According to the Bank’s website, the Project development objectives are to i) deliver integrated health, nutrition and WASH services in targeted areas of Yemen; ii) strengthen disease surveillance and outbreak response; and iii) build institutional capacity.

Since 2017, the World Bank has supported Yemen's health sector through large-scale emergency operations that have delivered essential health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to millions, while gradually investing in local institutions and systems. These efforts have sustained human capital in a protracted crisis, reaching nearly 24 million beneficiaries and training over 18,000 health personnel. Despite achievements, challenges in Yemen persist--including low immunization rates, malnutrition, conflict-related access constraints, declining donor funding, and reliance on external third-party implementation. The upcoming operation will prioritize integration, strengthen local capacity, and revamp health workforce development by aligning community cadres with national strategies, improving training systems, and creating job opportunities for health workers.

The project will consist of 5 components:

Component 1: Delivery of integrated health, nutrition and WASH services

Component 2: Support to prevent and respond to communicable disease outbreaks

Component 3: Systems building for sustainable delivery of health and nutrition services

Component 4: Project management

Component 5: Contingent emergency response category (CERC)

Both the environmental and social risk ratings for this project are assessed as Substantial at appraisal.

Environmental risks are primarily driven by healthcare waste management, specifically the safe collection, segregation, storage, transportation, and disposal of medical and infectious waste across supported health facilities, laboratories, and outbreak response sites, where inadequate disposal infrastructure heightens the risk of environmental contamination and community exposure to infectious agents. Closely linked risks include infection prevention control failures at health facilities, improper management of vaccines, laboratory reagents, and medical consumables along the cold chain and supply chain, and occupational health and safety hazards for workers engaged in vaccination campaigns, laboratory operations, and waste handling, all requiring specific protocols, personal protective equipment, and systematic staff training. Sub-component 1.2 civil works for WASH rehabilitation present localized, temporary environmental risks including dust, noise, and improper waste management.

Social risks reflect Yemen's deeply fragile, conflict-affected operating environment and the complexity of implementing arrangements involving two UN agencies across target governorates. Labor risks, including child, forced, and informal labor within supply chains (notably solar equipment), discriminatory and gender-exclusionary labor practices, and worker confidentiality, retaliation, and discrimination concerns are cross-cutting across all componentes. Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harrasment risks are similarly pervasive, and assessed as High, arising from the presence of labor for rehabilitation works near health facilities, power imbalances in training and deployment settings, and Yemen's broader conflict dynamics. Community health and safety risks include construction traffic, unsafe worksites, and access disruption during rehabilitation works, as well as community exposure to hazardous biological materials and laboratory waste near WHO supported facilities and outbreak response sites. Exclusion and inequality risks are significant throughout, with restrictive gender norms and Mahram requirements constraining women's and girls' access to services and capacity-building opportunities, and compounding access barriers facing internally displaced persons (IDPs), persons with disabilities, and hard-to-reach populations.

Total Project Cost: US$ 94.00 million
IDA Grant: US$ 94.00 million

CONTACT POINT - World Bank

Task Team Leader: Avril Dawn Kaplan
Title: Senior Health Specialist
Email: akaplan1@worldbank.org

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ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint