The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with national and international partners, is proud to announce the launch of the “Accelerated Actions toward the Prevention of Undernutrition” programme in Yemen.

With funding from the German Federal Government through KfW Development Bank, this landmark initiative aims to reduce the alarming rates of undernutrition among women, girls and boys through an integrated, multisectoral approach focused on prevention.

Undernutrition remains one of Yemen’s most urgent and persistent public health challenges, exacerbated by years of conflict, economic collapse, and limited access to essential services. Approximately 2.4 million children under the age of five and 1.5 million pregnant and lactating women suffer from acute malnutrition in Yemen, placing them at greater risk of illness, developmental delays, and death, while nearly 50% (about 2.6 million) of Yemeni children under the age of five are stunted, an irreversible form of undernutrition which affect cognitive development school performance, adult productivity and economic development of Yemen.

To address this crisis, UNICEF and its partners have designed a comprehensive programme that targets 32 high-priority districts across 12 governorates. The initiative will strengthen the delivery of preventive nutrition services through improved community-based systems, focusing on early childhood nutrition, maternal health, safe water and sanitation, food security, and social behavior change communication.