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UN Security Council appeals for 1.6-bln-USD humanitarian funds for Yemen

Xinhua, September 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

With the upcoming Yemen peace talks reigniting prospects for peace, the UN Security Council is urging the international community to contribute to the UN humanitarian appeal which requested 1.6 billion U.S. dollars, said a council press statement on Friday.

"The council members welcomed the United Nations revised humanitarian appeal which requested 1.6 billion U.S. dollars, but which was currently only around 24 percent funded. They encouraged the international community to contribute to the appeal," said the statement.

Moreover, they urged all parties to take immediate steps to facilitate the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance and fuel for civilian purposes to all parts of Yemen, as well as measures to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to reach people in need of humanitarian assistance, including through all of Yemen's ports, it said.

The humanitarian situation has been deteriorating in Yemen, including the food insecurity already facing millions of Yemenis across the country and the increasing risk of famine, according to the UN.

The United Nations on Thursday said peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen are set to resume next week in the region and urged all parties to participate "in good faith."

The council commended the decision by the government of Yemen to participate in these peace talks along with other parties, while emphasizing the need for a peaceful, orderly, inclusive and Yemeni-led transition process, said the statement.

Yemen has been mired in political gridlock since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down. The three-year reconciliation talks failed to resolve the crisis but create huge power vacuum as competing forces fight for control of the country. Enditem