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Urgent action needed to ‘pull Yemen back from the brink of catastrophe’

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Tom Fletcher said that with “time and treatment” Noor was able to recover fully.

But what happens to a child such as Noor when treatments are limited and time runs out?

A group of 116 aid organizations, including 10 UN agencies, called on Tuesday for “urgent, collective action” to prevent Yemen from descending into a humanitarian catastrophe.

They warned that without such action, specifically increased funding, their ability to provide life-saving assistance will be severely curtailed.

“Without immediate action, the vital gains achieved through years of dedicated assistance could be lost,” they said.

Non-stop crises

For more than a decade, Yemen has endured a series of crises – armed conflicts, climate disasters and economic decay. As a result, close to 20 million depend on humanitarian aid to survive and five million are internally displaced.

Half of all Yemeni children – some 2.3 million – are malnourished. Over 600,000 are severely malnourished, like Noor. Malnutrition also impacts over 1.4 million pregnant women, creating an intergenerational cycle.

The healthcare system is also in disrepair, with Yemen accounting for more than one-third of cholera cases worldwide and 18 per cent of related deaths. 20 per cent of children under the age of one are fully unvaccinated.

Providing humanitarian aid in Yemen has also come with extreme difficulties for aid workers, with some being arbitrarily detained, including UN staffers.

Strikes against the Hodeida port and Sana’a Airport have also damaged vital humanitarian pathways for food and medicine.

Time and treatment running out

The aid community’s call for urgent action comes amidst extensive funding shortages. The Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is less than 10 per cent funded.

“We urgently appeal to donors to scale up flexible, timely, and predictable funding for the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan,” the aid organizations said.

Already, the UN and aid partners are working to minimize operational costs while maximizing aid provision and there is no doubt suffering will increase due to the reduction in aid.

In the first quarter of 2025, over five million people in Yemen received emergency food assistance, 1.2 million received clean water and sanitation services and 154,000 children were able to resume their education.

But without immediate funding, Emergency Relief Coordinator Fletcher estimates that there will be gaps in this aid as early as June or July.

Nearly 400 health facilities will be forced to stop operating, including 64 hospitals, which will impact over 7 million individuals. Funding for more than 700 midwives is also quickly drying up.

Call to the international community

While the humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been overshadowed by other vast humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan among other places, the 116 aid organizations emphasized that “donor support saves lives.”

The 7th Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting will be held Wednesday and should be a moment to work to avoid catastrophe in Yemen, the aid organizations urged.

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

Time and treatment are running out for children like Noor.

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Home-bound Syrians find few of the basics needed to survive

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Hopes rose last week in Damascus when fuel prices dropped instantly following Donald Trump’s move to end punitive sanctions.

But after more than 13 years of civil war that ended with the fall of the Assad regime last December, ordinary Syrians face an exhausting list of other problems.

These include an absence of housing – caused by bomb damage on a scale with Gaza – unreliable access to electricity, clean water, healthcare and work.

Refugee agency call

Since last December, half a million Syrians have returned home, many for the first time since the war began, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.  

“We must ensure that people who return can stay and thrive: that is also why the lifting of sanctions is crucial, as reconstruction is urgently needed,” said High Commissioner Filippo Grandi, in an online message.

Today, transitional authorities govern Syria under President Ahmad al-Sharaa.  

‘Destroyed at all levels’

But the once-prosperous country remains scarred – “the infrastructure in Syria is almost completely destroyed at all levels,” said Hail Khalaf, Officer-in-Charge for Syria at the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Mr. Khalaf, who spoke to UN News from the capital Damascus where electricity only comes on for four hours a day, confirmed that the protracted war had impacted Syrian society in its entirety – not least education.

“The impact of the removal of US sanctions on Syria was observed very quickly on the daily lives of Syrians,” he said. “There was an instant drop in fuel prices in Syria the moment the removal of sanctions was announced.”

“We hope that the American government will expedite the removal of the Caesar Act,” he stressed, referring to the sanctions package against the former Syrian Government signed into law by the first Trump administration in 2019.

Dilapidated economy 

Those returning to Syria and looking for a job in the agricultural sector in particular are confronted with an industry in shambles, IOM said in a report.

Farmers make up the great majority of those who were internally displaced by the fighting to camps. Most – 88 per cent – say they cannot work the soil again, as most farms are either operating at half-capacity or unable to function at all, according to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix.

“The country is exhausted, and the economy is also exhausted,” explained Mr. Khalaf.

Today, more than 90 per cent of Syria’s population lives below the poverty line as of December 2024, according to UNHCR data.

The war uprooted around 7.4 million people inside Syria and at least six million are refugees, mainly in neighboring countries including Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan, the UN agency noted.

Working at a loss

The national currency – the Syrian lira – has been exponentially devalued by the conflict.

Before the war, one US dollar was equivalent to 50 Syrian lira. Today it is worth about 9,000 Syrian lira – leaving livelihoods in disarray.  

“Most Syrians do not earn enough,” Mr. Khalaf explained. “In the public sector, most employees earn approximately $35 to $40 a month, which is not even enough for transportation between work and home.”

Missing paper trail

Gaps in civil documentation also complicate people’s ability to claim housing and land rights.

Damaged public infrastructure has also fuelled outbreaks of waterborne diseases, vaccine-preventable illnesses and malnutrition, aid teams have warned.

“Syrians are resilient and innovative, but they need significant help to rebuild their communities and their lives,” insisted IOM Director General Amy Pope.  

In a bid to help, UN agencies including IOM are working with the Syrian Government to “find a formula for action” and “sustainable solutions” for all returnees so that they can rebuild their lives again.

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UN needed ‘more than ever before’ says Germany’s candidate to head General Assembly

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Annalena Baerbock presented her priorities during an informal dialogue with Member States held on Thursday at Headquarters in New York. 

If chosen, she will only be the fifth woman to lead the UN’s main policy-making organ and most representative body, comprising all 193 Member States who elect a new president annually, rotating among regional groups. 

“As President, if elected, I will serve all 193 Member States – large and small. As an honest broker. As a unifier. With an open ear. And an open door,” she said. 

No time for despair

The UN turns 80 this year and Ms. Baerback noted that the anniversary comes as the Organization faces numerous existential challenges.

Some 120 conflicts are raging worldwide in places such as Gaza and Ukraine, achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is off-track, and the world body itself is under heavy pressure financially and politically.

Her vision is grounded in the theme “Better Together” which she weaved throughout her remarks, arguing this is no time to despair.

“These crises and challenges weigh heavy upon us as the international community. But they also show the United Nations, our United Nations, is needed more than ever before,” she said.

Making the UN ‘fit for purpose’

She added that the UN needs to be “fit for the future” and “fit for purpose” – her first priority.

She pointed to the Pact for the Future, adopted by Member States last year, which laid the groundwork to revitalize multilateralism, turbocharge the SDGs, and adapt the UN system to 21st century challenges.

She said to maximize its impact, implementation must be linked to the UN80 Initiative.  Launched in March by Secretary-General António Guterres, the plan calls for major reforms to cut costs and improve efficiency. 

Ms. Baerbock said if elected General Assembly President, she would place strong emphasis on ensuring that the perspectives of all regions and groups are heard in the major reform process. 

Delivering for the world’s people

Her second priority highlighted the need for a UN that delivers results. “People must feel that our work makes a real difference in their daily lives,” she said.

She stressed the need for close cooperation with the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission in promoting a more peaceful world.

“You cannot sustain lasting peace without ensuring that there is no shortage of food, that people have jobs, that children go to school, that women are safe,” she said.

She also plans to engage with Member States on reforming the financial system, in addition to giving special emphasis to the climate crisis – “one of the greatest threats of our time.”

A truly inclusive UN

Ms. Baerbock’s third priority calls for a UN that is truly inclusive and embraces everyone, which includes engaging with civil society and especially young people.

“The United Nations is there to serve its people. And building a better future is only possible by engaging with the generations to come,” she said.

“Our work does not end in New York, Geneva, Nairobi or Bonn. But we need to bring our discussions and outreach closer to the people.” 

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More action needed to beat malaria for good, says UN

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Ahead of World Malaria Day on Friday, UN health agency WHO is calling for renewed efforts at all levels – from global policy to community action – to accelerate progress towards elimination.

Malaria is spread by some types of mosquitoes and is mostly found in tropical countries. Symptoms – which can be mild or life-threatening – include fever, chills and headache, seizures, and difficulty breathing.

Africa continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden.  In 2023, approximately 94 per cent of all cases, and 95 per cent of deaths, occurred in the region. Most deaths, 76 per cent, were among children under five.

Eye on elimination

WHO recalled that during the late 1990s, world leaders adopted effective policies which led to the prevention of more than two billion cases and nearly 13 million deaths since the year 2000.

As a result, 45 countries and one territory have been certified as malaria-free, and many other countries continue along the path towards elimination. 

Of the remaining 83 malaria-endemic countries worldwide, 25 reported fewer than 10 cases in 2023.

However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said history has shown that these gains are fragile because “when we divert our attention, the disease resurges, taking its greatest toll on the most vulnerable.” (HOW ABOUT USING THIS AS A PULL-QUOTE?) 

But history also reveals what is possible, he added.  Tedros insisted that “with strong political commitment, sustained investment, multisectoral action and community engagement, malaria can be defeated.”

Net investment

WHO said years of investments in the development and deployment of new malaria vaccines, as well as tools to prevent and control the disease, are paying off.

On World Malaria Day, Mali will join 19 other African countries in introducing malaria vaccines, representing a vital step towards protecting young children from one of the deadliest diseases on the continent. It is expected that the large-scale rollout of malaria vaccines in Africa will save tens of thousands of young lives every year.

Meanwhile, the expanded use of a new generation of insecticide-treated mosquito nets is set to make further inroads against the disease. 

Progress in peril

Yet, despite significant gains, malaria remains a major public health challenge. Nearly 600,000 deaths occurred in 2023 alone, with the African region hardest hit.

In many areas, progress has been hampered by fragile health systems and rising threats such as drug and insecticide resistance, WHO said. Many at-risk groups also continue to miss out on the services needed to prevent, detect and treat malaria. 

These challenges are further compounded by climate change, conflict, poverty and displacement, while funding cuts this year could further derail progress in many endemic countries, putting millions of additional lives at risk. 

A renewed call 

World Malaria Day 2025 is being celebrated under the theme Malaria ends with us: reinvest, reimagine, reignite, and WHO is calling for stepped up political and financial commitment to protect hard-won gains to date.

To reinvest, WHO is joining partners and civil society in calling on malaria-endemic countries to increase domestic spending, particularly in primary healthcare.

The agency is also stressing the need to reignite commitment to help end malaria transmission at all levels – from communities and frontline health workers, to governments, researchers, private sector innovators and donors.