24 March 2019 – 26 March marks four years since the escalation of conflict in Yemen in 2015. In four years the country has seen the worst cholera outbreak in history, a declaration of famine, and a crippled economy. There have been almost 20,000 airstrikes, over 70,000 people have died, 4 million have had to leave their homes behind, and now 80% of the population requires humanitarian assistance – an increase of 10% since 2018.

International non-government organisations (INGOs) in Yemen strongly condemn the horrific attacks in Hajjah governorate on Sunday which according to the UN killed 22 people – twelve women and ten children –  and injured many more.

Today, governments took a step to alleviate the suffering of millions of people who are victims of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, by pledging 2.6 billion dollars so far. It’s a long way from the 4.2 billion US dollars that are needed to support an estimated 24 million people in Yemen -almost 80% of the population - who need humanitarian assistance in 2019, many of whom are hovering on the brink of famine.

As the UN’s third high-level donor pledging event to garner support for the humanitarian response in Yemen gets underway in Geneva, CARE is calling for the world to do everything it can to make sure this is the last. The fundraising target for this year’s humanitarian response in Yemen is 4 billion USD – the largest ever – and the UN is planning to reach a total of 15 million people through its partners in 2019, including providing food aid to 12 million.