Media Advisory: High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
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WHAT: High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen hosted by the United Nations and the governments of Switzerland and Sweden.
WHEN: 26 February 2019, 10.00 – 17.00. Press briefing scheduled at 13.00 (all times CET)
WHERE: Room XVIII at the Palais des Nations, United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland On 26 February, in Geneva, the UN will convene a high-level pledging event for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen co-hosted by the governments of Switzerland and Sweden.
All UN Member States are invited, as well as leaders of relevant regional organizations, development finance institutions, UN agencies, funds and programmes, and representatives from humanitarian non-governmental organizations.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world. An estimated 80 per cent of the population – 24 million people – require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need. Humanitarian programmes last year scaled up to reach 8 million people with direct assistance per month, up from 3.5 million in 2017, making Yemen the largest humanitarian operation in the world.
Announcements and pledges for all humanitarian assistance to Yemen in 2019 and beyond may be made at the event, and donors are encouraged to contribute generously to the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund. There is, however, no specific target for the pledging event as fund raising continues throughout the year.
Opening statements will be presented by the co-hosts (the United Nations, Switzerland and Sweden) from 10.00 onwards followed by statements and announcements of pledges by participating delegates.
The event is open to accredited media. At 13.00 a press briefing is scheduled with high-level representatives of the three co-hosts.
Closing remarks will be made at the end of the pledging by Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock.
Journalists with permanent accreditation at the United Nations in Geneva do not need to request media accreditation for this event. Other media representatives can register here: https://reg.unog.ch/event/27550/
The pledging event and press conference will be livestreamed here: http://webtv.un.org
For additional information:
Paola Ceresetti, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, +41 79 240 1918, paola.ceresetti@eda.admin.ch
Kasper Andersson, Government of Sweden, +46 70-3482165, kasper.andersson@gov.se
Jens Laerke, United Nations OCHA, +41 79 472 9750 laerke@un.org