{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T23:53:26Z","timestamp":1770335606135,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,29]],"date-time":"2015-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1443484800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJGI"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The social vulnerability of the Yemeni population to humanitarian emergencies is not evenly distributed between the governorates. Some governorates may be more susceptible to the impacts than others, based on the circumstances of the people residing within them. In this paper, we present a methodology for assessing social vulnerability of governorates of Yemen to humanitarian emergencies using a Geographic Information Systems approach. We develop a spatial index of social vulnerability from an initial list of 80 variables that were reduced to 12 factors through Principal Component Analysis. Our findings show that the differences in social vulnerability between governorates are primarily driven by 12 factors, of which education, lack of basic services in health, water and sanitation, electricity, housing quality, poverty, limited livelihood opportunities, and internal and external displacement are the major determinants. The results show that the factors that contribute to social vulnerability are different for each governorate, underpinning the need for context-specific vulnerability reduction approaches. The most vulnerable governorates are characterized by conflicts, armed clashes and violence. The geographic variability in social vulnerability further underpins the need for different mitigation, humanitarian response and recovery actions. The use of Geographic Information Systems approach has contributed to our understanding of the geographies of vulnerability to humanitarian emergencies in Yemen.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijgi4041913","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,29]],"date-time":"2015-09-29T11:05:55Z","timestamp":1443524755000},"page":"1913-1935","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Developing a Relative Ranking of Social Vulnerability of Governorates of Yemen to Humanitarian Crisis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Joseph","family":"Kandeh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA),  Sana\u2019a, Yemen"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9205-756X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lalit","family":"Kumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale NSW 2351, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Food Program (2014). Yemen Comprehensive Food Security Survey, World Food Program."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2014). Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2015). Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Reliefweb Global Emergency Overview. Available online: http:\/\/geo.acaps.org\/."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Kasperson, J.X., Kasperson, R.E., and Turner, B. (1995). Regions at Risk: Comparisons of Threatened Environments, United Nations."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"242","DOI":"10.1111\/1540-6237.8402002","article-title":"Social vulnerability to environmental hazards","volume":"84","author":"Cutter","year":"2003","journal-title":"Soc. Sci. Q."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Byrne, B., and Baden, S. (1995). Gender, Emergencies and Humanitarian Assistance, Institute of Development Studies."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Humanitarian Coalition. Available online: www.Humanitariancoalition.Ca."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"Initiative, D. (2014). Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2014, Development Initiative."},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"Alwang, J., Siegel, P.B., and Jorgensen, S.L. (2001). Vulnerability: A View from Different Disciplines, The World Bank."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Birkmann, J. (2006). Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Towards Disaster Resilient Societies, United Nations University Press."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"529","DOI":"10.1177\/030913259602000407","article-title":"Vulnerability to environmental hazards","volume":"20","author":"Cutter","year":"1996","journal-title":"Prog. Hum. Geogr."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"268","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gloenvcha.2006.02.006","article-title":"Vulnerability","volume":"16","author":"Adger","year":"2006","journal-title":"Glob. Environ. Chang."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2012). Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2013). Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2015). Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1931-0846.2007.tb00278.x","article-title":"The environmental vulnerability of caribbean island nations","volume":"97","author":"Boruff","year":"2007","journal-title":"Geogr. Rev."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Birkmann, J. (2006). Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Towards Disaster Resilient Societies, United Nations University Press."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.3200\/ENVT.49.7.8-21","article-title":"The US hurricane coasts: Increasingly vulnerable?","volume":"49","author":"Cutter","year":"2007","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Policy Sustain. Dev."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"598","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gloenvcha.2008.07.013","article-title":"A place-based model for understanding community resilience to natural disasters","volume":"18","author":"Cutter","year":"2008","journal-title":"Glob. Environ. Chang."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1007\/s10708-007-9106-8","article-title":"Identifying population vulnerable to hydrological hazards in San Juan, Puerto Rico","volume":"69","author":"Azar","year":"2007","journal-title":"GeoJournal"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Borden, K.A., Schmidtlein, M.C., Emrich, C.T., Piegorsch, W.W., and Cutter, S.L. (2007). Vulnerability of US cities to environmental hazards. J. Homel. Secur. Emerg. Manag., 4.","DOI":"10.2202\/1547-7355.1279"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gloenvcha.2006.05.002","article-title":"Vulnerability: A generally applicable conceptual framework for climate change research","volume":"17","year":"2007","journal-title":"Glob. Environ. Chang."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.1023\/B:CLIM.0000024668.70143.80","article-title":"Vulnerable or resilient? A multi-scale assessment of climate impacts and vulnerability in Norway","volume":"64","author":"Sygna","year":"2004","journal-title":"Clim. Chang."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"Vincent, K. (2004). Creating an Index of Social Vulnerability to Climate Change for Africa, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research."},{"key":"ref_26","unstructured":"Tapsell, S., Tunstall, S., Green, C., and Fern\u00e1ndez-Bilbao, A. (2005). Task 11 Social Indicator Set, Flood Hazard Research Centre."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"L\u00f3pez-Claros, A., and Hidalgo, S. (2008). Humanitarian Response Index 2007: Measuring Commitment to Best Practice, Palgrave Macmillan."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"30","article-title":"IDP vulnerability assessment and profiling (IVAP) in Pakistan: A report and appraisal","volume":"55","author":"Bennett","year":"2012","journal-title":"Humanit. Exch."},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"Wiesmann, D. (2006). 2006 Global Hunger Index, A Basis for Cross-Country Comparisons, International Food Policy Research Institute."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"De Groeve, T., Hachemer, P., and Vernaccini, L. (2014). The Global Conflict Risk Index (GCRI): A Quantitative Model. Concept and Methodology, Publications Office of the European Union."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"De Groeve, T., Poljansek, K., and Vernaccini, L. (2014). Index for Risk Management\u2014Inform, Publications Office of the European Union."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"713","DOI":"10.1111\/0004-5608.00219","article-title":"Revealing the vulnerability of people and places: A case study of Georgetown County, South Carolina","volume":"90","author":"Cutter","year":"2000","journal-title":"Ann. Assoc. Am. Geogr."},{"key":"ref_33","unstructured":"Walker, G.P. (2006). Addressing Environmental Inequalities: Flood Risk, Environment Agency."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., Davis, I., and Wisner, B. (2014). At Risk: Natural Hazards, People\u2019s Vulnerability and Disasters, Routledge.","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203714775"},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"8","article-title":"New approaches to assessing vulnerability and resilience","volume":"15","author":"Buckle","year":"2000","journal-title":"Aust. J. Emerg. Manag."},{"key":"ref_36","unstructured":"Adger, W., Brooks, N., Bentham, G., Agnew, M., and Eriksen, S. (2004). New Indicators of Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research."},{"key":"ref_37","unstructured":"Dwyer, A., Zoppou, C., Nielsen, O., Day, S., and Roberts, S. (2004). Quantifying Social Vulnerability: A Methodology for Identifying Those at Risk to Natural Hazards, Geoscience Australia Canberra."},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"52","article-title":"Using social indicators to measure community vulnerability to natural hazards","volume":"15","author":"King","year":"2010","journal-title":"Aust. J. Emerg. Manag."},{"key":"ref_39","unstructured":"Thrush, D., Burningham, K., and Fielding, J. (2005). Flood Warning for vulnerable Groups: A Review of Literature, Environment Agency."},{"key":"ref_40","unstructured":"Savage, K., and Harvey, P. (2007). Remittances during Crises: Implications for Humanitarian Response, Overseas Development Institute."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1080\/09603100903266450","article-title":"Another consequence of the economic crisis: A decrease in migrants\u2019 remittances","volume":"20","author":"Ruiz","year":"2010","journal-title":"Appl. Financ. Econ."},{"key":"ref_42","unstructured":"Central Statistical Organization (1998). Yemen Demographic And Maternal and Child Health Survey, Central Statistical Organization."},{"key":"ref_43","unstructured":"Aol\u00e1in, F.N. (2011). Women, vulnerability, and humanitarian emergencies. Mich. J. Gend. Law, 18, Available online: http:\/\/repository.law.umich.edu\/mjgl\/vol18\/iss1\/1\/."},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"Central Statistical Organization (2012). Yemen Statistical Yearbook, Central Statistical Organization."},{"key":"ref_45","unstructured":"Field, A. (2005). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS for Windows: Advanced Techniques for Beginners (Introducing Statistical Methods Series), Sage Publications Ltd."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"932","DOI":"10.2112\/04-0172.1","article-title":"Erosion hazard vulnerability of US coastal counties","volume":"21","author":"Boruff","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Coast. Res."},{"key":"ref_47","unstructured":"Schneiderbauer, S. (2007). Risk and Vulnerability to Natural Disasters from Broad View to Focused Perspective. [Ph.D. Thesis, Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin]."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.1061\/(ASCE)1527-6988(2008)9:3(136)","article-title":"Levee failures and social vulnerability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Area, California","volume":"9","author":"Burton","year":"2008","journal-title":"Nat. Hazards Rev."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"369","DOI":"10.1007\/s11069-009-9376-1","article-title":"Community variations in social vulnerability to cascadia-related tsunamis in the US Pacific Northwest","volume":"52","author":"Wood","year":"2010","journal-title":"Nat. Hazards"},{"key":"ref_50","unstructured":"Jolliffe, I.T. (2002). Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis, Springer. [2nd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"269","DOI":"10.1504\/IJEM.2007.013994","article-title":"Vulnerability index construction: Methodological choices and their influence on identifying vulnerable neighbourhoods","volume":"4","author":"Jones","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int. J. Emerg. Manag."},{"key":"ref_52","unstructured":"Wisner, B. (2002). Who? What? Where? When? In an Emergency: Notes on Possible Indicators of Vulnerability and Resilience: By Phase of the Disaster Management Cycle and Social Actor, Institute for Environment and Human Security."},{"key":"ref_53","unstructured":"Women\u2019s Refugee Commission (2009). Halfway Home: Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Custody, Women\u2019s Refugee Commission."},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1111\/1467-7717.00102","article-title":"Identifying and mapping community vulnerability","volume":"23","author":"Morrow","year":"1999","journal-title":"Disasters"},{"key":"ref_55","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1442-2026.2001.00203.x","article-title":"Complex humanitarian emergencies: A major global health challenge","volume":"13","author":"Brennan","year":"2001","journal-title":"Emerg. Med."},{"key":"ref_56","unstructured":"United nations Development Programme (2014). Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience, United nations Development Programme."},{"key":"ref_57","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"283","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.publhealth.18.1.283","article-title":"The public health aspects of complex emergencies and refugee situations","volume":"18","author":"Toole","year":"1997","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_58","unstructured":"Gall, M. (2007). Indices of Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: A Comparative Evaluation. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of South Carolina]."}],"container-title":["ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2220-9964\/4\/4\/1913\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T20:49:27Z","timestamp":1760215767000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2220-9964\/4\/4\/1913"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,29]]},"references-count":58,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,12]]}},"alternative-id":["ijgi4041913"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijgi4041913","relation":{},"ISSN":["2220-9964"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2220-9964","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,29]]}}}