UN needs $1.8 billion to meet humanitarian needs in Yemen

$1.8 billion is needed to address the most critical humanitarian needs across Yemen, the UN humanitarian chief has said.

The Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien made the appeal to members of the Security Council.

In remarks published by the UN media department on Wednesday, O’Brien called on the Security Council and the international community to put pressure on fighters “to facilitate unconditional and sustained access to all parts of Yemen”.

“In two days’ time, the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2016 will be launched in Geneva. This plan asks for $1.8 billion to address the most critical and prioritized needs across all governorates in the country, including food assistance for nearly 9 million people, water and sanitation support for 7.4 million people, urgent health support for 10.6 million people and emergency interventions to mitigate growing and severe malnutrition rates,” he said.

The UN humanitarian chief also urged the parties to resume peace talks and to agree on a ceasefire.

A United Nations report noted that “indiscriminate bombing and shelling by rival parties in Yemen since March 2015 has led to more than 35,000 casualties including 6,000 deaths reported by health facilities across the country”.

The United Nations has not yet succeeded in setting a new date to resume talks in Yemen after postponing them on 14 January.