Saudi Arabia, UAE grant $200 mln for Yemen aid

Saudi Arabia and the UAE will provide funding of $200 million for urgent humanitarian assistance to Yemen, Saudi Press Agency reported.

This funding, which is part of a $500 million donation — Imdaad — announced in November 2018, is an organized campaign of urgent assistance for Yemeni people by meeting basic needs in the sectors of food, nutrition, health and livelihoods during the upcoming weeks.

The funding is allocated to United Nations (UN) partners, including $140 million to the World Food Program to bridge the funding gap for food needs; $40 million to UNICEF to address sanitation issues and malnutrition among children and mothers; and $20 million to the World Health Organization to help control cholera and to provide intravenous feeding fluids.

“Saudi Arabia and the UAE are striving to improve the condition of the Yemeni people due to the Houthi militias' violations of the Stockholm Agreement,” Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), said.

“The timing of this support was chosen to meet urgent needs and to ensure the delivery of aid assistance in the coming weeks to allow the Yemeni people to maintain their traditions and to practice the customs of the holy month of Ramadan,” Reem Al-Hashimy, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, said.