UN Chief Urges Donors To Give 'Generously' To Meet Appeal For $3.85Bln In Yemen Aid

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on international donors to give "generously" to meet the United Nations' appeal for $3.85 billion in aid to support 16 million people facing famine in Yemen

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2021) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on international donors to give "generously" to meet the United Nations' appeal for $3.85 billion in aid to support 16 million people facing famine in Yemen.

"This year, we need $3.85 billion to support 16 million Yemenis on the brink of catastrophe," Guterres said while opening the high-level pledging event for humanitarian crisis Yemen. "I implore all donors to fund our appeal generously today to stop famine engulfing the country."

Guterres said that the humanitarian situation in the country has never been worse, and over 20 million Yemenis require aid and protection.

Children and women are among the hardest hit, Guterres pointed out. He said that this year, almost half of all children under five are set to suffer from malnutrition, and some 400,000 of them could die without urgent treatment.

The UN chief also noted that last year, humanitarian funding for Yemen declined. "Today, reducing aid is a death sentence for entire families," Guterres said.

Humanitarian partners last year received $1.9 billion - just half of what was required - and half of the money collected in 2019 to address the humanitarian crisis.