Yemen is currently suffering from the effects of more than 6 years of ongoing conflict and economic turmoil exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, floods and desert locusts.
AlTaghyeer: Agencies
UN agencies have welcomed the World Bank’s provision of $127 million for a joint project aimed at combating extreme hunger in Yemen.
The joint project between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Program and the World Food Program will provide livelihood support that aims to boost agricultural production in Yemen.
These grants will be made thanks to contributions from the World Bank’s International Development Association ($100 million) and the Global Program for Agriculture and Food Security ($27 million).
The grants will focus on providing immediate support to vulnerable families through cash-for-work opportunities and nutrition support for mothers and children.
“Food insecurity is one of the most pressing human development challenges facing Yemen,” said Tanya Meyer, World Bank Country Director for Yemen.
“In the broader context of the ongoing conflict and economic crisis, the combination of a family’s high reliance on food imports, high food prices, and significantly lower incomes, is having a devastating impact on people’s lives,” she added.
She explained that food insecurity is one of the most pressing human development challenges facing Yemen.
Millions of Yemenis face crisis and worsening levels of food insecurity (Phase III), according to the latest analysis of the Integrated Food Security Classification (IFSC).
Approximately, 47,000 people in Yemen are suffering from catastrophic (stage V) levels of food insecurity that includes many famine-like conditions.
