Aden, Yemen – Today the United Nations Development Programme provided its national partner, the Yemen Executive Mine Action Center (YEMAC), with 36 vehicles (20 soft skin pick-ups, eight soft skin trucks, and eight soft skin ambulances) and 300 mine detectors to support their daily demining efforts in Aden and the neighboring governorates.

This handover is complementary to the efforts that took place in Sana'a in May 2019. The vehicles and mine detectors will be used to expedite demining operations, which ensures the return of internally displaced people (IDPs) and help the economy to recover by enabling communities to put their land to productive use.

Senior officials from YEMAC, the Yemen Mine Action Coordination Center (YMACC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation attended the event.

“Today’s handover translates our commitment to support the emergency humanitarian activities of YEMAC in all parts of Yemen,” says UNDP’s Resident Representative, Mr. Auke Lootsma. “To ensure the safety of Yemenis and to move the wheel of economic growth, UNDP is helping YEMAC to remove explosive remnants of war and landmines from populated neighborhoods, workshops, farmlands and factories so people can resume their normal lives.”

The vehicle handover is the largest vehicle procurement for YEMAC in Yemen. In total, UNDP has purchased 72 vehicles – including new field vehicles, trucks and ambulances – and other vital equipment that will be distributed in support of YEMAC’s country-wide operations to help ensure deminers are better equipped and able to work within the challenging Yemen environment.

In May 2019, UNDP provided YEMAC with vehicles to support YEMAC’s demining efforts in Hodeidah as part of UNDP’s commitment toward the Stockholm Agreement and to ensure the safe delivery of 80 per cent of humanitarian assistance entering Yemen through the Hodeidah ports. “UNDP is in close and constant coordination with YEMAC to make sure that the demining teams are equipped to do their vital work safely and efficiently,” said Mr. Lootsma.

UNDP has supported humanitarian mine action efforts in Yemen since the mid-1990s with an emphasis in institution building, capacity development, technical assistance, operational support and resource mobilisation. Currently, UNDP works closely with YEMAC, on clearance activities, unexploded ordnance destruction, Mine Risk education activities and is assisting in its overarching work.

UNDP works across Yemen to help people meet their most basic needs, restore livelihoods, support communities, and advance peacebuilding.

Press Contacts

• UNDP Yemen: Leanne Rios, Leanne.rios@undp.org +1-703-953-7029
• UNDP Amman: Noeman Al Sayyad, Noeman.Alsayyad@undp.org +962 7 9567 2901

About UNDP

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. http://www.undp.org