US$ 2.96 billion needed to provide life-saving assistance to 13.1 million people in Yemen in 2018 [EN/AR]

Sana’a, 21 January 2018 - The United Nations and humanitarian partners today launched the 2018 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP)which seeks US$2.96 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to 13.1 million people this year. This is the largest consolidated humanitarian appeal for Yemen ever launched.

Three years of escalated conflict have turned Yemen into the worst man-made humanitarian crisis of our time. Three quarters of the population – 22.2 million people – need humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million people in acute need who urgently require assistance to survive.

A generation of children is growing up in suffering and deprivation. Nearly two million children are out of school, 1.8 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, including 400,000 who suffer from severe acute malnutrition and are 10 times more likely to die if they do not receive medical treatment.

“Humanitarian assistance is not the solution to the plight of the people of Yemen, but it is the only lifeline for millions of them,” said Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen. “Today, humanitarian partners appeal to the international community to support this critical lifeline.”

The 2018 YHRP targets people in acute need or at risk of slipping into acute need. The plan is tailored to address the needs of internally displaced people, returnees and host communities in a more sustainable manner through the implementation of integrated humanitarian programmes in areas where the risks of famine, disease outbreak and protracted displacement converge. “A strategic priority for the 2018 YHRP is to work with national institutions that provide essential services to prevent their collapse,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator. “We thank donors for their support in 2017, and urge them to support the people of Yemen as they continue to face unprecedented needs.”

In 2017, donors provided US$1.65 billion (70.5 per cent) out of US$2.34 billion that humanitarian partners in Yemen requested.

For further information, please contact:
George Khoury, Head of OCHA Yemen, khouryg@un.org, Tel+967 712 222 207
Federica D’Andreagiovanni, Head of Communications, OCHA Yemen, dandreagiovannif@un.org, Tel+962 796 876 082
OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int.