UN aid chief stresses need for all parties to facilitate humanitarian work

At the end of a five-day mission to conflict-torn Yemen, the United Nations humanitarian chief stressed the need for more funding and better humanitarian access to help the population in need.

“It has been shocking to see the terrible impact of this man-made conflict,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said in a press release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), according to the UN News Center on Sunday.

“In Aden and Sana'a, and during my visits to Lahj, Hudadydah, Hajjah, and Amran governorates, I have met hundreds of Yemenis, and listened to their stories of atrocious suffering,” he added.

Plunged into civil war between Houthi rebels and supporters of Yemen's internationally recognized Government in 2015, Yemen has faced one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, including the fastest growing cholera epidemic ever recorded, the world's largest food emergency and widespread population displacement.

Lowcock, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that the UN and partners have the capacity to further scale up their work but more generous and timely donor financing is needed and all parties must help facilitate and never hinder humanitarians' work.

During this visit, his first to the country since his appointment on 1 September 2017, Lowcock held frank discussions with the Government in Aden and those in positions of authority in Sana'a on ways to alleviate the suffering of the population and address the challenging operating environment.

Source: MENA