UN Raise More Than $2 Billion in Aid For Yemen Through Saudi Arabia and U.A.E.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres (AFP/File Photo)

The United Nations raised more than $2 billion for Yemen, with half the funds pledged by Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. who each pledged $500 million.

U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres told reporters that in addition to the $2 billion already committed, multiple countries had promised more donations in the coming months, leaving him “optimistic that we will be able to reach the level that corresponds to the needs”.

For its part, the U.A.E. announced it would provide $500 million to support the U.N. Humanitarian Response Plan in Yemen for 2018.

The announcement was made by Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, during a high-level pledging event at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva.

Al Hashemi said that the U.A.E. will continue to provide direct aid to liberated Yemeni areas, which includes the allocation of $100 million for healthcare and energy projects in Hadhramaut.

She added that work is already underway to develop Mocha Port.

“The decline in humanitarian conditions in Yemen requires not only the intensifying of humanitarian efforts, but also a serious and sincere stand and condemnation of the violations and practices of the Iranian-Houthi militias, which are worsening the humanitarian situation,” said Al Hashemi.

Al Hashemi indicated that since April 2015, the U.A.E. has provided $2.9 billion in the form of humanitarian aid, development programmes, reconstruction and efforts for restoring stability. She said that the aid was focused on vital sectors, such as infrastructure, healthcare, housing and the provision of operating budgets for various Yemeni governorates. She pointed out that the aid targeted around 13 million Yemenis, of which 5 million are children.

Al Hashemi said that the U.A.E. has supplied 230,000 tonnes in food aid to combat the critical shortage in food items, in addition to vaccinating 488,000 Yemeni children against polio.

She said that the Saudi-led Arab Coalition is also operating in the field of humanitarian operations, and facilitates the operations of humanitarian organisations by opening borders, ports and airports that lead to liberated Yemeni governorates, as well as governorates that are under the control of Al Houthi rebels. She said that the rebels stop the aid from reaching beneficiaries, and instead use it to fuel war efforts by exploiting the suffering of the Yemeni people to sway public opinion against the Arab Coalition in order to achieve their political goals.

This article has been adapted from its original source.