EU pledges €107.5 million at high-level pledging event for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen
The crisis in Yemen is going into its fourth year. 22.2 million people – 75% of Yemen's population – are in need of humanitarian assistance. This is an increase by 3.4 million compared to 2017. More than 2 million Yemenis have become internally displaced by now. Around two million children are out of school. Every second health facility is shut or not working properly. 16 million Yemenis are without access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Yemen is part of the world's most food insecure countries, with 17.8 million people in Yemen affected by food insecurity. 8.4 million of them are severely food insecure and at risk of starvation.
In total, the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen requires US $2.96 billion. Over $2 billion were pledged at today's conference in Geneva. UN Secretary General António Guterres, who opened the event, highlighted the dire situation on the ground: "Civilians have been facing indiscriminate attacks, bombing, snipers, unexploded ordnance, cross-fire, kidnapping, rape and arbitrary detention. Every ten minutes a child under 5 dies of preventable causes. The people depend for their survival on the decisions we take today. "
The EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, who attended the conference on behalf of the EU, said: "The European Union is committed to assist those affected by the conflict in Yemen. To save lives on the ground, all parties to the conflict must ensure safe, unhindered and continuous humanitarian access to all affected communities in Yemen. Facilitating commercial imports through all ports of Yemen is essential. A political solution is a matter of urgency to bring an end to this conflict which has caused millions to suffer."
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From today's pledge of the European Union, €37 million is for emergency humanitarian assistance to provide life-saving aid across a wide range of sectors such as health, nutrition, food security, protection, shelter, and water and sanitation. A further €66 million is intended for development aid to support resilience and early recovery initiatives, including provision of basic services, and sustainable livelihoods. €4.5 million is from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), which will help lay the groundwork for more sustainable cities once the conflict is over, and to provide flexible and effective support to the peace process and the ensuing political transition. With these contributions, the total EU funding to Yemen amounts to €438.2 million since the beginning of the crisis in 2015.