In response to today’s Virtual High-Level Pledging Event on the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen, Ferran Puig, Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen said:
“The world must not look away while Yemen suffers. Even before the Ukraine conflict drove up food prices and threatened food imports, two-thirds of major aid programs had already been reduced or closed because of lack of funding. We’re witnessing the effect of this ―the malnutrition we see every day is heart-breaking, more and more people are reduced to begging and we’ve already had to cut some of our services. The 17.4 million people currently going hungry are at real risk of becoming acutely malnourished and many are likely to die unless the funds needed are donated by the international community.
“Seven years of war have destroyed Yemen’s economy creating ripples of misery for everyone. Those who were previously secure and able to provide for themselves and their families can no longer do so. There is a fuel crisis, a currency crisis and a health crisis ―the country is already on life support. The international community must step in to save Yemen by negotiating peace to allow a lasting recovery.”
Notes to editors
Today, the UN called for $4.27 billion to fund essential humanitarian work for 2022. Last year the UN ask for $3.85 billion was 60 percent underfunded. At the start of this year, two-thirds of major UN aid programs had already been reduced or closed with further cuts to come unless more funds are provided.
Yemen hunger figures are from the IPC.
2021 Yemen HRP called for USD$3.85 billion. In 2021 $2.3 billion was received according to the UN.
The World Food Program warned last month that they were on the verge of halving food rations to 8 million people.
Contact information
Tania Corbett in the UK | TCorbett1@oxfam.org.uk | +44 7824 824 359
Annie Thériault in Peru | annie.theriault@oxfam.org | +51 936 307 990
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