These Situation Reports are distributed every six weeks. The next report will be issued on or around 23/12/16.

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Jeffery Griffith
5 years ago
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YEMEN Conflict ETC Situation Report #14 Reporting period 30/09/16 to 10/11/16 These Situation Reports are distributed every six weeks. The next report will be issued on or around 23/12/16.

Under the leadership of the World Food Programme (WFP), ETC Yemen is working on enhancing the Internet connectivity services at the Diplomatic Transit Facility (DTF) in Sana a.

1 YEMEN Conflict ETC Situation Report #14 Reporting period 30/09/16 to 10/11/16 These Situation Reports are distributed every six weeks. The next report will be issued on or around 23/12/16. Highlights The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) finalised the establishment of an ETC back-up Internet connectivity hub for Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Ibb. Under the leadership of the World Food Programme (WFP), ETC Yemen is working on enhancing the Internet connectivity services at the Diplomatic Transit Facility (DTF) in Sana a. An assessment report on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) requirements for the Hadda United Nations (UN) compound has been drafted and recommendations for deployment made. Afure Aserome, ETC data specialist, deploying a satellite kit in Ibb for the use of the NGO community. Photo credits: WFP Yemen Situation Overview After 19 months of conflict, the situation in September intensified. Airstrikes occurred across the country and armed conflict in certain parts of Yemen continued, mostly in Ta izz, Marib and along the Saudi/Yemeni Border. The United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Yemen announced a 72-hour cessation of hostilities in Yemen starting at 11:59 p.m. local time on 19 October. The pause in violence largely held and allowed for humanitarians to access hard-to-reach areas, including parts of Ta izz Governorate. However, international media reported renewed fighting early on 22 October. Sana a airport is closed and only humanitarian flights are granted entry to. Electricity remains unavailable across most of the country with the exception of a few hours every week. A new threat to the population emerged with the detection of the first cases of cholera. Page 1 of 6 The ETC is a global network of organizations that work together to provide shared communications services in humanitarian emergencies.

2 Response The ETC is overseeing the deployment of ICT infrastructure at the new UN residential compound in Hadda. The ETC met with the contractor in charge of building the IT network and visited the site. An assessment report with recommendations has been drafted and will be shared with the ETC Yemen Working Group. In the last week of October, the ETC deployed a back-up connectivity hub for the NGOs operating in Ibb. This hub is located in Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) premises. Following this deployment, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been drafted and it is awaiting approval from the ACTED country representative. o This is the second connectivity hub the ETC has installed in Ibb after the establishment of a back-up connectivity hub for UN agencies at the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF). The MoU between WFP, as lead of the ETC, and UNICEF is being reviewed by UNICEF management. The inventory of the ETC equipment received in Aden has been finalised. An UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) surge capacity mission was carried out in Aden to support the ETC focal point receiving the ICT equipment. o Telecommunications equipment has been identified to upgrade the existing infrastructure in the inter-agency Communications Centre (COMCEN) in Aden. Upgrading the infrastructure will ensure the improved safety and security of humanitarians. Planned Response The ETC and WFP IT will enhance the Internet connectivity at the DTF in Sana a by integrating ETC services with the DTF existing network. A needs assessment was conducted to identify the main gaps which were low bandwidth and frequent outage of services. This project will be funded by a cost-sharing mechanism agreed by the UN agencies part of the Operations Management Team (OMT). On behalf of the ETC, WFP is currently calculating the total cost of the project and will be shared with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for their approval, as lead agency for this project. The ETC is preparing a user satisfaction survey to gather feedback from humanitarians using the existing Internet connectivity and security telecommunications services provided by the ETC across Yemen. The ETC is working on a solution to monitor the usage of the Internet services provided by the ETC across the country. This solution will support the ETC in analysing the services provided, scale up if needed and will give an accurate figure on how many users the ETC is supporting. Challenges Humanitarian workers face insecurity and movement restrictions. Access has been further restricted following the intensification of conflict. Ta izz and Al Mukalla, cities where the ETC plans to deploy communications services, remain inaccessible to humanitarians. Page 2 of 6

3 Importation of ICT equipment, especially security telecommunications, in Yemen remains a major obstacle to the ETC operation in the country. Meetings ETC Yemen Working Group meeting: The ETC is holding fortnightly local meetings in Sana a. The next meeting is planned for 23 November at 9:00 UTC. Global ETC teleconference: The ETC is holding monthly Global ETC Joint teleconferences. The next meeting is planned for 23 November at 12:00 UTC. All information related to ETC operations can be found on the ETC website:. For security reasons, most information is kept private, and logging in is required to access them. For more information, or to be added or deleted from the mailing list, please contact: Yemen.ETC@wfp.org Acronyms ACTED COMCEN DTF ETC ICT IT MoU NGO OMT UN UNDP UNDSS UNICEF WFP Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development Communications Centre Diplomatic Transit Facility Emergency Telecommunications Cluster Information and Communications Technology Information Technology Memorandum of Understanding Non-Government Organisation Operations Management Team United Nations UN Development Programme UN Department of Safety and Security UN Children s Fund World Food Programme Page 3 of 6

4 Background on the emergency: The ETC has been continuously present in Yemen since April 2015, supporting the humanitarian community with basic IT and telecommunications services. Operations are progressing amidst challenges of lack of equipment, lack of access to critical operational areas and restrictions of movement for staff. Internet hubs and security telecommunications are available in four locations, and plans are in place to deploy more services when conditions allow it. The escalation of conflict in March 2015 is currently affecting all 22 governorates in Yemen. Restrictions on commercial imports are crippling the country. Civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence and humanitarian organizations estimate that 21.2 million people, 80% of the population, currently require some form of humanitarian assistance. Of these, 2.4 million are estimated to be displaced. The World Food Programme (WFP) is leading ETC activities, which include: 1. Establish, upgrade and maintain security telecommunications services 2. Provide shared internet connectivity services and solar charging stations 3. Coordination and information-sharing. Sources: Al Jazeera, OCHA Page 4 of 6

5 Shared ICT Services CITY LEAD AGENCY ETC SERVICES Coordination hub Customer support Radio user training Radio programming Sana a WFP/UNDSS VHF radio coverage HF radio coverage 24/7 COMCEN Internet Hotspot in DTF Internet Hotspot in INGO VHF Radio Coverage Al Hudaydah WFP/UNDSS Radio user training 24/7 COMCEN Internet Hotspot at the common UN building (WHO premises) Aden WFP/UNDSS/UNHCR 24/7 COMCEN Ibb Sa ada WFP/UNICEF UNICEF/UNDSS COMCEN operating during office hours Satellite base station Internet Hotspot in UN hub (UNICEF premises) Internet Hotspot in INGO (ACTED premises) VHF base radio VHF radio coverage Satellite phone

6 ETC Yemen Focal Points TITLE AGENCY NAME MOBILE PHONE ETC Coordinator WFP Khawar Ilyas Information Management Officer (Remote, from United Arab Emirates) WFP Erika Iglesias

YEMEN Conflict. ETC Situation Report #16 Reporting period 01/02/17 to 30/04/17. Highlights. Situation Overview

YEMEN Conflict. ETC Situation Report #16 Reporting period 01/02/17 to 30/04/17. Highlights. Situation Overview YEMEN Conflict ETC Situation Report #16 Reporting period 01/02/17 to 30/04/17 The next ETC Situation Report will be issued on or around 18/05/17. Highlights The ETC worked with the UN Department of Safety