UN calls out Saudi Arabia and UAE for not paying Yemen aid pledges

United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock called out Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for only paying a “modest proportion” of the hundreds of millions of dollars they pledged five months ago to a humanitarian appeal for Yemen.

Both countries each promised $750 million at a U.N. fundraising event in February (that was seeking $4 billion):
– Saudi Arabia so far has paid only $121.7 million and
– the United Arab Emirates about $195 million, according to U.N. figures.

Saudi Arabia leads a Western-backed military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015. The United Arab Emirates is a key member of the coalition.

The United States sells billions of dollars worth of weapons and military equipment to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The United States has paid more than $288.7 million to the U.N. Yemen appeal, making it the largest donor for 2019.

The United Nations describes the situation in Yemen – where the four-year-long war has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions on the brink of famine – as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

 [Reuters]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation, Uncategorized by Grant Montgomery.