UAE GIVES MORE THAN $4bn TO EASE YEMEN SUFFERING

Assistance to civilians includes food, fuel, health care and power

The UAE’s humanitarian assistance to Yemen passed the US$4 billion (Dh14.79bn) mark this month, of which $1.24bn was given this year.

The figures were released on Friday ahead of this week’s UN General Assembly in New York, where the conflict in Yemen is expected to be a key topic.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani and GCC Secretary General Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani launched discussions yesterday at a conference on the Challenges of Political Solution, Humanitarian Action, Restoring Stability and Reconstruction.

The meeting was organised by the GCC Secretariat and Yemeni government, and was attended by representatives from the 19 countries sponsoring the political process, and humanitarian and developmental organisations.

The UAE’s aid went towards meeting the needs of more than 16.7 million Yemenis affected by the civil war since April 2015, including 10.1 million children and 3.4 million women, the state news agency Wam reported.

About $465 million of the aid this year went towards the UN Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.

The figures show the government increased its aid allocation for the province of Hodeidah since June, when Yemeni troops backed by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, which includes the UAE, launched an offensive to retake the main city and its port from the rebels.

From June 20 to September 20, the total UAE aid to the province on the Red Sea coast was Dh312m.

This included the distribution of more than 60,000 food baskets in 45 districts for about half a million residents.

Bakeries were set up to provide free bread, including four in Khokha, which was one of the first districts of Hodeidah to be recaptured from the Houthis.

The UAE built 23 water stations and reservoirs to improve water supply in the province, and restored hospitals in Khokha, Durayhimi and Tuhayta districts, and set up mobile clinics.

Fishing ports were rebuilt and 14 schools on the coast were given school supplies and solar power. The electricity supply in the port town of Mokha was also restored with generators and new power lines.

Most of the UAE’s aid, slightly over Dh6.3bn, was allocated to general programmes.

The Government supported the public budget, especially payment of salaries of government employees working in health, education and security.

Commodity assistance totalled Dh3.8bn, Wam said.

Power generation and supply received Dh1.72bn. This included the costs of power generation and distribution, rebuilding and maintaining plants and providing fuel for generators to ensure supply to hospitals, schools and public buildings.

A total of Dh845m was allocated to the health sector, helping to reduce the shortage of health services, medicine and medical supplies by rebuilding, equipping and maintaining hospitals and clinics in liberated provinces.

Education received assistance of Dh146.9m.