Donors pledge $2.6bn to ramp up aid in Yemen
In Yemen 14 million people are in acute need and another 10 million people require some form of humanitarian assistance or protection
GENEVA: International donors pledged on Tuesday $2.62 billion to finance urgent and life-saving humanitarian aid to millions of people in Yemen in 2019.
The pledges were announced in the Swiss city of Geneva during a high-level event convened by the United Nations and co-hosted by the governments of Switzerland and Sweden.
Yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Fourteen million people are in acute need and another 10 million people require some form of humanitarian assistance or protection.
“The international community came together today to show support and solidarity with the people of Yemen. With your support, humanitarians across Yemen will reach even more women, men and children who are in such dire need,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
“Echoing millions of suffering Yemenis, I urge the parties to continue negotiations and to choose the path to lasting peace. The UN and the wider international community are here to support you.”
Pledges were made by 40 countries and other donors to support humanitarian deliveries of food, nutrition, shelter, medicines, health services, protection and other essential relief in Yemen in 2019.
The pledges, when committed, will help pay for the implementation of the UN-coordinated 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, YHRP, which seeks $4.2 billion, and other humanitarian activities. Securing full funding for the YHRP remains a priority for the rest of the year.
The United Arab Emirates has pledged $500 million to the YHRP.
This pledge follows the contribution of close to $1 billion that the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made jointly to support UN humanitarian relief in Yemen in 2018.
Speaking at the UN pledging event for Yemen, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy said that there are reasons for optimism that peace and hope can be achieved for Yemen and its people.
In addition to the pledging event, the governments of Sweden and Switzerland hosted a panel discussion on the Challenges of Food Security and the Role of the Economy with opening remarks by Peter Eriksson, the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation, and moderated by the Head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA), Manuel Bessler.
At a pledging event in April last year more than $2 billion were pledged for humanitarian action in Yemen.
The payment of these pledges ensured that aid groups could scale-up delivery as needs kept growing throughout 2018.