Food security in Yemen: how to secure food conditions of pregnant and lactating women

Abstract

The armed conflict in Yemen has brought about the largest humanitarian crisis in recent times and has resulted in millions of civilians affected. Millions of people live under levels of food insecurity and amongst the affected population, pregnant and lactating women have been particularly afflicted and are at risk of malnutrition, which could trigger death, miscarriages and newborns with delicate health conditions. Moreover, the gender gap in Yemen also exacerbates women’s access to food and increase the vulnerability thereof, and even though international organisations and non-governmental organisations have created programmes to assist the population in need, only few of the policies include a gender perspective that properly reflects the conditions of pregnant and lactating women. This policy paper intends to identify the programmes that have been implemented so far and propose alternative solutions considering a gender perspective and the particular conditions of the group of interest.