IOM and 115 Aid Organizations Call for Immediate Action to Pull Yemen Back From Brink Of Catastrophe

Geneva/ Sana'a, 20 May 2025 – After more than a decade of severe crisis and conflict, people in Yemen are facing what may be their toughest year so far. Conflict, economic collapse and climate shocks continue to drive humanitarian needs. Aid is drying up due to severe funding cuts. Airstrikes have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and damaged critical infrastructure.

As leaders gather tomorrow for the seventh Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting (SOM VII), UN agencies and international and national NGOs operating in Yemen call on the international community to take urgent, collective action to prevent catastrophic conditions from taking hold.

Almost five months into 2025, the Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is less than 10 per cent funded, preventing critical aid delivery to millions of people across the country, including women and girls, displaced communities, children, refugees, migrants and other vulnerable and marginalized groups who are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

Despite funding shortfalls and other challenges such as insecurity, access constraints and the continued detention of humanitarian personnel by the de facto authorities, aid agencies are on the ground and delivering. With support from donors, we are fighting hunger, disease and deprivation, and providing life-saving assistance and services including protection, education, shelter and clean water. Local NGOs and civil society organizations play a critical role in these efforts, often serving as the first and sometimes only responders in remote and hard-to-reach areas, having gained the trust of communities over years of engagement.

Time and again, we have seen how donor support saves lives. Their generous contributions have prevented famine, alleviated suffering and protected the most vulnerable. Today, this solidarity is even more critical. We urgently appeal to donors to scale up flexible, timely, and predictable funding for the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Without immediate action, the vital gains achieved through years of dedicated assistance could be lost.

We also urge the international community to seize the opportunity presented by the SOM to help Yemenis rebuild their lives in dignity. In addition to sustained humanitarian aid, development assistance must be scaled up to prevent communities from sliding into more acute levels of humanitarian needs, ensure access to essential services and generate economic and livelihood opportunities.

Strengthened engagement is also essential to stop the conflict that has destroyed so many lives and put Yemen back on a path toward peace and recovery. In the meantime, it is critical to minimize the impacts of conflict on civilians, and we appeal for action to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians and humanitarian access to all those in need.

Now more than ever, swift and resolute support is crucial to prevent Yemen from sliding deeper into crisis and move towards a lasting peace.

Signatory Organizations

•  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
•  International Organization for Migration (IOM)
•  United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
•  United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
•  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
•  United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
•  United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
•  United Nations Resident Coordinator / Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC)
•  World Food Progamme (WFP)
•  World Health Organization (WHO)
•  Accept International
•  Action For Humanity
•  Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
•  Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development
•  Caritas Poland
•  Center for Civilians In Conflict (CIVIC)
•  Concern Worldwide
•  Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
•  Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
•  Gift of the Givers Foundation
•  International Rescue Committee (IRC)
•  INTERSOS
•  Médecins du Monde (MdM)
•  MedGlobal
•  Medical and Healthcare Action for Development
•  Mercy Corps
•  Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
•  Oxfam
•  Polish Humanitarian Action
•  Première Urgence - Aide Médicale Internationale
•  Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) - Yemen Office
•  Relief International
•  Save the Children International
•  Solidarités International
•  Triangle Génération Humanitaire
•  ZOA International
•  Abductees Mothers Association (AMA)
•  Abs Development Organization (ADO)
•  Adan Network for Humiliation work (ANHW)
•  Ahdaf Assosiation for Development & Work Humanitarian (ADWH)
•  Al Baraka Foundation for Development (ABDF)
•  Al Nokhbah Agriculture Cooperative Association (AAC)
•  Alakhar Center for Peace and Development (ACPD)
•  Al-Atta Institution for Social Development and Charity (AISDC)
•  Aljood Foundation For Development (AFD)
•  Altadhamon Foundation For Development (AFD)
•  Al-Talib Society for Development (TSD)
•  Altwasul for Human Development
•  Al-Walaa Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Work (AWF)
•  Al-Wed Development Foundation (WDF)
•  Assistance for Response and Development (ARD-Y)
•  Banan Benevolent Corporation for Development
•  Basamat Development Foundation (BDF)
•  Bena Charity for Humanitarian Development (BCFHD)
•  Best Future Foundation (BFF)
•  Building Foundation for Development (BFD)
•  Child Protection Care Organization (CPCO)
•  Coalition of Humanitarian Relief (CHR)
•  DEEM for Development Organization
•  Diversity Organization
•  Empower Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response (EFSD)
•  Enqath Foundation for Development (EFD)
•  Estijabah Foundation for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (EFHAR)
•  Experts Organization For Development
•  Field Medical Foundation (FMF)
•  For Human Development Foundation (FHD)
•  Future Pioneers Foundation for Training and Development (FPF)
•  HETEEN Developmental and Charitable Foundation
•  Human Access for Partnership and Development
•  Humanitarian Organization for Women and Children (WKF)
•  Iqra Development Association (IDA)
•  Jannat Development Foundation (JDF)
•  Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development (JAAHD)
•  Joodn Organization for Development and Peace (JODP)
•  Khudh Beyadi Foundation Development (KBFD)
•  Life Makers Meeting Place Organization (LMMPO)
•  Light Foundation for Development
•  Maali Foundation for Development (MFD)
•  Medical Mercy Foundation Yemen (MMF)
•  Mona Relief and Development Organization
•  Mwatana Organization for Human Rights
•  Nahda Makers Organization (NMO)
•  Namaa Development Foundation (NDF)
•  National NGOs Forum
•  National Union for the Development of the Poorest
•  Neda'a Foundation for Development (NFD)
•  Rawabi Al-Nahdah Developmental Foundation (RADF)
•  Rawafid Social Charity Foundation (RSD)
•  Rawahel Foundation for Development (RFD)
•  Read Foundation Yemen (RFY)
•  Reduction of Humanitarian Disaster Organization (RHD)
•  Relief and Development Peer Foundation (RDP)
•  Reyadah for Development Foundation
•  Safe Road for Peace and Development (SRPD)
•  Sawaed Al-Khair Humanitarian Foundation (SKHF)
•  School Feeding and Humanitarian Relief Project (SFHRP)
•  Shibam Social Association for Development (SSAD)
•  Social Coexistence Foundation (SCF)
•  SOS Foundation For Development
•  Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF)
•  Tamdeen Youth Foundation (TYF)
•  Together Foundation For Human Development (TFHD)
•  Yamany Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Work (YDH)
•  Yanabia Al-Khair Charity Foundation (YKF)
•  Yemen Al-Khair for Relief and Development (YARD)
•  Yemen Development Foundation (YDF)
•  Yemen Displacement Response Consortium (YDR)
•  Yemen Family Care Association (YFCA)
•  Yemen General Union of Sociologists, Social Workers and Psychologists (YGUSSWP)
•  Yemen Ghawth Foundation for Humanitarian Work (YRFH)
•  Yemen International Agency for Development (YIAD)
•  Yemen Karam Organization (YEKO)
•  Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS)
•  Yemen Women Union (YWU)
•  Youth Association for the Development of Popular Neighborhoods
•  Youth of Aden Ambition Foundation (APYF)
   

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