UN official: We closed vital programs in Yemen due to lack of funding, and 19.5 million people need aid

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said today, Wednesday, that the year 2024 was full of profound challenges for Yemen, as it was characterized by regional escalation, a worsening economic crisis, and increased threats to the safety and security of UN and humanitarian personnel.

This came in his first speech before the Security Council since assuming the position of United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Fletcher noted that attacks from and over Yemen have threatened to damage vital seaport infrastructure, “jeopardizing the flow of essential food, fuel and other imports on which millions of Yemenis depend, and threatening an unprecedented oil spill.”

The economic crisis is increasingly forcing families to resort to "alternative ways of survival, including child marriage," he added.

A cholera epidemic has also spread across the country – affecting more than 200,000 people – and floods have displaced more than half a million people during the extreme rainy season as a result of the climate crisis.

The UN's top humanitarian official said a lack of funding for relief operations had forced vital programmes to close, even as the total number of people in need in Yemen "since the beginning of the year has risen from 18.2 to 19.5 million".

Despite the challenges, he said humanitarian workers, working closely with communities, had stayed and provided a large-scale, principled response to some 7.8 million people in 2024. “We will stay and provide support to address human suffering wherever it is, based on need alone,” he added.

Fletcher called on the Security Council to use its influence to ensure full respect for international humanitarian law, including ensuring the safety and security of UN and humanitarian personnel, and that Yemen's Red Sea ports remain operational and available for imports as they are "a lifeline for millions of people."

He also called on the Council to support full humanitarian funding to secure the $2.5 billion required to reach 10.5 million people across Yemen, and to support Special Envoy Grundberg in his efforts to secure a lasting solution to the conflict in Yemen.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called on all parties to engage seriously with his efforts to implement the roadmap, noting that it aims to achieve a ceasefire, implement economic measures including sustainable payment of salaries, and pave the way for a comprehensive political process.

“With the economy collapsing and living standards deteriorating, Yemenis will continue to suffer. There is no justification for this suffering. Ending the war is an option – and one that remains within the reach of the parties,” Grundberg said in a briefing to the UN Security Council, stressing the need for compromise and a genuine focus on Yemen.

The UN envoy warned of the dire consequences of economic contraction, fragmentation and the use of the economy as a tool of conflict. He said the failure to pay public sector salaries and pensions has led to widespread poverty, while soaring inflation has left many families unable to meet their basic needs, including food.

Source: Yemen Youth Net + United Nations website