The announcement was made at the High Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen held in Geneva today, bringing total EU funding to Yemen to €438.2 million since the beginning of the crisis in 2015.
Speaking at the event in Geneva today, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides said: "The European Union is committed to assist those affected by the conflict in Yemen. To save lives on the ground, all parties to the conflict must ensure safe, unhindered and continuous humanitarian access to all affected communities in Yemen. Facilitating commercial imports through all ports of Yemen is essential. A political solution is a matter of urgency to bring an end to this conflict which has caused millions to suffer."
Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica added: "Yemen continues to suffer from the devastating effects of conflict. The EU will help people survive and also support them on a path to resilience, recovery and self-reliance. We will support vulnerable communities and the internally displaced in particular, equipping them with sustainable livelihood tools to weather the current crisis."
From today's announcement, €37 million is for emergency humanitarian assistance to provide life-saving aid across a wide range of sectors such as health, nutrition, food security, protection, shelter, and water and sanitation. A further €66 million is intended for development aid to support resilience and early recovery initiatives, including provision of basic services, and sustainable livelihoods. €4.5 million is from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), which will help lay the groundwork for more sustainable cities once the conflict is over, and to provide flexible and effective support to the peace process and the ensuing political transition.
EU funding in Yemen has helped target the cholera outbreak affecting the country, distribute food through the World Food Programme as well as supporting humanitarian logistical and transport capacity by the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service.
Background
The EU pledge combines an approved package of €41.5 million and an additional allocation of €66 million subject to finalisation of relevant approval procedures in the Council and the European Parliament.
In March 2015, Yemen descended into widespread armed conflict. Three years into the conflict, the already dire humanitarian situation in the country has significantly deteriorated. The on-going conflict, the destruction of basic infrastructure, compounded by the collapse of the economy and financial system has severely limited imports of food, medicine and fuel. The health sector is also close to collapse. An estimated 22.2 million people (i.e. 75% of the population) is in need of humanitarian assistance or protection.
