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UN launches largest ever humanitarian appeal for Yemen

Xinhua, February 9, 2017 Adjust font size:

The United Nations (UN) and humanitarian partners launched an international appeal on Wednesday for 2.1 billion U.S. dollars to provide life-saving assistance to 12 million people in Yemen in 2017.

This has been the largest consolidated humanitarian appeal for the country ever launched.

Stephen O'Brien, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said that without international support, the Yemen people may face the threat of famine in the course of 2017.

"Two years of war have devastated Yemen and millions of children, women and men desperately need our help, I urge donors to sustain and increase their support to our collective response," he said.

Since March 2015, violent conflict and disregard by all parties to the conflict for their responsibility to protect civilians have created a vast protection crisis in Yemen and millions of people face threats to their safety and basic human rights every day.

Latest UN figures showed that deliberate war tactics are accelerating the collapse of key institutions and the economy, thereby leaving some 18.8 million people, more than two thirds of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance.

An estimated 10.3 million people are acutely affected and need some form of immediate humanitarian assistance to save and sustain their lives including food, health and medical services, clean water, sanitation and protection, according to UN figures. Nearly 3.3 million people, including 2.1 million children, are acutely malnourished while 2 million people remain internally displaced. Endit