UN Seeks $21.9bln in Aid Next Year, Largest Needs in Yemen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United Nations appealed for $21.9 billion on Tuesday to address 21 humanitarian crises worldwide next year, including $4 billion for Yemen, its largest aid operation.
The appeal to donor countries does not include the funding requirements for Syria, which are expected to bring the total up to $25 billion, it added, Reuters reported.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock also said Yemen will need billions of dollars in external support to finance its 2019 budget.
"There is going to be a need for billions of dollars of support so they can finance core functions of government," he said.
Some 8.4 million Yemenis are facing starvation as a result of the ongoing Saudi-led aggression, although the United Nations has warned that will probably rise to 14 million.
Three-quarters of impoverished Yemen’s population, or 22 million people, require aid.
