Context and challenges

Yemen is one of the world’s most water-stressed countries, facing acute groundwater depletion, prolonged dry spells, and severe droughts. At the same time, torrential rain and flash floods are increasing in frequency and intensity, causing severe soil erosion and displacement.

These climate pressures are especially damaging for agriculture, as over 90 per cent of agricultural output is rainfed and the sector faces a 3 to 5 per cent annual advance in desertification. Compounding these vulnerabilities, limited access to modern energy services undermines the delivery of basic services and constrains economic productivity.
 

Response and strategic approach

Together with the Ministry of Water and Environment, other line ministries, local authorities, communities and international partners, UNDP supports integrated interventions that strengthen climate resilience, improve water and energy security, protect ecosystems and reduce disaster risks. The portfolio combines community-level investments with institutional capacity development, national policy support, climate information and access to environmental and climate finance. 

Across its work, UNDP promotes inclusive, participatory and conflict-sensitive approaches that strengthen community ownership, support the meaningful participation of women and vulnerable groups, and integrate environmental and social safeguards into programme design and implementation. 

Key interventions

A. Integrated water-energy-food nexus

• Integrated nexus programming: Appling an integrated water-energy-food nexus approach to enhance overall climate resilience.
• Integrated water resource management: The Germany-funded Integrated Water Resources Management to Enhance Resilience of Agriculture and Food Security (ERA) Project adopts a participatory approach in Taiz and Lahj governorates. It rehabilitates and expands water infrastructure, including traditional irrigation canals, water harvesting structures, and flood control systems (e.g., gabion walls) to improve water access and agricultural value chains. 
• Water harvesting and infrastructure: Supporting the construction and rehabilitation of community cisterns, small dams, and solar-powered water systems, introduces efficient irrigation (e.g., drip irrigation), and establishes Water User Associations. 
• Water-conflict-peace nexus: Addressing water-related conflicts by rehabilitating shared water infrastructure and strengthening local community management.

B. Climate resilience and sustainable agriculture

• Climate-smart agriculture: Introducing drought-tolerant seeds, soil moisture conservation techniques, crop diversification, and farmer training to reduce reliance on vulnerable single crops.
• Solar-powered agrifood systems: Expanding solar-powered irrigation and processing systems to lower operational costs for farmers. 

C. Renewable energy solutions

• Off-Grid solarisation: Deployment of solar-powered water pumps for irrigation and solar home systems for lighting and basic electricity needs. These initiatives reduce reliance on expensive and polluting fossil fuels, lower operational costs for farmers, and improve access to energy services in remote areas, including solar powered irrigation. 

D. Ecosystem conservation and disaster risk reduction (DRR)

• Ecosystem restoration: Promoting reforestation, rangeland rehabilitation, combating desertification, and sustainable land management (agroforestry and sustainable grazing).  
• Biodiversity conservation, planning and finance: Supporting the conservation and sustainable use of Yemen’s terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems through protected area management, critical habitat and ecosystem restoration, community-based conservation, biodiversity monitoring, national biodiversity planning and resource mobilisation. Key initiatives include the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and Seventh National Report, the Biodiversity Finance Initiative, Global Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support (GBF-EAS), and GBFF-supported coastal and marine biodiversity programming, including habitat restoration, community co-management, sustainable fisheries and conservation-compatible livelihoods. 
• Early warning systems and DRR: Strengthening community-based early warning systems for floods and droughts, disaster preparedness and local response capacities, while supporting the integration of disaster risk reduction into development planning.

E. Climate and environmental governance, policy and finance

• National Adaptation Plan (NAP): Enhancing Yemen’s capacity to plan and implement climate adaptation actions, assess climate risks and vulnerabilities, identify adaptation priorities, strengthen adaptation governance and coordination, unlock climate finance, and develop sectoral adaptation plans.  
• Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS): Supporting Yemen’s green transition and economic development through sectoral strategies and investment planning, while establishing a Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification system to track climate finance flows and strengthen mitigation readiness. 
• Climate Promise: Advancing Yemen’s climate priorities by developing a climate finance strategy and investment plan for Yemen. 
• UNFCCC reporting: Supporting Yemen to prepare and submit the Fourth National Communication and Second Biennial Update Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), updating greenhouse gas emissions inventory and analysing mitigation actions across emitting sectors. 
• Strategy support to: NAP process, LT-LEDS, Fourth National Communication and 2nd Biennial Update Report, the National Water Sector Strategy and Investment Programme update, climate data systems, vulnerability assessments, biodiversity strategies and finance plan, and regulatory frameworks for renewable energy.
• National policy and institutional strengthening: Supporting updates to the National Water Sector Strategy and Investment Programme, climate data systems, vulnerability assessments, biodiversity strategies and finance planning, and relevant renewable energy regulatory frameworks.