Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with her Saudi counterpart on the pledge of the Saudi Government in January 2018 to donate $1.5 billion to humanitarian agencies in Yemen in coordination with the UN.

The Saudi-led Coalition’s Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations Plan, announced on 23 January, included a commitment to provide $1.5 billion of new donations to the 2018 UN Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, costed at $2.96 billion. Following this announcement, UK Ministers – including the Prime Minister – encouraged Coalition counterparts to disburse this funding quickly. At the Yemen High Level Pledging Event held on 3 April, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait pledged $500 million, $500 million and $250 million respectively to the UN, totalling $1.25 billion. So far, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have disbursed $930 million to the UN Appeal. The UK will continue to encourage members of the Coalition and other donors to fully and quickly disburse the funds they have pledged to the UN Appeal.