Sanaa
A shortage of funds has meant four million Yemenis have lost access to aid, the United Nations humanitarian chief has said, warning that the “window to prevent famine” is closing in the war-torn country.
Mark Lowcock told the UN Security Council on Thursday that aid agencies had just 42 percent of their programmes funded in Yemen, meaning key services were being axed.
Aid agencies are helping nine million people a month in Yemen, down from 13 million at the start of the year, Mr Lowcock said.
“What is to be the fate of the four million we no longer have the money to help?” he asked.
In his last briefing to the Security Council on Yemen, when the UN’s $ 3.4 billion humanitarian plan for Yemen was just 30 percent funded, Mr Lowcock singled out Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait for contributing nothing this year.
Shortly afterwards Kuwait announced a $20 million donation and Saudi Arabia committed to giving $204 million to UN agencies. The kingdom’s overall $500 million pledge to Yemen was half of 2019. The UAE did not pledge funding for Yemen this year.
In 2018, famine was only averted by an emergency injection of aid, and Mr Lowcock warned that time was running out to do the same in 2020.
“The window to prevent famine in Yemen is closing,” he said. “Funding is up somewhat, but we still have a long way to go to prevent suffering.”
A prisoner swap between the warring sides continued for a second day on Friday.—AP
