(Dubai) The United Nations and its partners launched an appeal on Thursday to raise $4 billion to finance the aid needed for 18.2 million people in Yemen in 2024, a country devastated by nearly a decade of conflict.
“The Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 requires $2.7 billion for life-saving assistance” in Yemen, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said in a statement, adding that “Framework for cooperation of United Nations for Sustainable Development needs $1.3 billion to support millions of people in the war-torn country.
“Given the critical needs, 219 humanitarian partners are calling for urgent support for more than 18.2 million women, girls, boys and men,” the statement added.
Started in 2014, the war in Yemen between rebels supported by Iran and power supported by Saudi Arabia caused one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.
It has killed hundreds of thousands of people according to NGOs and forced millions of others to flee combat zones. More than three-quarters of the population depends on international aid, with millions on the brink of starvation.
The poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has, however, experienced a fragile lull since a truce negotiated by the UN in April 2022. The truce expired last October but remains generally respected.
The United Nations estimated Thursday that “17.6 million people will face acute food insecurity in 2024” in this country which “is experiencing some of the highest rates of malnutrition ever recorded”.
“We must not turn our backs on the people of Yemen. I appeal to donors to continue providing urgent support to save lives,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Peter Hawkins, quoted in the press release.