The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $431 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Yemen. This brings the total amount that the U.S. government has provided to the Yemen humanitarian response to more than $1 billion in FY 2022.
Years of conflict—along with an economic crisis, high levels of unemployment, and rising food and fuel prices—have left more than 19 million Yemenis in need of food assistance. Russia’s unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine has had a particularly adverse effect on Yemen, where imports account for 90 percent of the country’s food. This funding will allow USAID partners to continue reaching millions of vulnerable Yemenis with emergency food assistance, treatment for malnutrition, protection, and safe drinking water and improved sanitation services.
This announcement comes as parties to the conflict have agreed to extend the UN-led truce for an additional two months. The truce has provided the Yemeni people with a temporary reprieve from this devastating war, and it makes clear that only a political agreement between the Yemeni parties can durably resolve the conflict and reverse the dire humanitarian situation. Until then, humanitarian assistance is vital to saving lives and reducing suffering, but it must be able to reach the people who need it most. It is imperative that the Houthis open roads in Taiz and other governorates. All parties must take steps to uphold their obligations under the current UN truce to ensure a safe operating environment and facilitate access for aid workers. We urge all parties to work constructively with the UN Special Envoy to agree on the expanded proposal that would improve freedom of movement, increase salary payments, and pave the way for a durable, Yemeni-led resolution to the conflict.
The Yemeni people deserve peace. The United States stands by the people of Yemen and will continue to work with our partners to provide life-saving assistance to those in need. But we cannot do it alone. It is imperative that other donors and the international community step up now to fill the massive funding gaps so that partners can respond at scale, save lives, and prevent conditions in Yemen from worsening.
This funding was made available following the drawdown of the full balance of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, and from the $2.76 billion included in the emergency supplemental funds announced by President Joe Biden on June 27, 2022. USAID is immediately committing these new funds to address the most dire impacts of the global food security crisis through direct food assistance and related health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services in countries with high levels of acute food insecurity, reliance on Russian and Ukrainian imports, and vulnerability to price shocks.
For the latest updates on USAID’s humanitarian assistance in Yemen, visit here.