At the third Saudi-UAE joint press conference to support Yemen held by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) on Monday, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stated they will provide funding in the amount of USD 200 million. This funding is part of the USD 500 million donation made under the “Imdaad” initiative announced in November 2018.

The funding is allocated to partners as follows: USD 140 million to WFP to bridge the funding-gap in food assistance; USD 40 million to UNICEF to address sanitation issues & malnutrition among children & mothers; & USD 20 million to WHO to help control cholera & to provide IV fluids.

This joint humanitarian initiative comes in cooperation with UN agencies, and reaffirms the significant humanitarian role being played in Yemen by members of the coalition, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Advisor to the Royal Court and Supervisor General of KSrelief stated that this joint program is designed to ensure rapid implementation and delivery of assistance to areas most in need, with special focus on the most vulnerable groups, including women and children.

Dr. Al Rabeeah underscored the role of members of the coalition in alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people, particularly at a time in which the Houthi militia continues its violations of the Stockholm Agreement and its recommendations, and exploits the humanitarian crisis for their own military and political gains.

The “Imdaad” initiative provides urgent assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people by meeting their basic humanitarian needs, mitigating the situation of malnutrition, and help in averting famine and the epidemic diseases associated with it.

The financial contribution of coalition countries in support of the Yemeni people over the past four years, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, totals more than USD 18 billion.