Chronic funding shortfalls combined with insecurity and instability in operational areas have reduced Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) service coverage from 19 locations to just three as of November, reported ETC in its latest update.
Despite these constraints, ETC continues to play a critical role in enabling field coordination and humanitarian response through security communications and connectivity.
ETC update added “As of 30 November, UN operations in northern Yemen are suspended since 01 September, with all telecommunications equipment are confiscated.
The update concluded that in November, ETC Staff are on standby should the situation improve and allow for teleworking arrangements. They kept over 1,400 humanitarian staff connected across 49 organizations, despite operating with just 39 percent of its required budget.