More than half of the population in Yemen, one of the world’s worst protracted humanitarian crises, relies on humanitarian aid to survive, the UN said on Wednesday, warning that an entire generation is fighting to survive as food prices have soared by 300% since 2015.
“The conflict in Yemen has reached a tragic milestone – over one decade of largely unrelenting conflict, with only brief and fragile periods of reduced hostilities, that has stolen childhoods, shattered futures, and left an entire generation fighting to survive,” said UNICEF Yemen Representative Peter Hawkins at a press briefing in Geneva.
“Today, I stand before you not only to share numbers but to amplify the voices of millions of children trapped in one of the world’s worst protracted humanitarian crises—a crisis defined by hunger, deprivation, and now, a worrying escalation,” he said.
According to Hawkins, one in two children under five are acutely malnourished.
Among them, he said, over 537,000 suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM)—a condition that is agonizing, life-threatening, and entirely preventable.
“Malnutrition weakens immune systems, stunts growth, and robs children of their potential. In Yemen, it is not just a health crisis—it is a death sentence for thousands,” he noted.
Hawkins said that equally alarming, 1.4 million pregnant and lactating women are malnourished, perpetuating a vicious cycle of intergenerational suffering.
UNICEF says the catastrophe in Yemen is not natural, but man-made.
It explained that over a decade of conflict has decimated Yemen’s economy, healthcare system, and infrastructure. Even during periods of reduced violence, the structural consequences of the conflict—especially for children—have remained severe.
“More than half of the population relies on humanitarian aid to survive. Food prices have soared by 300 per cent since 2015. Critical ports and roads—lifelines for food and medicine—are damaged or blockaded,” the UNICEF representative said.
“Despite these incredibly difficult and often dangerous operating conditions, UNICEF remains on the ground, delivering for children,” he added.
In 2025, the UN agency continues to support 3,200 health facilities, the treatment of 600,000 malnourished children, 70 mobile teams, 42,000 community health workers and 27 therapeutic feeding centers.
“For this to continue, we need sustained funding. Otherwise, 7.6 million people in Yemen risk not having access to primary health care,” Hawkins said.
UNICEF’s 2025 appeal is only 25% funded.
Hawkins said without urgent resources, the agency cannot sustain even the minimal services we are able to provide in the face of growing needs.
He affirmed that UNICEF needs an additional $157 million for its response in 2025.
“We need sustained investment in fighting all forms of malnutrition, and the diseases, lack of education and other forms of suffering children in Yemen are forced to endure,” he said.
Also, the agency asked all parties to the conflict in Yemen must allow unimpeded delivery of aid and allow humanitarians to do what they do best; save lives.
It then called for the release of detained UN staff and other humanitarian workers. And, importantly, for the conflict to cease.”
“Yemen’s children cannot wait another decade. They need peace. They need justice. But above all, they need us to act—now. Let us not fail them,” he added.
And while global rates of stunting are decreasing globally, the prolonged conflict and economic collapse in Yemen made it difficult for families to cope, UNICEF said.
Statistics reveal that nearly half of Yemen’s children under five are chronically malnourished, with stunting rates stagnant over the past decade, it noted.
Also, stunting prevents children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential, the UN agency warned.
Thus, stunted children in Yemen will have delayed cognitive development with the following symptoms: delays in rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and walking, trouble with fine motor skills, problems understanding what others say, trouble with problem-solving, issues with social skills, problems talking or talking late.
Therefore, UNICEF said preventive nutrition efforts need to be enhanced – to stop malnutrition before it starts.
Additionally, it noted that many women and children lack access to health care, highlighting the need for strengthened outreach and community-based services.
