Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Yemen is one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. According to the UN, almost 21 million people (over 75% of the population) are in need of humanitarian aid, with nearly 10 million in need of immediate help to save or sustain life. Yemen is also facing the world’s worst cholera outbreak with over 624,000 suspected cholera cases recorded since April and more than 2,000 deaths.

In response, the UK has increased our funding for Yemen to £139 million for 2017-18. This includes support for cholera prevention; the provision of medical supplies and treatment for those affected; as well as life-saving interventions including nutrition support to 1.7 million people and clean water and sanitation for 1.2 million people.

On the 11^th August, the Secretary of State for International Development announced that we are targeting £8 million of our support to UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration on activities specifically to address cholera. The funding will be used to provide medical supplies to half a million people, give safe access to chlorinated water to 300,000 people, and rehabilitate medical facilities used by 250,000 people.

This is a significant increase from previous years, and makes us the second-largest contributor to the UN’s 2017 Yemen Appeal and the third-largest humanitarian donor overall. At the same time the UK continues to play a leading role in lobbying for a political solution to the conflict, as well as pressing others in the international community to step up and provide co-ordinated humanitarian support.