"Now, more than ever, the country needs the outside world's help, and it's not really getting it," Rupert Coville, UN human rights spokesman said.
Even through this pandemic, Yemenis must still face war with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, leaving more than two third of the population desperate for aid. Despite the war, the rapid spread of the Covid-19, cholera and diarrhoea, more than 30 of the 41 UN-supported programs would be closed in the next several weeks if no additional funds would be secured. UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene services would also start closing by July if they don’t receive $30m by the end of June - and this isn’t even the cherry on top.
Only 47% of the initial $1.35bn (which is already below the standard fundraising target) funding for Yemen has been received, meaning that there is actually a chance for these programs to end up closing.
"The crisis is of cataclysmic proportions," Sara Beysolow Nyanti, UNICEF's country representative for Yemen. With the country’s current state of malnourished individuals, especially children, it is a global emergency to treat these patients. "[There is] a pre-existing situation where children were already in dire need and now children are confronted with multiple issues - and COVID-19 just adds to their complex and very difficult lives."
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