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The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) introduced the extra Saudi funding in a televised assertion Friday.
“Today, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), signed three important agreements with UN organizations, namely the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNHCR for a total of $204 million,” mentioned KSrelief’s Supervisor General, Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah.
“The amount was pledged by the Kingdom to support the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2020, and the Kingdom hopes that these UN organizations will do their utmost to implement these programs as soon as possible,” he added.
The $204 million in funding introduced by KSrelief on Friday will type a part of the $500 million initially pledged by the Kingdom throughout a convention hosted by the United Nations and Saudi Arabia in June of this yr, $300 million of which was promised to UN companies.
The funds introduced Friday will all go towards the UN Humanitarian Response Plan, with the lion’s share — $138 million — allotted to the WFP, in accordance to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
An additional $46 million has been allotted to WHO and $20 million to the UN refugee company, UNHCR, leaving $94 million of the $300 million pledged to UN companies to be finalized, OCHA mentioned.
Kuwait additionally pledged $20 million at a high-level UN assembly on Yemen held Thursday however it’s not but clear how the funds can be allotted, in accordance to OCHA.
“We welcome these developments and continue to urge all donors to fulfill their pledges and increase their support, given the increasingly desperate situation on the ground,” an OCHA spokeswoman mentioned.
Funding shortfalls
CNN’s report, printed Tuesday, revealed the devastating influence of funding cuts to humanitarian aid organizations in Yemen by the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which have pushed the war-torn nation ever nearer to the brink of famine.
A spokesperson for KSrelief advised CNN on the time that the nation had been prepared to fulfill its unmet funding commitments to Yemen in July, however was ready to finalize agreements with the companies, citing issues over appropriation of aid by the Iran-backed Ansarullah — referred to as Houthi rebels.
“Previously, there were concerns about the lack of funding, but now we can assume that with the arrivals of the funds this afternoon, the UN organizations will begin to implement their programs tomorrow, now that the money is available,” Al Rabeeah mentioned Friday.
“I can assure you that the funds will be transferred today and that I do not anticipate any delays,” he added.
The UN Financial Tracking Service (FTS) has since up to date the whole quantity acquired from Saudi Arabia to $231.1 million in funding to its Yemen humanitarian response plan. However, in accordance to information from the FTS, there’s nonetheless more than $214 million in unmet funding commitments to Yemen from Saudi Arabia.
In Yemen, 80% of the inhabitants relies on aid, however UN information has revealed billions of {dollars} in funding shortfalls this yr alone.
According to KSrelief, Saudi authorities can be “closely following up” the state of affairs in Yemen to be certain that humanitarian applications are being funded to assist these most in want.
“We pray that these programs will be beneficial,” Al Rabeeah added.
The US, Saudi Arabia and UAE are key actors in the battle in Yemen, and in 2018 and 2019 they had been the largest donors to the UN response in Yemen.
A spokesperson for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) advised CNN that the nation would resume all operations in the Houthi-controlled north “when we are confident that our partners can deliver aid without undue Houthi interference and account for US assistance.”
The Houthi rebels overthrew the internationally acknowledged authorities of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in 2015. A Saudi-led coalition, in which the UAE is a key accomplice, has waged a marketing campaign in opposition to the Houthis for the previous 5 years, destroying a lot of the Houthi-controlled areas with US backing.
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