The UN on Wednesday warned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, saying that "at least 19.5 million people" need aid.
"According to the consolidated humanitarian appeal for 2025, which will be released shortly, the crisis is getting worse. At least 19.5 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance and protection this year-1.3 million more than in 2024," Joyce Msuya, acting under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and acting emergency relief coordinator, told the Security Council.
Saying that "almost half of Yemen's population-over 17 million people-is unable to meet their basic food needs," Msuya reported "increasingly alarming" hostilities in and around Yemen.
"Israeli airstrikes on Hodeida and Sana'a have killed and injured dozens of civilians and have caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure," she said, noting an increase in attacks on "vital civilian infrastructure" last month.
She reported that "Yemen's Red Sea ports have sustained substantial damage, leading to a significant reduction in their capacities" after a series of strikes by Israel.
"Yemen relies on imports for over two-thirds of the food and some 90% of all medicine and medical supplies for the population. Humanitarians depend on these seaports to bring in life-saving humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine," she said.
Msuya talked about the "severe humanitarian and protection crisis" that people in Yemen are facing. "Almost half of all children under the age of 5 suffer from moderate to severe stunting caused by malnutrition," she said.
"Cholera is at appalling levels," she warned, adding that "an estimated 4.8 million people remain internally displaced."
Msuya also reported "modest" progress in the country, and said: "Over recent months, we have also seen the expedited approval of visas for international staff and agreements with NGO partners in Houthi-controlled areas -- an encouraging development in addressing the bureaucratic impediments to humanitarian operation."
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg said he "spent much of last year trying to protect Yemen from the regional escalation and trying to focus attention on the very real opportunity to resolve the Yemeni conflict."
"However, the context has become increasingly internationalized," he said, noting the latest Israeli airstrikes that "damaged critical civilian infrastructure, including the port of Hodeidah and Sana'a International Airport."
Grundberg hailed the Gaza Strip's cease-fire talks and claimed that an agreement is "an opportunity to de-escalate" tensions in Yemen.
"However, until today, the escalating cycle of strikes and counterstrikes has hindered the prospects of peace and diverted crucial attention and resources from Yemen," he said, noting that such attacks "threaten maritime security, destabilize Yemen's economy, and strain regional stability. "
"The need to address Yemen's crisis becomes ever more urgent as regional stability requires, in part, achieving peace in Yemen," he said.
The UN envoy pledged to focus on "creating pathways to sustainable peace," and said that "while the coming year will not be without challenges, my determination to safeguard the progress made to date on the roadmap and keep the focus on the prospects for peace in Yemen remains intact."
"The unity of this Council and its consistent messaging to the parties on the importance of a negotiated settlement will be pivotal in the months ahead," he added.
