ADEN, Yemen, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Wednesday announced a 2.16 billion U.S. dollars humanitarian response plan for Yemen in 2026, aiming to deliver life-saving assistance to millions across the war-torn country.
The plan, published by the UN and its humanitarian partners, targets 12 million of the most vulnerable people, including women and children, according to a statement released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen.
The UN estimates that 22.3 million people will require humanitarian assistance and protection services in 2026, including 5.2 million internally displaced people, as well as migrants and refugees.
Food insecurity continues at alarming levels, affecting 18.3 million people nationwide. More than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished, including over half a million suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a condition that can be fatal without immediate treatment.
Public services remain under severe strain, with nearly 40 percent of health facilities partially functioning or completely inoperative. Meanwhile, 14.4 million people need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.
"With needs increasing and resources shrinking, our response is focused on delivering principled, inclusive and accountable life-saving assistance to those most in need," said Zeina Ali, acting UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen.
Ali added that addressing the root causes of the crisis remains essential alongside continued engagement with national and local institutions.
The UN warned that sustained and flexible funding is urgently required to prevent further deterioration and to avoid catastrophic outcomes for millions of Yemenis. Under the plan, humanitarian partners aim to prioritize 9.4 million people living in areas with the highest severity of needs, as funding constraints persist.
Yemen has been at war since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital Sanaa and much of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015. The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. ■
