Today, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced nearly $585 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Yemen at the 2022 High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen. In recent weeks, life-saving humanitarian programs in Yemen have been halted or forced to scale back significantly due to a lack of resources. This newly announced funding will enable continued provision of life-saving aid for Yemen’s most vulnerable people amid the intensifying conflict and the country’s devastating economic deterioration. The United States remains one of the largest donors of humanitarian assistance to Yemen, providing nearly $4.5 billion since the conflict began seven years ago.
The new funding announced includes more than $561 million from USAID and more than $23 million from the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. The assistance will reach approximately 17 million vulnerable Yemenis with emergency food, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, psychosocial support and other humanitarian protection programs for vulnerable populations, and support for the UN’s countrywide humanitarian logistics operation and information management coordination.
The United States welcomes the generosity of donors that pledged at today’s event, and calls on others to do their part and contribute to the international response at this critical moment. The stark reality is that humanitarian need in Yemen is outpacing funding. It is vital that donors fulfill pledges quickly so that UN and NGO partners on the ground can respond at scale, save lives, and prevent conditions in Yemen from worsening. The United States continues to advocate for unhindered humanitarian access, independent provision of assistance to all vulnerable people, and freedom of movement for aid workers of all genders.
While humanitarian assistance will help alleviate urgent needs, it will not address the root causes of the ongoing conflict and economic collapse. The United States calls on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities and commit to an enduring political solution.
For the latest updates on USAID’s humanitarian assistance in Yemen, visit here.
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