Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s assessment of the Food Insecurity Situation in Yemen that (1) 16,500 Yemeni’s are facing a “catastrophic, famine-like situation”, and (2) that this number could increase to 47,000 by June 2021; and what plans they have to increase aid spending in Yemen.

The UK is extremely concerned about increased levels of food insecurity and risk of famine in Yemen, with thousands of people already in famine conditions and 13.5 million Yemeni people at risk of starving or struggling to get enough food to feed their families according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) data. We have been sounding the alarm on Yemen since September, when we announced an additional £30.8 million in UK aid specifically for famine prevention.

On 3 December, in response to the release of the IPC data, the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £14 million in UK aid to Yemen. This new funding will help 1.5 million households access food and medicines, and takes the UK's commitment to £214 million this financial year (2020/21). We continue to urge the international community to step up, including though urgently disbursing humanitarian funding, supporting the economy and encouraging the parties to engage in new peace talks led by UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.