The European Commission has announced that in response to the United Nations' call for funds, the EU pledged, on Monday 2 April, to mobilise €107.5 million in emergency and longer term aid this year for vulnerable people in Yemen. The country has been devastated by three years of war.
This pledge was made at the donors' conference for Yemen that was organised in Geneva by the United Nations. The UN has calculated the cost for financing their emergency programmes at USD$3 billion (€2.4 billion). The programmes will help some 13 million Yemeni people who are the victims of "the worst humanitarian crisis" in the world, according to UN Secretary General António Guterres.
"All parties to the conflict must ensure safe, unhindered and continuous humanitarian access to all affected communities in Yemen", European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides stated, reiterating that "a political solution is a matter of urgency to bring an end to this conflict which has caused millions to suffer". He added that "facilitating commercial imports through all ports of Yemen is essential". The blockade imposed on the country by Saudi Arabia and its allies has certainly been alleviated but restrictions on deliveries continue.
"The EU will help people survive and also support them on a path to resilience, recovery and self-reliance", European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica stated, as quoted in a press release.
The aid pledged by the EU is allocated as follows: - €37 million for emergency humanitarian assistance to provide life-saving aid across a wide range of sectors such as health, nutrition, shelter, and water and sanitation; - €66 million for development aid (to be approved by the European Council and Parliament) to support early recovery initiatives, including the provision of basic services and support for sustainable livelihoods; - €4.5 million from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), which will help lay the groundwork for more sustainable cities, and provide support to the peace process and ensuing political transition.
This additional assistance will bring to €438.2 million the humanitarian assistance from the EU since the start of the armed conflict in Yemen in 2015. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)