Despite deepening political crisis in Yemen, UNICEF to stay and deliver
SANA’A, Yemen, 13 February 2015 – As the political crisis deepens in Yemen with several embassies evacuating their staff, UNICEF reaffirms its commitment to stay and deliver for the children of Yemen.
UNICEF is concerned about the economic impact of the crisis especially on women and children, on their nutrition and education. Children are one of the worst affected by the crisis in the country, millions of whom suffer from malnutrition, have their education disrupted, are at times forced into serving as combatants and suffer from poor health.
“We want to reassure the people of Yemen that UNICEF will stay and deliver,” said UNICEF Representative Julien Harneis. “Along with our implementing partners, we will continue to vaccinate children, cure malnourished children, build and repair schools, and provide psychosocial support to children in distress amongst other interventions”.
UNICEF has treated 160,000 children for acute malnutrition, provided nearly 900,000 people with safe drinking water and some 520,000 children will be benefitted with a safe learning environment through the construction and refurbishing of schools across the country.
Yemen’s complex humanitarian crisis is also chronic with an estimated 14.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Basic social services have yet to return to the levels before the crisis in 2011 and are likely to worsen in the future. UNICEF appeals to the international community to support the children of Yemen in this time of crisis and is requesting $60 million to meet the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable children in Yemen in 2015.
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See more details on the UNICEF Yemen’s Humanitarian Action for Children in 2015 at: http://www.unicef.org/appeals/yemen.html#sthash.NqHn4IsX.dpuf
For more information please contact:
Rajat Madhok, Chief, Communication & Advocacy, UNICEF Yemen, rmadhok@unicef.org +967712223001
Mohammad Al-Assadi, Communication Officer, UNICEF Yemen, malasaadi@unicef.org, +967 711760002
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About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.
