New York (Union)
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) revealed that nearly 10 million Yemeni children are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, noting that more than half of the population, including 9.8 million children, are still in need of life-saving support.
The organization pointed out in a statement yesterday that more than 2.7 million children suffer from acute malnutrition, while 49% of children under five suffer from stunting or chronic malnutrition.
“A large number of children are still deprived of basic necessities, including proper nutrition, which may threaten future generations unless urgent action is taken to provide children with the preventive measures and treatment they desperately need,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. ».
Catherine added in a statement, “In 2024, UNICEF aims to reach more than 500,000 children to treat them for severe acute malnutrition, which is a decisive measure to contribute to reducing the deaths of children under the age of five.”
The Executive Director of UNICEF reiterated that the organization and its partners continue to provide life-saving support in Yemen to help ensure that children who have suffered greatly will enjoy brighter days in the future, explaining that in the current year 2024, UNICEF needs urgent funding amounting to 142 million US dollars in order to be able to It has to respond to the humanitarian crisis and continue to provide humanitarian support, including nutrition, health, water and environmental sanitation, education and protection services.
Earlier, a report issued by the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean at the World Health Organization indicated that children in Yemen are vulnerable to preventable diseases, indicating high rates of malnutrition, as the devastating Houthi war in the country enters its tenth year.
According to the organization, 17.8 million people need health interventions, 50% of whom are children, with needs expected to increase in light of reduced funding and the effects of climate change.
In this context, the Director of the Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Oleg Kobyakov, warned that restricting freedom of movement in the Red Sea due to Houthi violations has a significant impact on the global food market, which exacerbates the hunger crisis in Yemen.
He explained that any disruption to food supply chains, such as restricting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, greatly affects food prices and makes it more difficult to deliver food aid to countries suffering from hunger.
Kobyakov stressed that Yemen is one of the countries most affected by the hunger crisis, and that the war waged by the Houthis, climate change and economic problems, in addition to restricting freedom of movement in the Red Sea, are all factors that exacerbate the hunger crisis in Yemen.
He pointed out that the agricultural and livestock sector in Yemen has suffered great damage, and that there is an urgent need for international support to ensure that food aid reaches all those in need.
Kobyakov added that the food situation in the world has worsened since the Corona pandemic added 120 million people to the list of the hungry in the world.
He explained that the number of hungry people in the world reached about 780 million people in 2022, while about a billion people receive unbalanced food, noting that the countries suffering from hunger are increasing and their number is now about 40 countries.
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