Humanitarian aid provided by the international community to Yemen should be distributed fairly among the entire population of the country, without any discrimination, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said on Monday at a high-level event under the auspices of the UN on fundraising for aid to Yemen.
"We consider the provision of humanitarian aid to the entire population, without discrimination, a key factor in preventing a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen," he said. - "We call for the abandonment of steps both inside and outside the country that make it difficult to provide humanitarian aid."
Polyanskiy noted that although the new Yemeni government includes many representatives from the southern regions, in accordance with the 2019 agreements reached in Riyadh to resolve the conflict, the logic of armed confrontation continues to prevail in the country for now. The situation has been particularly dire in recent weeks in the province of Marib, the diplomat continued, where thousands of people have been displaced due to escalating fighting.
"The enormous humanitarian difficulties facing Yemen require urgent solutions," Polyanskiy added. - "Massive assistance from the international community is needed to fight hunger and disease, including the coronavirus. Therefore, increased financial assistance to UN programs that provide food for the country's people, access to water and medical services will be a natural and timely response by the international community, including countries in the region".
In Yemen, the standoff between government forces and the Houthis has been ongoing since August 2014. It reached its most active phase after the Saudi-led coalition invaded the country in March 2015. The conflict has created the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. According to the UN, more than 24 million Yemenis - about 80 percent of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the number of internally displaced persons exceeds 3 million.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS