International donors have failed to adequately support the ongoing humanitarian response in Yemen at the Sixth Senior Officials' Meeting of donor countries in Brussels today. The announced funding of just over $791 million represents less than a third (29 percent) of the $2.7 billion needed in Yemen this year to meet urgent humanitarian needs, including those of 9.8 million children.
After nine years of war, Yemen remains one of the world's most severe and protracted humanitarian crises, with an estimated 18.2 million people - more than half the population - in need of assistance and protection. The dire situation in the country is compounded by ongoing displacement and severe funding shortages.
On Tuesday, senior representatives from across the humanitarian community gathered in Brussels for the Sixth Senior Officials Meeting on Yemen (SOM VI), co-hosted by Sweden and the European Commission (EC), to address the most urgent needs - including Yemen's food and health crises - and ensure a timely, life-saving response.
One of the largest commitments came from the European Commission, which pledged €125 million in new European Union humanitarian funding to address the most urgent needs. Other pledges were made by Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Prior to the meeting, only 16 percent - $435 million - of the $2.7 billion required for the 2024 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which is already targeting the most vulnerable people in the country, had been received. At the beginning of the year, the Yemen HRP was the world's fifth-largest appeal behind Syria, Ethiopia, Ukraine and Afghanistan.
On Monday, 190 humanitarian organizations working in Yemen, including United Nations agencies, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Yemeni civil society organizations, issued an urgent appeal for continued support to address the humanitarian emergency.
"The country witnessed slight improvements in humanitarian conditions following the UN-brokered truce and its de facto continuation. With these gains, partners have moved towards resilience-building programming, promoting sustainable solutions by addressing the drivers of needs," the humanitarian organizations said.
“However, we cannot ignore the significant humanitarian needs that remain and that cannot be addressed without adequate funding to respond.”
In 2023, 229 humanitarian agencies and NGOs, most of them local, provided life-saving protection and humanitarian assistance to an average of 8.4 million people each month, despite access and funding constraints.
Economic decline, lack of public services and infrastructure, and displacement due to conflict and climate-related disasters continue to drive the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Increasing food insecurity, the risk of rising malnutrition rates - particularly among pregnant and lactating women, the elderly and children - and the spread of cholera during the current rainy season threaten communities across the country.
“Inaction would have catastrophic consequences for the lives of Yemeni women, children and men. The Sixth Senior Officials Meeting is a critical moment to galvanize support and collective action to address the deteriorating crisis,” the aid agencies said ahead of the meeting.
“The humanitarian community appeals to donors to urgently address existing funding gaps, and provide sustainable support to enhance resilience and reduce aid dependency.”
The international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), one of the signatories, reacted strongly to the disappointing outcome of today's meeting.
“Today marks a missed opportunity for the international community to take meaningful steps towards pulling Yemenis back from the brink of severe hunger and widespread disease,” Samah Hadid, NRC’s Head of Advocacy for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Instead, it has sent a bad signal that one of the worst humanitarian crises remains neglected by donor governments and will not receive the support it urgently needs. We are disappointed that all the positive rhetoric was not backed by sufficient levels of funding for Yemen’s aid programs.”
While the reduction in armed conflict since April 2022 has led to a reduction in civilian casualties and suffering among communities, the situation remains fragile without a lasting political solution.
Nearly two years ago, a six-month ceasefire was announced between Yemen's warring parties. While the UN-brokered ceasefire has not been renewed, there has been a fragile continuation of truce-like conditions. As a result, the level of violence has decreased and progress has been made in political negotiations.
In December 2023, after a series of UN-brokered meetings in Saudi Arabia and Oman, the warring parties in Yemen agreed on key steps to end the devastating civil war. The agreed measures include the implementation of a nationwide ceasefire, the improvement of living conditions in Yemen, and the resumption of an inclusive political process under UN auspices that should lead to lasting peace in Yemen.
Meanwhile, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law continue, and the presence of explosive remnants of war causes death, injury and displacement, restricts access to agricultural land and resettlement, and hinders reconstruction and development efforts.
Conflict, the extensive use of explosive weapons, and years of blockade have decimated civilian infrastructure and local economies, while creating extreme poverty, alarming levels of hunger, and widespread displacement. Across Yemen, 4.56 million people have been internally displaced by the conflict. Of these, 80 percent are children and women. In addition, Yemen hosts some 70,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
17.6 million people in Yemen will experience high levels of acute food insecurity in 2024, mainly due to conflict, economic decline and climate change. This figure includes 6.1 million people at emergency levels of hunger - one step away from famine. Today, there is a real and acute risk of famine in Yemen, and famine pockets could emerge if current trends are not reversed.
An estimated 6.7 million people are living in inadequate shelter and some 12.4 million people lack decent access to safe drinking water, increasing the risk of infectious diseases, while more than 4.5 million children are out of school.
Limited access to basic services continues to worsen conditions for the most vulnerable, including women and children. Cholera is spreading rapidly. The alarming resurgence of epidemics is a direct result of the lack of access to safe water and sanitation.
Although fighting has subsided, the country's health sector remains at risk of collapse, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly half of the country's health facilities are closed or only partially functional. Only 55 percent of health facilities are functioning.
Further information
Full text: Donors address humanitarian crisis facing the Yemeni people, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, press release, published May 7, 2024
https://www.government.se/press-releases/2024/05/donors-address-humanitarian-crisis-facing-the-yemeni-people/
Full text: Yemen: Families left without aid as international donor support collapses, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), press release, published May 7, 2024
https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/may/yemen-families-left-without-aid-as-international-donor-support-collapses/
Full text: Humanitarian partners urge donors to remain committed to the millions in need in Yemen, Joint Statement by 190 Humanitarian Organizations in Yemen, released May 6, 2024
https://www.intersos.org/en/humanitarian-partners-urge-donors-to-remain-committed-in-yemen/