World Bank Approves Additional $150 Million Grant to Yemen

People displaced by the conflict in Amran province. EPA
People displaced by the conflict in Amran province. EPA
TT

World Bank Approves Additional $150 Million Grant to Yemen

People displaced by the conflict in Amran province. EPA
People displaced by the conflict in Amran province. EPA

The World Bank on Thursday approved $150 million in grants for Yemen as part of health, nutrition and sanitation projects to help address the financial shortfall facing the war-torn country.

The new project will provide essential health and nutrition services to 3.65 million Yemenis, essential Water and Sanitation Services to 850,000 Yemenis, train 3,000 health workers and support 388 sites for early warning and disease surveillance systems to detect outbreaks of infectious diseases.

"The project will provide much needed emergency funds to help deliver quality healthcare for the poorest and most vulnerable, including those living in remote areas,” said Tania Meyer, the World Bank's Yemen country head.

Jorge Coarasa, Senior Economist, Health and Task Team Leader, said this project also builds on the achievements and lessons of a previous and ongoing projects, which have strengthened the health system by supporting 72 hospitals and close to 2,000 primary care facilities, and helped the World Bank respond to emergencies involving severe malnutrition and the threat of famine as well as infectious disease outbreaks.

He said the projects reached about 24 million people with health and nutrition services, including 7.5 million children who were immunized, over 1 million pregnant women who received antenatal care, 2.6 million people who gained access to improved water sources, and 2.2 million people who had access to improved sanitation as well as 5.7 million people who received consumable hygiene kits.

UN agencies operating on the ground in Yemen will be the recipients of these grants from the International Development Association, the World Bank’s fund for the world’s poorest countries.

After announcing the grants, the World Bank said that out of a total population of about 29 million, about 20 million Yemenis are food insecure and at risk of malnutrition, with two-thirds unable to afford enough food and water and sanitation services.

It said over four million people have fled their homes.



Yemen's Houthis Say They Will Only Target Israeli-linked Vessels after Gaza Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
TT

Yemen's Houthis Say They Will Only Target Israeli-linked Vessels after Gaza Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

Yemen's Houthis will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israeli-linked ships after the Gaza ceasefire came into effect, according to the Yemen-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center.
The HOCC, which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, said in an email sent to shipping industry officials dated Jan. 19 that it was stopping "sanctions" against vessels owned by US or British individuals or entities, as well as ships sailing under their flags.
"We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom ... the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor," the email said. "You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented."
The HOCC said they would stop targeting Israeli-linked ships "upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement".
Many of the world's biggest shipping companies have suspended shipping through the Red Sea and have diverted their vessels around southern Africa to avoid being attacked.
The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers. The Houthis have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
Hamas released three Israeli hostages in Gaza and Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has laid waste to the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.