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INTERYem

Mental

Health

Conference

"Towards a brighter future"

Call for abstracts and project summaries from colleagues in Yemen to present at the conference

Online Conference

25th/26th June 2021

Free to attend for colleagues in Yemen

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Send abstracts on the conference theme to:

communications@interyem.co.uk

Closing date for abstracts: 4th June 2021

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Further Information

INTERYem and Public Health & Epidemiology

Interyem.co.uk/mentalhealth

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https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interyem-public-health-conference-2025-tickets-1391284091169?aff=oddtdtcreator

Click here to download conference programme

Economy

Unemployment

Yemen’s official unemployment rate has hovered near 40 percent, with youth unemployment reaching around 45 percent before the conflict. Gender disparities persist, as female unemployment exceeded 40 percent in 2013, driven by limited education and cultural barriers. The collapse of agriculture—formerly employing over half the workforce—alongside a shrinking formal sector has pushed most workers into informal, unstable jobs. Conflict-related destruction of health and education infrastructure further undermines job creation and capacity building. Until security, infrastructure, and governance improve, high unemployment—especially among youth and women—is likely to persist.

Natural Resources

Yemen’s primary natural resource is oil, though reserves are considerably smaller than those of its northern Gulf Cooperation Council neighbors and are projected to be depleted within a decade. While explorations have identified substantial liquefied natural gas deposits—offering potential future revenue—these resources are unlikely to match the scale of remittances and income historically generated by oil exports. Consequently, Yemen faces an urgent need to diversify its resource base and develop alternative economic sectors before hydrocarbon revenues fully decline.

Corruption

Yemen’s economy and society have long been undermined by pervasive corruption—ranked as the 18th most corrupt country globally—which erodes public trust and weakens institutions at every level. Bribery, nepotism, and the misappropriation of public funds are widespread, contributing to inflated government payrolls (including “ghost employees”) and diverting resources away from essential services like healthcare and education. This environment discourages both domestic and foreign investment, stifles private-sector growth, and inflates the cost of doing business. Humanitarian and development aid often fails to reach intended beneficiaries due to opaque procurement processes and opaque distributions, further deepening poverty and social inequality. Without concerted reforms to enhance transparency, strengthen accountability, and dismantle patronage networks, corruption will continue to hamper Yemen’s ability to rebuild its economy and restore public confidence in governance.

Agriculture

Agriculture remains the backbone of Yemen’s economy, employing over half of the workforce and sustaining rural livelihoods in this predominantly agrarian society. Historically, Yemeni farmers cultivated a wide range of crops—most notably exporting prized coffee beans from the highlands alongside fruits like mangoes and bananas. In recent decades, however, the lucrative cultivation of qat, a mildly narcotic leaf chewed for its stimulating effects, has come to dominate agricultural land use. Qat’s high water consumption exacerbates water scarcity in a country where per capita water availability is already among the world’s lowest, reducing the cultivation of food staples and contributing to food insecurity. Moreover, large portions of family income are diverted toward purchasing qat rather than investing in productive farming or household needs, creating social and economic challenges that impede efforts to diversify agriculture and improve national food self-sufficiency.

01 Education

Education continues to be a factor in Yemen’s slow economic growth. However, the growth in school enrolment in primary

Education has been significant, increasing to 87% in 2004 from 73% in 1994 (from 28% to 63% for girls), which is higher other among low-income countries. Low uptake of education leads to lower levels of health awareness and perpetuates negative health outcomes.

02 Food and nutrition

Approximately 46% of children under five years remain undernourished (and about one third of the population as a whole). As a result, inadequate growth remains a huge concern: over half of children under five years of age suffer from stunting, over 15% are severely underweight and over 12% suffer from wasting; these figures are even worse for children living in rural areas. The consequent health effects of poor nutrition have life-long effects

03 Environmental health

Yemen faces on-going water scarcity; the per capita supply of water is about 2% of the world average, and even then only 43% of the population can claim access to safe drinking water. The problems of water shortage are exacerbated by the widespread cultivation of qat, which consumes huge amounts of water and diverts water usage away from households and other farming activities. Water scarcity is projected to become worse as the population grows, demand per capita grows, and effects of climate change take hold.

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INTERYem

﻿Mental

Health

Conference

"Towards a brighter future"

Online Conference

Send abstracts on the conference theme to:

Further Information

Economy

Unemployment

Natural Resources

Corruption

Agriculture

01 Education

02 Food and nutrition

03 Environmental health

Mental