UN: Saudi Arabia Biggest Supporter of Humanitarian Efforts in Yemen

Under-Secretary of the UN Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Coordinator for Relief Mark Lowcock said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia is the biggest supporter of humanitarian effort in Yemen.

“Saudi Arabia is the biggest supporter and financier of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan,” Lowcock said, pointing out that support provided by KSRelief “helped the UN and its agencies provide decent livelihoods to 13 million Yemenis.”

The UN official was speaking following a meeting with Advisor to the Royal Court, Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah at the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in Riyadh Thursday.

Lowcock praised the Center’s advanced professional performance, its humanitarian missions and wide international spread despite its short life span, noting the remarkable partnership between the Center and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to help those affected around the world.

When asked about the impact of the $500 million donated by the Kingdom to OCHA last September, he said it was being used to provide food, security, healthcare and shelter to millions of people in need in Yemen.

“The humanitarian situation in Yemen remains difficult,” Lowcock said, highlighting the successful response to the cholera epidemic after millions of children had been vaccinated.

The UN official expressed his sadness that the Iran-backed Houthi militia had obstructed humanitarian aid, but said there were alternative measures now in place, backed by independent parties.

“There are 95 percent of intended beneficiaries who have now received aid, despite issues like those earlier this year when aid from the World Food Program (WFP) was obstructed, which led to the suspension of humanitarian work in Houthi-controlled governorates in Yemen,” he said.

Lowcock said he was delighted that the “pre-famine” stage in Yemen had been dealt with.