U.N. chief says Yemen aid conference draws $1.1 billion in pledges
GENEVA — International donors have pledged $1.1 billion for war-torn Yemen, the U.N. secretary-general said Tuesday, appealing to the fighting sides to grant access to humanitarians and revive diplomatic efforts to end a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 civilians.
Antonio Guterres ended a daylong Yemen aid conference by hailing the “clear generosity and solidarity” of governments and civil society after two years of intensified conflict in the Arab world’s poorest country.
The conference, co-sponsored by the United Nations, Switzerland and Sweden, raised pledges for more than half the $2.1 billion sought by the U.N. this year in an appeal that was only 15 percent funded previously.
After years of shortfalls in funding for Yemen, Guterres praised a “very encouraging
signal” the target could be met this year. He said the pledges must now be “translated into effective support” for Yemenis.
“We basically need now three things: Access, access, access,” for humanitarian actors to reach all Yemenis
in need, he said.
The war has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine, obliterated the health system, led to broad human rights violations and impeded imports of crucial food, resources and medicines.
Aid groups want improved access to civilians, a halt to deadly airstrikes by a Saudi-led, U.S.-supported coalition that has been fighting Shiite rebels known as Houthis, and more respect for international law.
U.N. officials say the world’s largest humanitarian crisis is in Yemen, where 17 million people are classified as food insecure, with 7 million of those facing critical food shortages.
The war pits the coalition of mostly Sunni Arab countries against the Iranbacked Houthis and allied army units loyal to a former president. The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and other areas in 2014, forcing the internationally-recognized government to flee.
Unlike the Syria war, Yemen’s conflict has not produced a flood of refugees — making it a relatively contained crisis that has made fewer international headlines. Violence and administrative blockages have impeded the flow of aid and resources into the country.
Epitomizing the daily struggle for Yemenis, dozens of hospital patients in the contested city of Taiz protested Tuesday against alleged seizures of medical supplies by rebels who control the area, said Fahmi al-Hamami, a physician at the Thawra Hospital.
A preliminary breakdown provided by the U.N. showed the U.K. pledged more than $173 million, Saudi Arabia pledged $150 million and the United Arab Emirates, a key member of the coalition, pledged $100 million. The United States said it was committing nearly $94 million in additional assistance, bringing its total to $526 million since the 2016 fiscal year.