Yemen advances national roadmap for resilience with UNDRR support
Aden, Yemen | December 2025. Yemen is taking important steps to strengthen national resilience by advancing the National Implementation Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (2026-2030). Led by the Ministry of Water and Environment, the national focal point for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The process is being supported through joint collaboration between the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Arab States and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The plan aims to translate national priorities into a practical, time-bound roadmap that reduces disaster and climate risks, protects lives and livelihoods, and safeguards development gains in a complex humanitarian and development context.
From consultation to finalization: a two-step national process in Aden
The national planning process progressed through two key milestones in Aden this December:
First consultative workshop (2-3 December 2025):
The Ministry convened a two-day consultative workshop to align the draft implementation plan with the Sendai Framework, the national strategy, and the national coordination mechanism. Participants reviewed the initial draft and engaged in structured group work to define priorities, activities, and implementation responsibilities across the four Sendai priorities:
Understanding disaster risk
- Strengthening risk governance and management
- Investing in resilience and risk reduction
- Enhancing preparedness for effective response and recovery
Discussions also emphasized linking disaster risk reduction with climate change adaptation, sustainable development, and multidimensional poverty reduction, ensuring that the plan reflects Yemen's broader development goals and risk landscape. A dedicated focus on costing and financing enabled participants to begin mapping resource needs, identifying potential partners, and validating performance indicators.
Final consultative workshop (30 December 2025):
Building on the outcomes of the earlier consultations, the Ministry hosted a final national consultative workshop on 30 December 2025 in Aden, described as the last technical milestone before submitting the plan for official adoption. The workshop focused on final technical review and endorsement of the draft, consolidation of recommendations, and agreement on the next steps required to finalize the plan's presentation for decision-makers.
In his opening remarks, Raidan Abdulaziz Al Saqqaf, Deputy Regional Director of UNDRR ROAS, underscored the urgency of action:
"Disaster risk management is no longer a technical or sectoral choice-it is a fundamental pillar for protecting lives, safeguarding development gains, and strengthening stability."
He highlighted that this final consultative step reflects a national commitment to move decisively from planning to implementation, and to adopt a participatory approach that strengthens coordination between national and local levels.
A whole-of-society approach to implementing resilience
Across both workshops, the consultative process brought together a wide range of actors, including government institutions and technical entities, local authorities, development partners and donors, and civil society organizations. The process also builds on the engagement of broader stakeholder constituencies to ensure national ownership and to strengthen implementation capacity at local and national levels.
This inclusive approach is designed to help Yemen operationalize DRR and climate adaptation priorities through clear roles, realistic sequencing, and a strengthened monitoring and reporting framework.
UNDP-UNDRR joint collaboration: bridging risk reduction, climate action, and development
UNDP and UNDRR are supporting the Government to ensure the plan is:
- risk-informed and context-specific, reflecting Yemen's hazard profile and vulnerability drivers;
- action-oriented, with clear activities, institutional roles, and implementation responsibilities;
- aligned with global frameworks, including the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals; and
- financing-ready, through initial cost and resource mapping to support implementation.
By supporting a structured pathway from consultation to finalization, the partnership contributes to translating policy commitments into implementable actions that can reduce losses and strengthen resilience over the 2026-2030 period.
Next steps
Following the final consultative workshop in Aden, the plan will be refined based on the consolidated technical recommendations and prepared for submission to decision-makers for formal endorsement. Once adopted, it is expected to serve as a key national reference for guiding risk-informed development planning and climate-resilient action across Yemen.
Together, through risk-informed planning and inclusive partnerships, Yemen is strengthening its path toward a safer and more resilient future.