Saudi Arabia to host ‘virtual’ humanitarian donor pledging event to ease Yemen crisis
Saudi Arabia will host a virtual pledging event on June 2 in partnership with the UN, to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The event, being held under King Salman’s directives, is as an extension of Saudi Arabia’s global humanitarian and development contribution. The Kingdom is urging other donor countries to participate
In the past five years, Saudi Arabia has been the top donor in supporting Yemenis in their country, including those internally displaced, as well as Yemeni refugees in neighboring countries
The Kingdom also provides development assistance for reconstruction in Yemen, including direct support to its central bank. A total of 474 projects have been launched in Yemen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) at a total cost of $3 billion over a period of five years, with health and food security being the top project sectors. The announcement comes as aid organizations warn that a coronavirus outbreak could have dire consequences after six years of civil war.
Yemen on Sunday reported 17 new coronavirus cases and one death, raising the total number of infections to 51 and total fatalities to eight, the emergency coronavirus committee of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said. The committee said there are 10 new cases in Aden, three in Hadhramaut,
two in LaHajj and two in Taiz. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suspended staff activity at its hubs in Houthi-held areas of Yemen, in a move sources said aimed to pressure the group to be more transparent about suspected coronavirus cases.
Yemen, one of the countries most vulnerable to disease, is dito vided between the internationally recognized government temporarily based in the south and the Iran-backed Houthi group that ousted it from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.
Houthi militias announced the first coronavirus death last week in Sanaa, stoking new fears of a major outbreak.
Yemen’s health care system has been blighted by years of conflict that has driven millions from their homes and plunged the country into what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The war has left tens of thousands of people dead, most of them civilians, and the UN says around 24 million Yemenis — more than two-thirds of the population — rely on some form of aid.
FASTFACT
A total of 474 projects have been launched in Yemen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) at a total cost of $3 billion over a period of five years, with health and food security being the top project sectors.