Humanitarian and international organizations agreed to increase their support and enhance the decentralized work in Yemen, as well as backing the initiative of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen.
During the "High-level Meeting to Enhance the Humanitarian Response in Yemen" several humanitarian and relief organizations agreed to increase their support impartially in all Yemeni cities.
Adviser to the royal court and general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) Abdullah al-Rabiah announced at the conclusion of the meeting that all attendees had agreed on several issues related to the humanitarian work in Yemen. He added that all participating members agreed that the support should be decentralized and the Yemeni government should have sufficient incomes.
Rabiah stated that this meeting reinforces the concern of Saudi Arabia towards Yemen, adding that the Kingdom managed to support Yemen with more than $ 8.27 billion. He also indicated that the Kingdom is pleased to provide access to Jazan seaport and land access to facilitate delivery of aid and relief.
He announced the forum on the development of international humanitarian action in Riyadh under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman between 24 and 26 of February 2018. The forum will focus on the development of international humanitarian work, and Rabiah invited everyone to participate in the activities of this humanitarian forum.
According to Rabiah, KSRelief executed 161 projects in Yemen with 85 United Nations, international, and regional partners, covering food security, nutrition, shelter, health, social support, and other important projects. In addition, KSRelief supported projects focusing on the needs of women and children with 68 projects for women and 80 for children.
Saudi Arabia responded to the call of the legitimate Yemeni government to reclaim the democracy that was chosen by Yemeni people, in accordance with UN Resolution 2216, the GCC Initiative, and the outcome of the Yemen National Dialogue.
"The aggression from the militant coup is not a new one for the Yemeni people, and the latest onslaught from the militias only emphasizes the Iranian interference in Yemen to create a breeding ground for terrorist groups similar to ISIS and al-Qaida," Rabiah stated.
In addition, Rabiah emphasized the importance of monitoring and surveillance, to enhance the efficiency of these activities, stating that for this to be achieved, the organizations must establish neutral reports that ensure accuracy and avoid fraudulent and misleading information.
"We are aware that all UN and international resolutions forbid the violation of the use of children as armed weapons and human shields. In this regard, Houthi militia groups have committed significant crimes by recruiting more 20,000 Yemeni children for this purpose, according to reports from human rights organizations," reiterated Rabiah.
Rabiah condemned the despicable acts and called for urgent action to prevent such actions, and to hold those violating the rights of these children accountable.
He announced KSRelief’s initiative to rehabilitate these children and called upon all the participants to join in to help more than 2,000 children in this project, providing psychological, educational, social and family rehabilitation services.
"We should work together to expand this project to include all children who have had their innocence stolen from them," he asserted.
Rabiah addressed the organizations calling upon them to achieve decentralization of humanitarian work through increasing the presence of their offices in all over Yemen, stating at the same time the Kingdom's support to the initiative of the UN Envoy to Yemen regarding Hudaydah seaport and Sana’a airport to increase the efficiency of humanitarian work.
Chief of military-civilian operations in the joint operations of "Renewal of Hope" Maj-Gen Abdullah al-Hbabi indicated that the coalition is constantly working on alleviating the struggles of Yemeni people and reaching a peaceful solution which enables the legitimate government to honor its duties.
Hbabi pointed out that of about 14 thousand permit, 6,000 were marine permits and 1,300 were land permits granted to ensure flow within Yemen. He added Saudi Arabia doesn't discriminate in providing humanitarian aid to all people in need, indicating that Houthis target the Kingdom and recruit children in the battle field with the support of Iran.
Yemen’s deputy premier and foreign minister Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi said one challenge is the funding of humanitarian work in Yemen, adding that employees in areas controlled by Houthi rebels are not paid their salaries and that is another challenge for Yemen.
For his part, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock stressed that humanitarian aid needs unimpeded access to the most vulnerable people.
He asked the donors to fund the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan to ensure the most effective coordinated response across the country.
He warned that this crisis can only be solved by stopping the war, and that requires a political solution.
"All parties in Yemen must do much more to ensure they respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians, and those outside with an influence on the parties should exert greater pressure to this end," Lowcock plead.
As for the delayed salaries, he said that the Yemeni prime minister had made a promise that these will be paid.
"I asked the Prime Minister and other members of the Government, among other things, to ensure progress on paying salaries to health workers, teachers, and other civil servants, to get Sanaa’s airport reopened for commercial and humanitarian flights and to improve the operation of the ports, especially Hudaydah. The Prime Minister told me he would instruct his officials to pay health workers’ salaries," Lowcock.
