving support that allows recipients to prioritize their most urgent needs—whether food, shelter, medicine, or education.