Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to protect Yemen from famine.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The newly published Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) Report highlights growing food insecurity in Yemen over the past year, with the overall number of food insecure people rising from 17 million to over 20 million (70% of the population). In response urgent action is needed to improve economic conditions and maintain food supply chains into and throughout the country, including Hodeidah and Saleef ports and routes out of the city.
To maintain confidence of commercial importers, the UK recently worked with the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to agree measures with the Central Bank of Yemen to issue letters of credit providing foreign currency so that importers can purchase food on international markets. This has resulted in an appreciation of the Yemeni Riyal, so that ordinary Yemenis are able to buy food that is in the markets.
The UK is playing a leading role in combating hunger in Yemen through our £170 million in aid this financial year, which will help meet the food needs of four million Yemenis for one month. We are supporting UN agencies and international NGOs to provide millions of vulnerable Yemenis with cash and vouchers for food, as well as screening and treatment for malnutrition and disease. However, a political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis. We therefore welcome the positive outcome of peace talks in Stockholm and continue to encourage both sides to engage constructively and in good faith to agree a political solution to end the conflict.