UN / YEMEN HUMANITARIAN UPDATE

“Humanitarian situation in Yemen is falling off a cliff, with more than 20 million Yemenis needing humanitarian assistance,” the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General warned in a press briefing on Thursday. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:50
• Production Date: 6 May 2021
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Subject Topical: CONFLICT; HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
• Geographic Subject: YEMEN
• MAMS Id: 2617732
• Parent Id: 2617732
• Alternate Title: unifeed210506d

Description

STORY: UN / YEMEN HUMANITARIAN UPDATE
TRT: 1:50
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS

DATELINE: 6 MAY 2021, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

FILE

1.Exterior shot, UN flag in wind

6 MAY 2021, NEW YORK CITY

2.Wide shot, spokesperson entering press room
3.Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium
4.Cutaway, reporter
5.SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General:
“Humanitarian situation in Yemen is falling off a cliff, with more than 20 million Yemenis needing humanitarian assistance. This includes more than 16 million men, women and children who are going hungry this year, Tens of thousands of people already living in famine like conditions with five million just one step away. COVID infections have been surging with hospitals and health facilities, reportedly turning away patients due to lack of resources to treat them. Fighting has been escalating especially in Mareb, where an offensive by Houti forces has so far displaced nearly 20,000 people and threatens the safety of millions. The rainy season is also getting underway with floods in recent days impacting more than 22,000 people, most of whom are already displaced and living in inadequate shelters.”
6.Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium
7.SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General:
“Aid agencies need 3.58 billion dollars to hold back in massive famine, respond to the COVID surge and meet with other critical needs this year. To date the responses are 34 percent funded. The aid operation in Yemen, used to help 14 million people per year - excuse me - the aid operation used to help 14 million per month. That's now down to about 10 million people per month, mainly due to funding cuts.”
8.Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium

Storyline

“Humanitarian situation in Yemen is falling off a cliff, with more than 20 million Yemenis needing humanitarian assistance,” the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General warned in a press briefing on Thursday (6 May).

“Tens of thousands of people already living in famine like conditions with five million just one step away,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. “COVID infections have been surging with hospitals and health facilities, reportedly turning away patients due to lack of resources to treat them.”

Dujarric also reported that the fighting “has been escalating especially in Mareb, where an offensive by Houti forces has so far displaced nearly 20,000 people and threatens the safety of millions.”

Another threat is the rainy season, which is getting underway “with floods in recent days impacting more than 22,000 people, most of whom are already displaced and living in inadequate shelters,” Dujarric said.

So far, the humanitarian responses in Yemen are only 34 percent funded, with aid agencies need 3.58 billion dollars “to hold back in massive famine, respond to the COVID surge and meet with other critical needs this year,” he said.

The spokesperson reminded that the aid operation in Yemen, used to help 14 million people per month.

“That's now down to about 10 million people per month, mainly due to funding cuts,” Dujarric said.