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Yemen on brink of losing entire generation of children to hunger, UN warns
Food security crisis means acute malnutrition among under-fives at highest levels since war engulfed the country
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Kaamil Ahmed
Wed 28 Oct 2020 12.59 EDTLast modified on Wed 28 Oct 2020 13.01 EDT
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Treatment at a centre in Sana’a combating malnutrition. Photograph: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images
Almost 100,000 children under the age of five are at risk of dying in Yemen as the country slides back into a hunger crisis.
An analysis by UN agencies says the coronavirus pandemic, economic problems and conflict have led to the highest levels of malnutrition ever recorded in parts of the country.
Serious malnutrition in southern Yemen has risen 10% this year, according to the study, but rose to 15% among under-fives.
“Yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic food security crisis. If the war doesn’t end now, we are nearing an irreversible situation and risk losing an entire generation of Yemen’s young children,” said Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the country.
“Acute malnutrition among children is hitting the highest levels we have seen since the war started.”
Grande said that until 2020 there had been two years of progress against the famine that has loomed over Yemen throughout the war.
Children forced to beg or work as hunger eclipses fear of Covid-19 in Yemen
Read more
Up to a quarter of children were affected in some of the worst-hit areas such as Hodeidah and Taiz, hotspots for the conflict.
The UN also warned that at least a quarter of a million breastfeeding women needed treatment for malnutrition. It has called for $50m (£38.5m) to bolster nutrition programmes as well as water, health and sanitation support.
Yemen’s representative at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, Dr Hussein Gadain, said work needed to be done on protecting livelihoods and restoring the country’s own food chains.
“The worsening nutrition situation flagged in this latest analysis highlights the urgent need to ensure that every Yemeni girl, boy, woman and man has access to a healthy and diverse diet now and in the future,” said Gadain.
Oxfam this week also warned that donor funding has plummeted, falling shorter of its targets than at any point since the conflict escalated in 2015.
The UN said in August that it was being forced to close more than a third of its major programmes because promised funding had not been delivered.
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We believe every one of us deserves equal access to vital public service journalism. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without financial contributions from those who can afford to pay, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world.
Reader financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful.
We need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. And that is here for the long term. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you
Food security crisis means acute malnutrition among under-fives at highest levels since war engulfed the country
Global development is supported by
About this content
Kaamil Ahmed
Wed 28 Oct 2020 12.59 EDTLast modified on Wed 28 Oct 2020 13.01 EDT
Shares
468
Treatment at a centre in Sana’a combating malnutrition. Photograph: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images
Almost 100,000 children under the age of five are at risk of dying in Yemen as the country slides back into a hunger crisis.
An analysis by UN agencies says the coronavirus pandemic, economic problems and conflict have led to the highest levels of malnutrition ever recorded in parts of the country.
Serious malnutrition in southern Yemen has risen 10% this year, according to the study, but rose to 15% among under-fives.
“Yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic food security crisis. If the war doesn’t end now, we are nearing an irreversible situation and risk losing an entire generation of Yemen’s young children,” said Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the country.
“Acute malnutrition among children is hitting the highest levels we have seen since the war started.”
Grande said that until 2020 there had been two years of progress against the famine that has loomed over Yemen throughout the war.
Children forced to beg or work as hunger eclipses fear of Covid-19 in Yemen
Read more
Up to a quarter of children were affected in some of the worst-hit areas such as Hodeidah and Taiz, hotspots for the conflict.
The UN also warned that at least a quarter of a million breastfeeding women needed treatment for malnutrition. It has called for $50m (£38.5m) to bolster nutrition programmes as well as water, health and sanitation support.
Yemen’s representative at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, Dr Hussein Gadain, said work needed to be done on protecting livelihoods and restoring the country’s own food chains.
“The worsening nutrition situation flagged in this latest analysis highlights the urgent need to ensure that every Yemeni girl, boy, woman and man has access to a healthy and diverse diet now and in the future,” said Gadain.
Oxfam this week also warned that donor funding has plummeted, falling shorter of its targets than at any point since the conflict escalated in 2015.
The UN said in August that it was being forced to close more than a third of its major programmes because promised funding had not been delivered.
News is under threat …
… just when we need it the most. Millions of readers around the world are flocking to the Guardian in search of honest, authoritative, fact-based reporting that can help them understand the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetime. But at this crucial moment, news organisations are facing a cruel financial double blow: with fewer people able to leave their homes, and fewer news vendors in operation, we’re seeing a reduction in newspaper sales across the UK. Advertising revenue continues to fall steeply meanwhile as businesses feel the pinch. We need you to help fill the gap.
We believe every one of us deserves equal access to vital public service journalism. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without financial contributions from those who can afford to pay, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world.
Reader financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful.
We need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. And that is here for the long term. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you
