With more money pledged than last year, the UN hailed the aid drive as a "success." The top donations came from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — countries directly involved in Yemen's devastating conflict.
Image: Reuters/K. Abdullah
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A United Nations conference secured $2.6 billion (€2.3 billion) in pledges on Tuesday to aid the millions of people facing starvation in war-torn Yemen.
The pledges were up by 30 percent from the amount secured during last year's aid drive.
"Today's pledging conference can be considered a success," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Geneva at the end of the day-long conference.
An estimated 24 million people, or 80 percent of Yemen's population, is in need of humanitarian aid, with 10 million people "just one step away from famine," he added.
The aid drive saw the European Union pledge $182 million while Germany promised $114 million.
The UN is seeking a total of $4.2 billion for the entire year and expects more donations in the next several months.
Responding to criticism about Saudi donations, Guterres said: "We are not disregarding the war that exists"Image: Getty Images/F. Coffrini
Aid groups criticize Saudi donations
Some of the top donations at the conference came from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which said they would contribute $500 million each while Kuwait said it would give $150 million.
Although the three countries pledged millions in aid, their Western-backed militaries are deeply involved in Yemen's conflict — a fact criticized by aid organizations outside the UN.
"Ironically, many of these donor governments are also involved in the war, which is both driving massive humanitarian needs and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance," Doctors Without Borders said in a statement.
According to the latest figures from the UN Human Rights Office, attacks by the Saudi-led coalition have killed nearly 4,600 out of the 7,000 civilians who are confirmed to have died in the war.
"While billions are spent on bombs and weapons bringing death and destruction, much less is made available to save lives of Yemeni civilians," Mohamed Abdi, who manages the Yemen operations of the Norwegian Refugee Council said.
Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis
Yemen has struggled to cope with crises prompted by its atrocious civil war, including catastrophic hunger and devastating cholera outbreaks. DW examines the conflict and how it affects the country's civilian population.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
War: The 'root cause' of Yemen's disasters
The UN has identified conflict as the "root cause" of Yemen's crises. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the war erupted in 2014, when Shiite Houthi rebels launched a campaign to capture the capital, Sanaa. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched a deadly campaign against the rebels, one that has been widely criticized by human rights groups for its high civilian death toll.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Fighting keeps food from the famished
The conflict has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching large parts of the civilian population, resulting in more than two-thirds of the country's 28 million people being classified as "food insecure." Nearly 3 million children and pregnant or nursing women are acutely malnourished, according to the UN World Food Program.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Displacement: Converging crises
More than 3 million people have been displaced by conflict, including marginalized communities such as the "Muhammasheen," a minority tribe that originally migrated from Africa. Despite the civil war, many flee conflict in Somalia and head to Yemen, marking the convergence of two major migration crises in the Middle East nation. Yemen hosts around 250,000 Somali refugees, according to UNHCR.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Cholera: A deadly epidemic
The number of suspected cholera cases has exceeded more than 2 million and least 3,700 people have died from the waterborne bacterial infection in Yemen since October 2019, said the WHO. Although cholera can be easily treated, it can kill within hours when untreated.
Image: Reuters/K. Abdullah
Unsuspecting victims of the'war on terror'
In Yemen, violence goes beyond civil conflict: It is considered a strategic front in the war on terrorism. The country serves as the operational base for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, dubbed the "most dangerous" terrorist group before the rise of the "Islamic State." The US routinely uses drones to target al-Qaida leadership. However, civilians have often been killed in the operations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Arhab
Children's fate: Future marred by tragedy
In a country paralyzed by conflict, children are one of the most at-risk groups in Yemen. More than 12 million children require humanitarian aid, according to the UN humanitarian coordination agency. The country's education system is "on the brink of collapse," while children are dying of "preventable causes like malnutrition, diarrhea and respiratory tract infections," according to the agency.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Peace: An elusive future
Despite several attempts at UN-backed peace talks, the conflict continues to rage on. Saudi Arabia has vowed to continue supporting the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. On the other hand, Houthi rebels have demanded the formation of a unity government in order to move forward on a political solution. A peace deal, however, remains elusive.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
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Guterres: 'What we want is to end the war'
When asked how he reconciles donations from members in the Saudi-led coalition with their involvement in the war, Guterres refrained from criticism.
"We are not disregarding the war that exists, and the fact that a number of countries ... have had a direct impact on that war," Guterres told a news conference. "And obviously what we want is to end the war, and to end all the consequences of the war."
"Independently of that, today we are at a pledging conference to address humanitarian needs," he added.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE entered the conflict in 2015 to back the Yemeni government against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
