عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Aid Mechanisms Deployed to Fill UN Void in Yemen’s Houthi-Controlled Areas

The Houthis deprived millions of Yemenis of life-saving aid (local media)
The Houthis deprived millions of Yemenis of life-saving aid (local media)
TT
TT

Aid Mechanisms Deployed to Fill UN Void in Yemen’s Houthi-Controlled Areas

The Houthis deprived millions of Yemenis of life-saving aid (local media)
The Houthis deprived millions of Yemenis of life-saving aid (local media)

Humanitarian operations in Yemen are entering a new and more complex phase after the United Nations was forced to rely on alternative aid-delivery mechanisms in Houthi-controlled areas, following the closure of its offices and the seizure of its assets. The move has reshaped relief efforts in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The shift comes as Amman prepares to host an international donor conference aimed at curbing the rapid deterioration in food security, amid warnings that hunger could spread to millions more people this year.

Recent humanitarian estimates show that about 22.3 million Yemenis - nearly half the population - will require some form of assistance in 2026, an increase of 2.8 million from last year. The rise reflects deepening economic decline and persistent restrictions on humanitarian work in conflict zones.

Aid sources say the United Nations is reorganizing its operations by transferring responsibility for distributing life-saving assistance to a network of partners, including international and local non-governmental organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which continues to operate in those areas.

The transition aims to ensure continued access to food and medicine for the most vulnerable despite the absence of a direct UN presence, which has been undermined by restrictions imposed by the Houthis.

International agencies are increasingly adopting a “remote management” model to reduce risks to staff and maintain aid flows. Relief experts caution, however, that this approach brings serious challenges, including limited field oversight and difficulties ensuring aid reaches beneficiaries without interference.

Humanitarian reports warn that operational constraints have already deprived millions of Yemenis of essential assistance at a time of unprecedented food insecurity. More than 18 million people are suffering from acute hunger, with millions classified at emergency levels under international food security standards.

The upcoming donor conference in Jordan is seen as a pivotal opportunity to re-mobilize international support and address a widening funding gap that threatens to scale back critical humanitarian programs.

Discussions are expected to focus on new ways to deliver aid under security and administrative constraints and on strengthening the role of local partners with greater access to affected communities.

Yemen’s crisis extends beyond food. The health sector is under severe strain, with about 40 percent of health facilities closed or at risk of closure due to funding shortages. Women and girls are particularly affected as reproductive health services decline, increasing pregnancy and childbirth-related risks.

The World Health Organization has warned that deteriorating conditions have fueled outbreaks of preventable diseases amid falling immunization rates, with fewer than two-thirds of children receiving basic vaccines.

More than 18,600 measles cases and 188 deaths were recorded last year, while Yemen reported the world’s third-highest number of suspected cholera cases between March 2024 and November 2025.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Israeli Settlement Plan in West Bank

Arab Parliament logo
Arab Parliament logo
TT
TT

Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Israeli Settlement Plan in West Bank

Arab Parliament logo
Arab Parliament logo

Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi strongly condemned Israel’s plan to implement the expansionist settlement project in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank and rejected the remarks made by Israel’s security minister calling for the killing of dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

He stressed that proceeding with the project despite international warnings defies international law and relevant international resolutions.

He called on the international community, the UN Security Council, parliaments, and international organizations to take concrete measures to halt settlement and annexation activities, hold those responsible for incitement accountable, and work toward achieving peace, which begins with ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights.

Arab World

Syria Requests to Join Anti-chemical Weapons Partnership

The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights
The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights
TT
TT

Syria Requests to Join Anti-chemical Weapons Partnership

The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights
The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights

Syria on Friday said it had requested to join the International Partnership Against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons on the anniversary of a 2013 chemical attack on a suburb of the capital Damascus.

In a joint statement with France commemorating the attack during former leader Bashar al-Assad's rule on opposition-held areas, Syria announced its bid to join the partnership of dozens of countries, launched by Paris in January 2018.

France welcomed the step as "a clear demonstration of Syria's commitment to strengthening accountability and justice and combating impunity" following its more than decade-long civil war.

Damascus and Paris also said they "commemorate the victims, extend their deepest sympathies and solidarity to their families, and reaffirm their joint commitment to supporting efforts to uncover the truth, ensure justice, and hold those responsible for these crimes accountable".

In August 2013, the Syrian army under Assad was accused of using chemical weapons to target areas then under the opposition’s control.

According to US intelligence and rights groups, more than 1,400 men, women and children died as a result.

With Syria at the height of its civil war, the Assad government denied responsibility, but agreed to hand over its chemical arsenal in order to avert US strikes.

Assad went on to remain in power for more than a decade, only to be ousted in 2024 by opposition forces, headed by now President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Survivors of the attacks, including medics, at the time risked their lives by posting dozens of videos online, and spoke to journalists including AFP reporters about the horror they had witnessed.

The footage showed dozens of corpses, many of them children, outstretched on the ground.

Other images showed unconscious children, people foaming at the mouth and doctors trying to help them breathe.

The scenes provoked revulsion and condemnation around the globe.

- 'Painful chapter' -

A United Nations report later said there was clear evidence sarin gas had been used.

Syria agreed to join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and disclose and hand over its toxic stockpile under Russian and US pressure, averting the threat of strikes by Washington and its allies.

But that was not the last of the chemical attacks: the OPCW went on to blame Assad's forces for others later in the civil war.

Marking 13 years since the attack, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani called it "one of the most painful chapters in Syria's history".

"Tomorrow, the Syrian Arab Republic begins a new phase in dealing with the legacy of these weapons. We have initiated the necessary technical and logistical procedures for their disposal, in cooperation with our international partners," he added, also vowing to pursue those involved in the attack.

Several Syrian officers linked to the attack have been arrested since Assad's fall.

Syria's civil war began in 2011, with a brutal crackdown on dissent that yielded an armed rebellion. More than half a million people ended up being killed, with millions more forced into exile.

The OPCW reinstated Syria last month, five years after taking the unprecedented step of stripping it of its voting rights.

Arab World

Iran's Qalibaf Urges Baghdad to Break Economic Dependence on Washington

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Iran's Qalibaf Urges Baghdad to Break Economic Dependence on Washington

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Friday urged Baghdad to reduce its reliance on the dollar and draw up what he called a “precise roadmap” for economic cooperation between the two countries.

Qalibaf made the remarks during a visit to the southwestern Iraqi city of Najaf, as the region awaits what has been described as an unprecedented package of US sanctions on Iran and its trading partners.

Iran must plan to overcome what Qalibaf called “unjust sanctions,” after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what he described as the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran, according to Reuters.

Earlier, at a consultative meeting with business figures at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, Qalibaf called for a “precise roadmap” for economic ties with Iraq that would include moving away from the US dollar.

He said the two countries should end their reliance on the US currency and use local currencies in trade.

“The era of US dominance over the world has ended, but we have not made proper use of the opportunities available to us, and we are still conducting trade through outdated methods,” Qalibaf said.

Iraq relies entirely on the dollar for its oil exports, which generate more than 90% of national revenues. The proceeds are deposited in US dollars into an account held in the name of the Central Bank of Iraq at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

‘Difficult and trying circumstances’

In stark contrast, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi sought to reassure public-sector employees and pensioners that monthly salaries and government payments were fully secured, even as he warned that Iraq was facing “difficult and trying circumstances” due to regional developments and disruptions to oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at the Baghdad Dialogue conference, organized by the Iraqi Institute for Dialogue, al-Zaidi said Iraq faced major economic challenges and described the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a key obstacle.

The strait, he said, “was not closed even during the harshest days of the blockade.”

Al-Zaidi said the government had found alternative routes for oil exports and activated border crossings to bolster trade, adding that the state had “more than one solution” to preserve economic stability and contain the fallout from the crisis.

He said Iraq was working to expand oil exports through Türkiye’s Ceyhan port, while efforts continued to develop export routes through Banias and Aqaba.

“We are working to increase Iraq’s export quota through OPEC, and we aim to reach 8 million to 10 million barrels per day within six years,” al-Zaidi said.

“Iraq fought ISIS on behalf of the region and the world, and it is only fair that it receive a crude oil export quota commensurate with the size of its population and its oil reserves.”

On the political front, al-Zaidi said political forces were in full agreement that the government should press ahead with its anti-corruption campaign.

He described “the battle against the looting of public funds” as a matter of honor for him.

The government launched an operation dubbed “Dawn Crackdown” on June 28 to combat the looting of public funds. The operation has targeted political officials, lawmakers, and businesspeople.