Donors pledge $1.35B in aid operations to Yemen, falling short of $2.4B target

Republican Yemen

In a virtual U.N. conference hosted by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, international donors pledged $1.35bn in humanitarian aid to war-ravaged Yemen, falling short to meet the United Nations’ target of $2.4 billion.

“A total of $1.35bn in pledges has been announced from a wide range of donors to the humanitarian response in Yemen including to fight COVID-19,” a UN spokeswoman told reporters.

According to Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jabir, the kingdom has already pledged $500 million, including $25 million to help curb the novel COVID-19 outbreak.

A week prior to the conference, UN agencies working in Yemen called for urgent financial help, noting they would soon run out of money.

Lise Grande, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, told Reuters before the conference the operation would face “catastrophic cutbacks” if the donations fell short of $1.6 billion.

UN emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock said the global body would continue its fundraising efforts.

“This is not the end,” he added, calling on donors to pay the funds immediately, since “pledges on their own achieve nothing.”