27 February 2023 – The Yemen High Level Pledging Event concluded today with a total of US$1.2 billion pledged by 31 donors.  Once again, humanitarian actors will be faced with a funding gap, given only around 28 percent of the required US$4.3 billion has been raised.  As the people of Yemen approach their ninth year in conflict, they still hold the glimmer of hope they experienced with the six-month truce in 2022, which saw a significant reduction in casualties and fighting and the prospect of being able to start rebuilding their lives. However, according to the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, nearly 23.6 million people (two thirds of the population) are in need of assistance, with the humanitarian community aiming to reach 17.3 million people. Today’s pledges mean organisations will be forced to reduce the number of people reached – including vulnerable women and children. 

As the international community gathers to reflect on the humanitarian situation in Yemen in 2023 and prepares to pledge funding and re-focus political will towards addressing the crisis, it is important to consider what has and has not changed over the course of 2022. Equally, it is critical to fully understand the implications of insufficient and inequitable humanitarian funding on the people of Yemen amid what has to date been the absence of a long-term sustained solution to the conflict.