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"We mustn't waste any time," warns UN chief Guterres: Because donations are lacking, 30 aid programs in Yemen could soon run out of money. Germany wants to provide 125 million euros. Aid organizations don't go far enough.
Due to a lack of donations, 30 of the 41 most important UN aid programs in Yemen are threatened with extinction in a few weeks. "We have never had so little money for relief efforts in Yemen at this point in the year," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the start of a virtual donor conference for Yemen to which the United Nations and Saudi Arabia have invited.
Guterres called for a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen and solidarity with the people in the Arab country. "We cannot waste time," he said. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, 500 people have been killed since January alone. The UN will need $ 2.4 billion in aid to Yemen over the next seven months, including coronary control programs. So far, only 15 percent of it has been financed.
"Yemen is on the cliff of a catastrophe of historic proportions," warned UN emergency coordinator Mark Lowcock. The country is suffering from hunger, destruction and fatal diseases. Healthcare is on the verge of collapse and hospitals have to reject patients.
The civil war, which has been going on for more than five years, plunged the already impoverished Arab country into a serious humanitarian crisis. Around 80 percent of the 30 million inhabitants depend on help. This year alone, 110,000 people have cholera, plus malaria and dengue fever. The situation has worsened with the spread of the corona virus. So far, 354 infected people have been reported, 84 of whom died. Experts suspect a high number of unreported cases.
The State Minister at the Federal Foreign Office, Niels Annen, announced that Germany is providing 125 million euros this year for humanitarian aid in Yemen as part of a UN plan. Last year it was 100 million euros. In addition, the development ministry claims to spend 70 million euros for further support measures, the news agency epd reported.
However, the president of the Diakonie Katastrophenhife, Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel, criticized an overly passive attitude of Germany and the EU: "Why have neither Germany nor the EU managed to convene a donor conference in cooperation with the UN?" She asked. "Instead, they left the field to Saudi Arabia - a major war party in Yemen."
Saudi Arabia has been bombing targets in Yemen with its allies for five years to push back the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Since the start of the bombing, more than 112,000 people have been killed, including 12,600 civilians in targeted attacks. The country announced aid of $ 500 million.
The aid organization Doctors Without Borders also asked for more money to pay for healthcare workers, protective equipment and respirators. The environmental organization Greenpeace also criticized Germany's role: "The federal government's monetary aid in Yemen is shamefully low given the profits made by German arms companies in their dealings with the warring parties," said the organization's disarmament expert, Alexander Lurz.
Representatives of more than 130 governments should attend the video conference. At a similar donor conference in Geneva last year, Yemen raised $ 2.6 billion in donations. Because countries are grappling with the effects of the corona virus on their economy and health systems, the willingness to donate could be lower this year than usual.
