The UK is stepping up its humanitarian support to help millions of people at risk of starvation in Yemen, the Prime Minister announced.
New UK aid worth £200 million will feed millions of people and provide water and sanitation to those most in need. This new announcement brings the total that the UK has committed since the start of the four-year conflict to £770 million.
“Yemen is suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Millions of people edge ever closer to famine every day that the conflict continues. Today’s UK aid package will feed millions of Yemenis who face constant uncertainty over when they will next eat. But aid is not enough. We are also doing all we can to support the UN-led peace process. The only way to end this crisis and the suffering of the Yemeni people is for both parties to agree a political settlement,” said Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt.
The new UK aid package will:
- Give cash and vouchers to 3.8 million vulnerable Yemenis across the country that they can use to buy food;
- screen and treat 20,000 children for malnutrition this year; and
- give 2 million people better access to water supply and basic sanitation, which will also help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera.
On 26 February the UK will host a side-event at the UN pledging conference in Geneva, bringing together leading donors and UN agencies for a renewed international effort to ensure aid reaches the most vulnerable Yemenis.
Original source: DFID
Published on 24 February 2019
