Oxfam - response to today’s Virtual High-Level Pledging Event on the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen

In response to today’s Virtual High-Level Pledging Event on the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen Katy Chakrabortty, Head of Advocacy at Oxfam GB, said:

“While all aid is welcome, the UK’s pledge is sadly far from sufficient to meet the desperate situation facing Yemen where 17.4 million people are currently going hungry. The world must not look away while Yemen suffers. The UK must ensure that any aid to Ukraine does not lead to further aid cuts to Yemen or other humanitarian crises. Even before the Ukraine conflict drove up food prices and threatened food imports, the UN were reporting that two thirds of major aid programmes had already been reduced or closed because of lack of funding.

“Seven years of war have destroyed Yemen’s economy creating ripples of misery for everyone. Those who were previously secure and able to provide for themselves and their families can no longer do so. There is a fuel crisis, a currency crisis and a health crisis – the country is already on life support.

“As the “penholder” responsible for leading Yemen peace negotiations at the United Nations Security Council. Boris Johnson needs to take the opportunity of his trip to Saudi Arabia this week to lay the foundations for a lifesaving peace rather than arming one side in a conflict he’s supposed to be helping to end.”

ends

UK Notes to editors:

For more information please contact Tania Corbett tcorbett1@oxfam.org.uk 07824 824 359

The UK granted £237M in export licences in just the last nine months for arms and expertise destined for Saudi Arabia many of which will be used in the Yemen conflict. https://caat.org.uk/data/exports-uk/overview?region=Saudi+Arabia&date_from=2021-01-01

Today, UN called for USD$4.27Bn to fund essential humanitarian work for 2022.but only £1.3 Bn was pledged. Today, The UK pledged £88M compared to £87M last year.

Last year the UN ask for USD$3.85 Bn was 60% underfunded. At the start of this year, two-thirds of major UN aid programmes had already been reduced or closed with further cuts to come unless more funds are provided.

Yemen hunger figures https://twitter.com/theIPCinfo/status/1503355889918562308

2021 Yemen HRP called for USD$3.85 Bn https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-2021-march-2021-enar In 20201 USD$2.3 Bn was received according to the UN

The World Food Programme warned last month that they were on the verge of halving food rations to 8 million people WFP David Beasley https://twitter.com/WFPChief/status/1496874689209278465

UK Data According to the House of Commons Library https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/yemen-uk-governments-aid-reduction/

At the UN Pledging event for the Humanitarian situation in Yemen on 2 March 2021, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly said that UK aid to Yemen in 2021/22 will be “at least £87 million.”

The pledge represents around 54 percent of the £160 million announced for 2020/21, and 40 percent of the £200 million for 2019/20 (both unadjusted figures). In fact, the UK exceeded the total pledged for 2020/21, delivering £214 million in aid to Yemen in 2020.