UNICEF asks that Yemen “not be forgotten” in the face of the war in Ukraine and demands funds to avoid “a collapse”

The organization requests a peace agreement that allows “to achieve solutions to get out of a crisis” after seven years of war

MADRID, March 26. (Royals Blue) –

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for “Yemen not to be forgotten as an emergency” in view of the impact of the war in Ukraine on the situation on the ground and the possible cut in funds for the humanitarian response, and calls for increased delivery of aid to avoid “a collapse” in the country.

UNICEF’s chief of operations in Yemen, Gianluca Buono, highlighted in an interview with Europa Press that the organization is “very concerned” about the situation and has stressed that, since the conflict is the main cause of the crisis, he add an economic and social crisis that deepens the impact on the situation of the population.

“It is a very complex, very difficult situation,” he said, before acknowledging that the war in Ukraine “is having a great impact due to many things.” Thus, she has pointed to the relevance of Ukraine in the import of food and cereals and the repercussions “on the production and delivery of gasoline and gas connected to Russia.”

Likewise, he has assessed that “the whole aspect related to fundraising may be limited for other emergencies because Ukraine is going to cause a great deal of tension at that time”, while recalling that there are also other serious humanitarian crises in countries such as Afghanistan, Syria or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

However, Buono has highlighted that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen “is classified as one of the most serious in the world” and has reiterated the need for international funding to be delivered “very quickly” in order to maintain UNICEF’s aid programs on the ground.

Buono, who arrived in the country three years ago, has stressed that “the situation is much worse now” than then and has warned of the risk that “it will be a forgotten crisis.” “In some circumstances and in some sectors we are close to collapse,” he said, before warning that “if the international community does not help (…) the process of collapse of Yemeni society is clearly accelerated, without a doubt” .

United Nations data reveals “a very complex situation” in which 23 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, including almost thirteen million children. This means that “four out of five boys and girls need humanitarian aid right now,” she lamented.

In addition, there are currently almost four million internally displaced persons, including two million children, while a total of 2.2 million Yemeni children suffer from acute malnutrition, including 500,000 who suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

In this sense, he explained that the country has “a very weak social network system” and added that the situation of basic services “does not give children and their families the possibility of accessing them on a regular basis.” “Access to basic services is very difficult at the moment,” she stressed.

“The civil infrastructure, which includes school infrastructure, social infrastructure and health clinics, is damaged or destroyed in too great a number,” he lamented, before highlighting the situation in the educational system, where in addition to the material damage, “many professors or teachers who did not receive their salary in recent years returned to another profession, leaving many children without the possibility of having a regular educational cycle”.

FIELD PROGRAMS

For this reason, Buono recalled that the United Nations made an appeal last week to raise 4,200 million dollars (about 3,820 million euros) within the framework of the Humanitarian Response Plan, of which 250 million dollars (about 228 million euros) are needed to fund UNICEF activities for the next six months.

“These are very important activities because they are going to save lives with the delivery of immediate humanitarian aid and lay the foundation for a structuring of systems that will provide aid on a more regular basis,” he explained, before stressing that UNICEF has an office headquarters divided into five field offices in Yemen. “It is one of the largest UNICEF operations in the world,” she praised.

In this sense, he pointed out that there are some areas, such as food, water and sanitation, health, education and the protection of children at a psychological level that “need a particular focus” on the part of donors.

Likewise, Buono has argued that it is important that the political and diplomatic processes underway “can help in one way or another so that the ports are open and so that the UN system and its partners have access to the areas where we can deliver aid. humanitarian is allowed”.

“Many times it is allowed, other times you have to negotiate,” he acknowledged, while showing UNICEF’s desire to have “regular access” to some areas of the country, especially in remote areas. However, she has highlighted that these access problems “are solved later” to allow the passage of aid.

“We would like to have regular access, without the need to negotiate, but sometimes for security reasons and because of how things are organized in areas throughout the country, in some circumstances we are delayed in delivering humanitarian aid,” he said. said, while reiterating that “negotiations are always carried out at the field level and with the authorities throughout the country.”

REOPENING OF PORTS AND AIRPORTS

He also reiterated that “one of the most important requests is that the ports of Aden and Hodeida and the airports not be blocked, because they are the entry points for all supplies arriving in Yemen.” “Blocking those gateways totally undermines the ability of UNICEF and other partners to deliver humanitarian aid and enable our activities on the ground,” he stressed.

“We always hope that these points are understood by the parties and the various authorities, who know very well what can happen when these sites are blocked,” Buono stressed.

On the other hand, he stressed that the agency is also working to improve the water and sanitation situation in the country and has recognized that it sometimes faces problems in the construction of drinking water systems in some communities and “sometimes in the camps of displaced”.

UNICEF also helps in the delivery of vaccines and the delivery of school supplies and training teachers and teachers, while giving support to improve access to clinics so that boys, girls and their mothers are assisted, given the difficulties they face. the population faces to see its basic services guaranteed.

Finally, he recalled the impact of the war on children and said that around 10,200 children have been killed or injured in the country since the start of hostilities, with around 3,500 dead. Likewise, he has highlighted that about 50 minors have died or been injured so far this year due to the war.

“What the boys and girls need is a peace process that leads to peace in the country. Only with a peaceful situation can solutions be achieved later to get out of a crisis that began in 2015,” Buono stressed, asking “not forget how complex “the situation is and the years that the people and children of Yemen have been suffering” during these seven years.