Yemen humanitarian response plan requests US$1.8 billion to assist over 13 million people with live-saving assistance [EN/AR]

(Geneva and Sana’a, 18 February 2016) - The humanitarian community in Yemen is today launching an appeal for US$1.8 billion to provide critical and life-saving assistance to 13.6 million people who have been affected by the escalation in conflict across the country.

“Yemen’s plight has often been overshadowed by crises elsewhere in the region and the world,” said Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator. “We cannot afford to let Yemen become a forgotten crisis.”

The 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is a coordinated response of over 100 aid organizations to an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. In total, a staggering 21.2 million people – four out of five Yemenis – are in need of humanitarian assistance. Relentless conflict with increased attacks on essential civilian and economic infrastructure has pushed basic social services to a near collapse, the economy has ground to a halt and millions of families have lost their livelihoods.

“Ten months after the conflict escalated, violence has taken a dreadful toll among civilians and exhausted the population,” said Mr. McGoldrick. “Many Yemenis continue to face threats to their life and dignity. The warring parties need to live up to their responsibilities under international humanitarian law. Even war has limits.”

Despite a difficult operating environment, humanitarian partners reached close to nine million girls, boys, women and men across the country with some form of humanitarian assistance from March to the end of last year. In January, the humanitarian community provided regular monthly food rations to approximately 2.6 million people; direct water deliveries to over 234,000 people; and supplied fuel to water pumping stations for more than 3 million people and health facilities reached over 102,000 people.

“Continued hostilities and actions by the parties to the conflict have proved a serious obstacle to the delivery of assistance, but humanitarian organizations have shown that they are able to deliver assistance if they are adequately funded,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator. “All parties to the conflict must do more however to guarantee safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need, wherever they may be across Yemen.”

In 2015, donors provided US$892 million (56 per cent) out of US$1.6 billion that humanitarian partners in Yemen requested. “I am grateful for the generous donor support we received in 2015,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator. “I urge donors to continue supporting the Yemeni people, and once again, rapidly provide the necessary funds so we can implement essential activities to save lives and protect civilians in Yemen.”

For more information please contact:

Vanessa Huguenin, Public Information Officer, OCHA Geneva, huguenin@un.org, +41 22 917 18 91
Philippe Kropf, Public Information Officer, OCHA Yemen, kropf@un.org, +962 796656733
Iyad Nasr, Regional Spokesperson, OCHA ROMENA, nasri@un.org, +20 10 9555 8662