Oxfam reaction to Yemen high-level side event at UNGA

In response to today’s virtual high-level side event on Yemen organized by the European Union, Sweden and Switzerland, Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen said:

“This event is a welcome sign that the international community remains mobilized to respond to the human tragedy that keeps unfolding in Yemen. Yet, after years of conflict, two-thirds of the population are in need of humanitarian assistance, one in eight people are displaced, and levels of hunger and utmost poverty continue to increase. In this context, the country cannot cope with the further crisis of COVID-19.

“Until today, just over half of the $3.9 billion needed for the Humanitarian Response Plan had been pledged. Donors’ additional pledges announced today amount to approximately $600 million, leaving this year's response underfunded by about $1 billion. We commend these announcements and hope that they will be made available to aid organizations rapidly. However, once again a few international donors have generously put their hands in their pockets - while the rest of the world looks on as Yemen descends further into hunger, poverty and an even bleaker future.

“Yemeni women, children and men want peace, they want to live in dignity, and be free from the horrors this war has brought onto them. Today, most can barely survive. Current volumes of humanitarian aid are nowhere near enough to reach all those who are desperate for help. The international community must shoulder its financial and ethical responsibilities while working to secure a ceasefire and long-lasting peace.”