On April 30, 2022, David Gressly, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen stated that “the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a reality that we need to urgently address”. Gressly continued by affirming that approximately three-quarters of the population of Yemen currently need great assistance. The deterioration of the situation in the country is primarily caused by the escalation of the seven-year war occurred last year. Moreover, according to a press statement released by the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) team in Yemen, this upsurge of violence resulted in a greater breakdown of public services.
To make matters worse, another inevitable outcome of the war is the collapse of the economy, which has led to a substantial increase in the number of people in need. In this regard, it is estimated that in the second half of 2022 19 million people in Yemen will require food assistance. According to OCHA, 161,000 people are currently suffering from severe hunger, and in particular the situation of children is alarming, with 2.2 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. Among civilians, children and women are the most vulnerable groups and the ones who suffer the most from the lack of access to key services.
To counter this situation and support humanitarian aid agencies, in March of this year a fund-raising event for Yemen was organized and donors pledged $1.3 billion. Nevertheless, the response remains chronically underfunded, forcing two-thirds of key UN programs to scale back or close owing to underfunding.
To read more, please visit:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1117332
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/16/4-3-billion-needed-to-avert-yemen-hunger-crisis
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-yemen
Author: Alexia Tenneriello; Editor: Sara Gorelli
