Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what aid they are supplying to Yemen to prevent mass starvation of the population.

The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa announced £170 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen on the 3 April for the financial year 2018/2019. This funding will meet immediate food needs for 2.5 million Yemenis, and is in addition to over £400 million in bilateral support since the conflict began in 2015.

In the 2017/2018 financial year, the UK was the second-largest donor to the UN Humanitarian Appeal for Yemen and the third-largest humanitarian donor to Yemen overall, providing £205 million. This support aimed to provide enough food to meet immediate needs for 3.4 million people and fuel to mill enough wheat to feed a million people for over a year, as well as nutrition support for 1.7 million people, and clean water and sanitation for an expected 1.2 million people.

Alongside our funding, the UK has taken a leading role in calling on all parties to the conflict to allow unhindered humanitarian and commercial access throughout Yemen. As set out in the UK-led Presidential Statement adopted by the Security Council on 15 March, it is essential that all parties facilitate the safe, rapid and unhindered access for supplies, particularly through Hodeidah and Saleef ports, to help prevent mass starvation.