The United Nations voiced disappointment after a pledging conference raised less than a third of the money it said was needed to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in war-torn Yemen. The UN was seeking $4.27bn to help 17.3 million people, but raised only $1.3bn at Wednesday’s conference in Geneva, with some major hoped-for donors not pledging any funds. The UN considers war-torn Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian disaster and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that it must not be overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis.
Out of 31.9 million people in Yemen, 23.4 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, of which 12.9 million are in acute need, the UN has said. Russia’s war in Ukraine is likely to have a negative effect on Yemen, given that the country depends almost entirely on food imports, with nearly a third of its wheat supplies coming from Ukraine. A prolonged conflict in Ukraine is therefore likely to make it harder for Yemenis to meet their basic needs, as food prices, especially the cost of grain, are expected to increase. “We’re faced with a multiplicity of challenges around the world and it’s particularly difficult when the spotlight has moved elsewhere,” he said. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the United Arab Emirates, both of which are heavily involved militarily in the war in Yemen, pledged any money at this year’s conference, despite being significant contributors at past funding drives.
Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/16/un-aid-drive-to-avert-yemen-ca…
