After the UK Government pledged £88m at the UN Yemen Pledging Conference 2022 to respond to the escalating needs in Yemen, Kate Munro, Head of Advocacy at Action Against Hunger UK, said:
“Yemen is teetering on the brink of famine. We welcome the UK’s £88m pledge to Yemen, but it is still a steep decline on the £260m provided in 2019, despite escalating needs as the conflict enters its eighth year.
“As we rightly focus on the Ukraine crisis, we must not forget the extreme humanitarian need in Yemen and in countries across the world.
“In Yemen we are now seeing 17.4 million people in urgent need of food and over half a million children facing life-threatening malnutrition. It is crucial this pledge is the starting point rather than the destination of the UK’s commitment. The FCDO must urgently be given additional funding to turn the tide on a global hunger crisis.”
Acute food insecurity and malnutrition in Yemen
Acute food insecurity and malnutrition in Yemen have further deteriorated since January. An estimated 17.4 million Yemenis face food insecurity and, according to latest projections, that number will grow to 19 million by June.
Of greatest concern is the 31,000 people currently facing extreme hunger levels. In addition, approximately 2.2 million children under the age of five, including 538,000 who are severely malnourished, are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year.
View from the ground
“In some districts of Hajjah and Hodeidah, the nutritional situation has continued to worsen over the last months despite strong efforts of humanitarian actors. Our team are extremely worried that they are about to face a famine situation. As the world focuses its attention on the terrible situation in Ukraine, far away, Yemen is on the brink of an outright catastrophe,” said Benjamin Vienot, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Yemen.
Conflict and economic crisis remain the main drivers of acute food insecurity and malnutrition in Yemen. The outlook for 2022 indicates that both of these issues will persist, with a likelihood of further escalation of fighting in critical hotspots, leading to further displacement. In addition, as a result of the protracted conflict, access to public services has been brought to a near halt, resulting in salary delays or income reductions, poor access to health services, and inadequate access to water.
Increase in food prices
The conflict in Ukraine will further worsen this already catastrophic situation. Yemen depends almost entirely on food imports with 30% of its wheat imports coming from Ukraine. The sharp increase in wheat prices due to the conflict in Ukraine will automatically increase the cost of food and reduce its access for the most vulnerable population.
Funding gaps
In Yemen, there are severe funding shortfalls for humanitarian, threatening lifesaving assistance for millions of vulnerable people across the country. By the end of December, the 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan was only 58% funded, leaving a gap of $1.6 billion. Funding is urgently needed to sustain the humanitarian response in Yemen.
Our programmes
Action Against Hunger continues to operate in Yemen to help people in need. Action Against Hunger has been working in Yemen since 2012 and has ongoing operations in the governorates of Al Hudaydah, Lahj and Abyan in the south of the country, and in the governorates of Al Hudaydah and Hajjah in the north of the country. Action Against Hunger’s programmes in Yemen focus on health and nutrition, food security and livelihoods, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), and mental health support.