UN / GING YEMEN

The Director of operations for the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) said people he met on his recent visit to Yemen asked him “Where is the humanity?” Speaking to the press in New York today (17 MAY), John Ging said the unacceptable answer is that “it is not there for them right now.” UNIFEED-UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:11
• Production Date: 17 May 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: JOHN GING
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: CONFLICT SITUATION; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
• Geographic Subject: YEMEN
• MAMS Id: 1625599
• Parent Id: 1625599
• Alternate Title: unifeed160517d

Description

STORY: UN / GING YEMEN
TRT: 02:11
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 17 MAY 2016

Shotlist

FILE – NEW YORK CITY

1. Aerial shot, UNHQ

17 MAY 2016, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“People in Yemen; they could not understand when I was meeting with them. They could not understand why they are abandoned to this plight in a rich world. What is it? Where is the humanity? Many people asked me: where is the humanity? And the answer is it’s not there for them right now, and that is not acceptable.
4. Med shot, reporter
5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The simple fact is that the base of donors is too narrow for Yemen. For a crisis of this size, we have too few countries that are providing us with funding.”
6. Med shot, reporter
7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“These people have been very impoverished for a long long time and now their plight is compounded by the effects of conflict. So we really have to say that they have endured way too much for far too long and the overarching appeal from everybody that we met is for peace, and that is why everybody is looking towards Kuwait with great hope.”
8. Med shot, reporter
9. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“My question that I would like answered by global leaders is: What do you think the difference would be to our world today if you were to take half a percent from global military spending, in terms of the negative impact that that would cause, versus the positive impact that saving all these lives over here on the humanitarian side by using that money. These are the choices that are being made, because the decision that is made is ‘put the money where it is and leave the deficit where it is’. We want a new approach to this which thinks about the consequences. Because it’s not that the world doesn’t have that money available, it’s (that) it’s not making the right decisions about where it sends the money that is available.”
10. Med shot, reporter
11. Wide shot, press room

Storyline

The Director of operations for the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) said people he met on his recent visit to Yemen asked him “Where is the humanity?” Speaking to the press in New York today (17 MAY), John Ging said the unacceptable answer is that “it is not there for them right now.”

Ging said the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country was marked by a “shocking” lack of funding. He said of the US $1.8 billion appeal for Yemen in 2016, only 16 percent has been met 5 months into the year. Ging added, “The simple fact is that the base of donors is too narrow for Yemen. For a crisis of this size, we have too few countries that are providing us with funding.” Ging said the biggest change in terms of funding came in Saudi contributions. He said last year Saudi Arabia provided US $245 million and did not contribute to this year’s appeal.

OCHA’s Director of operations said over ten million people are in need of health care support due to lack of access and the destruction of medical facilities in Yemen. He said 7.6 million are severing malnourished and 7.5 million do not have access to clean water. He said from January to April this year alone, over 56,000 children were estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition making the total number in the country over 180,000. Ging said “These people have been very impoverished for a long long time and now their plight is compounded by the effects of conflict.” He said this is why everyone is looking towards the political talks in Kuwait with great hope.

Asked what the UN could do to increase donor contributions to crises around the world, Ging said, “We have to hope that there will be a moment of reflection on the degree of failure at the highest political level.” He said the world spends US $17.6 trillion for military purposes and half a percent of that money would be enough to cover the budget deficit for humanitarian operations. He said “it’s not that the world doesn’t have that money available, it’s (that) it’s not making the right decisions about where it sends the money that is available.”