ReliefWeb

KEY ISSUES:

• UN calls for urgent action on five key points to avert an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.
• A total of 118 humanitarian partners operate in the 333 districts of Yemen providing assistance to as many as 8 million people per month.
• Armed clashes, airstrikes and artillery shelling continued around the airport and Kilo 10 to the south and east of Al Hudaydah City; fighting was also reported on the Hays frontline.
• Partners identified 80,763 displaced families from Al Hudaydah hosted in Al Hudaydah, Hajjah, Raymah and Al Mahwit governorates; 71,363 of these households have been assisted since June.
• US$87 million has been allocated to 75 projects under the first Standard Allocation 2018 of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, and will benefit over 3 million Yemenis in 19 governorates.

UN URGES ACTION TO AVERT HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE IN YEMEN

The UN has called for urgent action on five key points to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. The UN Secretary-General and the Under-Secretary-General of OCHA have both called for a cessation of hostilities in and around infrastructure on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely; for the protection of supplies of food and other essential goods; for a larger injection of foreign exchange into the economy, and the payment of public servants; for increased funding for the humanitarian operation; and for the parties to the conflict to engage with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen to end the conflict.

On 2 November, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the warring parties and the international community to “halt the senseless cycle of violence” and “reach a political settlement”, highlighting how International Humanitarian Law has been flouted repeatedly. The Secretary-General repeated that Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian disaster and is entirely man-made. Three-quarters of the Yemeni population, 22 million people are dependent on some form of humanitarian assistance to survive. “Yemen today stands on a precipice,” Guterres said “On the humanitarian side, the situation is desperate,” said Mr. Guterres, but “on the political side there are signs of hope”.

Some 118 humanitarian partners currently operate in the 333 districts of Yemen. Partners reach nearly 8 million people with assistance each month and more than 7 million people receive food. In addition, more than 420,000 children have been treated for malnutrition; 7.4 million people have received support for clean water, sanitation and basic hygiene; and health services have been provided to about 8 million people. A record $2.1 billion has been raised for the 2018 humanitarian appeal from generous donors including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United States, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, and many others.

Despite the scale of the humanitarian effort, the crisis remains acute. At a briefing to the Security Council on 23 October, the UN Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, categorically stated, “there is now a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen: much bigger than anything any professional in this field has seen during their working lives.” He added that another year of war and an ongoing economic crisis had pushed millions more Yemenis towards famine and that 14 million people, half of the population, could soon be entirely reliant on aid.