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Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

By United Nations Development Programme

May 12^th, 2021

Socotra, south of the Arabian Peninsula, means “island abode of bliss” in Sanskrit. It is a hub for international holiday makers enjoying the breathtaking landscape and fascinating fauna, and diving, snorkeling, and trekking.

Autumn and spring bring hordes of tourists, with the pleasant mid-December to March considered the best time to enjoy the white sand beaches and the spectacular national parks.

Socotra, south of the Arabian Peninsula, means “island abode of bliss” in Sanskrit. It is a hub for international holiday makers enjoying the breathtaking landscape and fascinating fauna, and diving, snorkeling, and trekking.

When Yemen’s war broke out in March 2015, the island’s economy was devastated. Flights from the mainland stopped and the tourism industry, the staple of Socotra’s economy, took a nosedive. Unemployment rates steadily rose, with devastating ripple effects. Despite its paradise status, the island faces numerous challenges.

Mother Nature has also recently been unkind, with severe water scarcity particularly in rural areas, and devastating cyclones. These are only expected to worsen with climate change, which makes the islanders standard of living increasingly precarious.

In partnership with the World Bank, UNDP, the Social Fund for Development (SFD) and our partners in Socotra’s communities, continue to work toward a brighter future for this isolated paradise.

By providing key services, temporary employment, increased financial stability, and new skills, Soqotris are better equipped to navigate an increasingly unpredictable geopolitical and environmental climate, and recover better from future shocks.

Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

Floods have severely damaged all vital lifelines to Humahil Reserve. For some villagers such as Sa’ad Salem, this was not the first occasion where attempts had been made to fix it; but he hopes it will be the last.

He joined 524 others employed to fix the road network around his village. “This rugged road gets damaged when it rains. We usually have to fix it by hand without machinery so the road can remain open for cars and the delivery of food,” he says.

Recently, with the support of the UNDP’s Yemen Emergency Crisis Response Project (YECRP) – and with our local partner SFD – the road was paved with the support of otherwise expensive and difficult to acquire machinery.

The road to Humahil Reserve being repaired.

Floods have severely damaged all vital lifelines to Humahil Reserve. For some villagers such as Sa’ad Salem, this was not the first occasion where attempts had been made to fix it; but he hopes it will be the last.

A worker repairs the road to Humahil Reserve.

Mr. Salem says, — Mr. Salem says, "The road is uncompleted due to destruction and transportation is interrupted, and if we do not hasten the restoration, this will remain the case for a year without repair."

The YECRP cash-for-work programme has been vital for job creation and in providing the communities with access to key infrastructure and services. Men and women were employed to build local reservoirs that not only provided safe drinking water but have far-reaching social, economic, and health benefits for the community.

Workers have also built 24 public and 110 household rainwater tanks. YECRP helped by paving local roads that allowed safe passage for vehicles and labourers working to connect the village homes to the water network.

These projects also provided 1,800 people with work and much needed income. “Life is impossible without water. We suffered from having to fetch water, which was mostly brought on the backs of women and children from the remote valley,” says Ali Abdullah Saad, the Coordinator of several Village Cooperative Councils.

As part of a cash-for-work project, Socotra citizens build a water tank for their area.

An engineer supervises the construction of the water tank.

The Dragon’s Blood tree, with its knotted branches and gnarled trunk, is considered a jewel of diversity in the Arabian Sea. It is the crowning symbol of Socotra, bleeding a deep-red resin, and can’t be found anywhere else.

Reduced international aid due to Yemen’s on-going war has resulted in the Dragon Blood’s tree numbers dwindling.

The dragon’s blood tree, with its knotted branches and gnarled trunk, is considered a jewel of diversity in the Arabian Sea.

Isolated and plagued by storms and floods, Soqotris struggle with weather in its most extreme. When the rain stops, drought prevails. During the dry season, water reservoirs are the lifeblood of the people of Socotra. However, open reservoirs threatened local communities as children and animals easily fall into them – risking contamination or unfortunate deaths.

YECRP helps communities protect their rainwater reservoirs. “Fencing our rainwater reservoirs helps protect our children and animals and prevents diseases from contaminating our water,” says Sulaiman Ali Mubarak, who lives in Tawafoq village.

“We also received training while we worked, and working on the project helped [community members] gain experience and new skills,” he says.

YECRP helps communities protect their rainwater reservoirs. “Fencing our rainwater reservoirs helps protect our children and animals and prevents diseases from contaminating our water,” says Sulaiman Ali Mubarak, who lives in Tawafoq village.

Following catastrophic cyclones in 2018, floods hit many areas across Socotra, destroying properties at a rate faster than recovery efforts. Many rural communities were unable to manage the level of damage.

“The village is located at the foot of the mountain and when the floods and hurricanes hit, trees, sheep, and people were washed away,” explains Salif Salm, a resident of Tibra village. “In hopes of survival, people hide in the caves for several days until the storm subsided and floods passed.”

Residents in Tibra participated in six-month cash-for-work programme to construct a retaining wall that would protect the land and livestock of 50 families. “With this retaining wall, we have a sense of stability, reassurance, and an absence of danger. We have also benefited financially from the cash-for-work,” Salif says.

Sulaiman Ali Mubarak outside his rainwater reservoir.

Manal Hussein depends entirely on crops to feed her family. Together her and her seven children they grow bananas, melons, tomatoes, potatoes, and chilis.

Manal’s crops experienced significant storm damage in 2015 and 2018. “Trees were uprooted by strong winds. Without support we would not have such good crop production,” she says. More than 290 families like Manal’s have benefited from the programme and they can feel better prepared for future disasters.

“[The cash provided] allowed me to construct fences for the garden to protect our crops and ensure we could pay the wages of construction workers,” she says.

Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

Building resilience on the “island abode of bliss”

These activities are implemented as a part of UNDP’s World Bank funded and supported project, Yemen Emergency Crisis Response Project (YECRP), which is implemented by the Social Fund for Development (SFD) and the Public Works Project (PWP). The USD $400 million project provides economic stimuli in the form of large cash-for-work projects, support to small businesses, and labor-intensive repairs of socio-economic assets, benefiting vulnerable local households and communities across Yemen.

Footnotes

Photos and video: UNDP Yemen/Gabreez

FootNotes

Photos and video: UNDP Yemen/Gabreez

© 2026 United Nations Development Programme

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