UN appeals for $3.85bn for humanitarian aid for Yemen

The United Nations has appealed for $3.85 billion to fund the humanitarian needs of Yemen in 2021.

In a statement issued yesterday, the UN said it expects to provide humanitarian support and assistance to 16 million Yemenis this year in order to prevent the spread of famine in the country, adding that two-thirds of Yemen’s population needs aid in order to survive while about half of the country’s children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, and 400,000 of them may die if urgent treatment is not available.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “For most people, life in Yemen is now unbearable. Children in Yemen are suffering especially from hellish conditions. The war is engulfing an entire generation of Yemenis. We must put an end to that, and immediately start dealing with its massive repercussions.”

"Without ending the conflict and massively scaling up and resourcing the humanitarian response, millions of Yemenis will be condemned to further, and yet still avoidable, hardship, suffering, and death."

The @Refugees High Commissioner @FilippoGrandi says 🔽#YemenCantWait pic.twitter.com/MAuQICxrXU

— UNHCR Yemen (@UNHCRYemen) March 1, 2021

The UN issued its appeal ahead of a virtual donor conference which will bring together more than 100 governments and donors.

The conference is co-hosted by Sweden and Switzerland.

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