Brussels, 13/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission and the United Nations are working together to try to stabilise the humanitarian situation in Yemen. International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres are in Yemen on a three-day joint visit (13-16 January).
The visit has allowed Georgieva to repeat the Commission's commitment to Yemen, a country facing colossal humanitarian problems since the armed conflict of 2004 which left some 350,000 displaced persons and forced hundreds of thousands to live in poverty and uncertainty, with the massive influx of around 174,000 refugees from the Horn of Africa (mainly Somalia) has served only to further aggravate the situation.
“Yemen faces rising humanitarian risks. Operational conditions for humanitarian organisations on the ground, including access, need to improve, and international assistance needs to be scaled up to match the growing demand for food, shelter, health services and protection,” the commissioner said on Thursday 13 January. She hopes that she and Guterres will be able to “gather first-hand and up-to-date information on the most pressing needs”.
Since 1994, the Commission has provided €33 million in humanitarian aid to the vulnerable in Yemen, including the host families of refugees from the Horn of Africa. (A.N./transl.rt)