Asked by: Jackie Doyle-Price (Conservative - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to alleviate the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK is extremely concerned that the COVID-19 outbreak in Yemen is further exacerbating what is already the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. We assess Yemen to be particularly vulnerable due to the country’s existing health vulnerabilities and depleted healthcare system, which is starting to collapse under the strain of COVID-19.
The UK is helping to alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 in Yemen through the £160 million funding pledge I announced at the UN’s Yemen Pledging Conference on 2 June. We expect this funding to provide over 700,000 medical consultations, train 12,000 healthcare workers to work safely in a COVID-19 environment and provide a much-needed boost to nearly 4,000 health centres to continue providing existing health services.
We are also closely engaging with the Yemeni authorities to press for unhindered access for COVID-19 related supplies and personnel to ensure an effective national response.
Asked by: Jackie Doyle-Price (Conservative - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what processes her Department has put in place allocate the £160 million aid package announced on 2 June 2020; and through which organisations that aid package will delivered.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK’s £160 million pledge at the 2020 Yemen Humanitarian Pledging Conference was the third largest in the world and brings our total commitment to Yemen to £970 million since the conflict started in 2015.
This funding will be delivered through partners including UN agencies, NGOs and the Yemeni Social Fund for Development, a national development institution that will be critical to Yemen’s future recovery.
We have already disbursed 32% of our £160 million pledge and will continue to provide funding to our partners to ensure they are able to deliver assistance through the year.