High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen: Donors pledge $1.1 Billion to Help People in Urgent Need in Yemen [EN/FR/AR]

(Geneva, 25 April 2017) International donors today pledged nearly US$1.1 billion to help scale up lifesaving aid to millions of people in need in Yemen during a pledging event in Geneva, co-chaired by the United Nations, Sweden and Switzerland.

“At a time when Yemen is experiencing a tragedy of almost unprecedented proportions and the need for humanitarian and protection assistance has never been greater, the generosity shown at this pledging conference helps to reaffirm our common humanity,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the close of the high-level event which was attended by more than 70 countries and a large number of regional organisations, UN agencies and non-governmental humanitarian organisations, including from Yemen. Pledges were made by 48 Member States, the European Commission, the Central Emergency Response Fund and four NGO/humanitarian organisations for humanitarian action in Yemen in 2017. “Now we must see the pledges translated into the scaled up action the people of Yemen need and deserve,” the Secretary-General said.

Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world with close to 19 million people – two thirds of the population – in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. The complex emergency in Yemen is man-made and has deteriorated significantly since hostilities escalated in March 2015. More than 10 million extremely vulnerable Yeminis require immediate assistance to survive and famine remains a credible risk for 6.8 million people if they do not receive aid urgently.

“We came here to mobilise humanitarian support for the people in Yemen and to send them a strong message of solidarity that they have not been forgotten,” said Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. He called for rapid, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian assistance for Yemen and underlined the need for all parties to abide by international humanitarian law. Burkhalter also pointed out the need to address the underlying sources of the humanitarian crisis. “We need a durable cessation of hostilities – humanitarian assistance can be no substitute for a political solution to the crisis in Yemen,” he said.

For 2017, the UN and partners launched an international appeal for $2.1 billion. Support for the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan will ensure an evidence-based, prioritized, coordinated and principled humanitarian response. Pledges made today will substantially increase the funding level of the Response

For further information, please call:

Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General: Tel. +1 212 963 7160

Erik Wirkensjö, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sweden, erik.wirkensjo@gov.se

George Farago, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Switzerland, Georg.farago@eda.admin.ch

Jens Laerke, OCHA Geneva, laerke@un.org , Tel. + +41 22 917 11 42, Cell: +41 79 472 9750