GCC pledge for Yemen wins UN praise

The UN Security Council has commended Saudi Arabia and the UAE after the two countries pledged $200 million in humanitarian relief assistance for Yemenis for Ramadan.

Council members voiced their concern that agreements between the Yemeni government and Houthis in Stockholm four months ago were yet to be implemented and called for their immediate implementation. In a press statement, the council affirmed its support for the Stockholm agreement and its backing for the special envoy of the secretary-general to Yemen and the chairman of the Coordinating Committee for Redeployment.

The relief assistance has been allocated to UN partners: $140 million to the World Food Programme, $40 million to UNICEF to address sanitation issues and malnutrition among children and mothers, and $20 million to the World Health Organisation to tackle cholera and provide intravenous feeding fluids.

“Transgressions by Houthi militia will not stop us from supporting Yemen, especially with the holy month of Ramadan upon us,” said Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief ). “We must recognise that the Saudi-led coalition forces (supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government) ensure the assistance reaches ports or land.