WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, along with U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to encourage other countries to contribute to the United Nations’ plan for Yemen humanitarian relief. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the senators thanked the administration for the recent $191 million contribution to Yemen and urged the Department to work with Sweden and Switzerland to encourage other countries to contribute to a second round of fundraising efforts for life-saving aid to Yemen.

“Today, nearly 50,000 people in Yemen are living in famine-like conditions with 5 million more just a step away. Unlike in 2018, the international community has so far mostly failed to rise to the challenge and provide the robust funding needed to stave off this catastrophe,” the senators wrote.

The senators continued: “Since 2019, the amount of money donors are sending to relief agencies working in Yemen has been falling, even as the situation has deteriorated. In 2019, the UN’s humanitarian appeal of $4.2 billion was 87 percent funded. In 2020, the UN’s $3.4 billion appeal was 50 percent funded. Today, just 34 percent of this year’s $3.85 billion appeal for Yemen has been fulfilled.”

“The countries leading the fundraising effort for Yemen – Switzerland and Sweden – have called for another fundraising conference to fill this $2.5 billion shortfall. We urge you to work with other major donors to rally around that meeting, mobilizing the resources needed to stave off famine and save lives. More than 20 million Yemenis depend on humanitarian assistance to survive, and we cannot let them down,” the senators concluded.

Murphy has been vocal about the need for the United States and other nations to fulfill their pledge and obligation to fulfill funding to the United Nations to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Last week, Murphy and United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock discussed the urgent need for humanitarian funding in Yemen in a Facebook live. 

Last month, Murphy chaired a subcommittee hearing on U.S. policy in Yemen that included U.S. Department of State Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, United States Institute of Peace President and Chief Executive Officer Lise Grande, and International Rescue Committee’s Senior Director for International Programs, Policy and Advocacy Amanda Catanzano. Murphy focused on the next steps for reaching a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen, removing obstacles to and providing funding for humanitarian aid, getting Yemen’s economy back up and running, and looking ahead to a framework for inclusive political negotiations to end the war.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Secretary Blinken,

Your appearance at this year’s UN donor conference for Yemen was a strong signal of American leadership to bring attention to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and we welcome the announcement of an additional $191 million in U.S. assistance to alleviate the suffering in Yemen. Unfortunately, international donors have fallen more than $2.5 billion short of what humanitarian partners in Yemen require this year. We urge you to support another donors conference that fills that funding shortfall, as doing so could mean the difference between life and death for millions of Yemenis.

Six years of war has left 20 million Yemenis – two-thirds of the population – in need of humanitarian aid. This year, 16 million people will face hunger and 400,000 children could starve to death. The conditions in Yemen have not been this dire since 2018, when the UN was warning that half of the country was at risk of famine. With a massive infusion of emergency aid and diplomatic pressure that prevented an assault on Hodeidah, that famine was averted and millions of lives were saved.

Unfortunately, the looming threat of famine has re-emerged. Today, nearly 50,000 people in Yemen are living in famine-like conditions with 5 million more just a step away. Unlike in 2018, the international community has so far mostly failed to rise to the challenge and provide the robust funding needed to stave off this catastrophe.

Since 2019, the amount of money donors are sending to relief agencies working in Yemen has been falling, even as the situation has deteriorated. In 2019, the UN’s humanitarian appeal of $4.2 billion was 87 percent funded. In 2020, the UN’s $3.4 billion appeal was 50 percent funded. Today, just 34 percent of this year’s $3.85 billion appeal for Yemen has been fulfilled.

The countries leading the fundraising effort for Yemen – Switzerland and Sweden – have called for another fundraising conference to fill this $2.5 billion shortfall. We urge you to work with other major donors to rally around that meeting, mobilizing the resources needed to stave off famine and save lives. More than 20 million Yemenis depend on humanitarian assistance to survive, and we cannot let them down. 

Sincerely,

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