UN / YEMEN HUMANITARIAN INTERVIEW

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OCHA’s Chief of Strategic Communications, Najwa Mekki, upon her return from Yemen commented on the detention of several UN staff members and other humanitarians by Houthi militias and called for “the safe and unconditional release of our colleagues.” UN NEWS
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STORY: UN / YEMEN HUMANITARIAN INTERVIEW
TRT: 03:03
SOURCE: UN NEWS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 07 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, flags outside UN Headquarters

07 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Najwa Mekki, Chief of Strategic Communications, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Of course, we're extremely concerned by these developments, and we call for the safe and unconditional release of our colleagues.”

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

3. Close up, UN flag outside UN Headquarters

07 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Najwa Mekki, Chief of Strategic Communications, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“So, the purpose of my visit was to go and get a real sense of what we're doing and what the humanitarian situation in Yemen is. There was a time where Yemen was the biggest humanitarian catastrophe that we were focused on and dealing with. And now, unfortunately, you know, the world has moved on and it's barely getting any attention. Obviously, humanitarians and the UN, we continue to be on the ground. We continue to provide aid. We continue to provide assistance. But it's also important that we take stock and find ways to bring attention back to Yemen.”

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

5. Wide shot, UN flag outside UN Headquarters

07 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Najwa Mekki, Chief of Strategic Communications, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“There's been a little bit of progress. The UN brokered truce continues to hold, even though it has officially expired. It has led to a decrease, for example, in conflict related fatalities. It has led to an improvement in the movement of UN agencies and humanitarian agencies across Yemen. It has led to a bit of a revitalization of the private sector, so there is more things to buy in the markets and people are able to reduce their needs for humanitarian assistance. But we know very, very well that this progress is very fragile and that we need to build on it, so that we don't we don't regress. And that would be the real danger.”

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

7. Wide shot, UN flag outside UN Headquarters

07 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Najwa Mekki, Chief of Strategic Communications, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Hunger and malnutrition remain chronic. More than 17.5 million people across Yemen suffer from hunger. Among them are 5 million children. Lack of access to education for children, there is 4.5 million children who do not go to school across Yemen. So, the needs continue. There is an improvement, the needs continue, and we need to scale back. And we need to remember always that the most vulnerable are the ones who suffer in any context, and any insecurity, and any flare up of the conflict. And those would have to be the priority that we all focus on to make sure that we meet their needs and ensure their well-being as well.”

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

9. Close up, UN flag outside UN Headquarters

07 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Najwa Mekki, Chief of Strategic Communications, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The economic situation is, you know, it's catastrophic. We know that civil servants are not getting their salaries. We know that the health infrastructure has been decimated. We know that the public sector in a lot of areas has been, severely damaged. So, it's a combination of all of these things. Underdevelopment and decades of war, persistent economic crisis that has led to the persistent humanitarian needs across Yemen.”

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

11. Close up, UN flag outside UN Headquarters

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Storyline

OCHA’s Chief of Strategic Communications, Najwa Mekki, upon her return from Yemen today (7 Jun) commented on the detention of several UN staff members and other humanitarians by Houthi militias and called for “the safe and unconditional release of our colleagues.”

Interviewed by UN News, Mekki said the purpose of her visit was “to go and get a real sense of what we're doing and what the humanitarian situation in Yemen is.”

She stressed that the UN and other humanitarians continue to provide aid and assistance on the ground, but “unfortunately, you know, the world has moved on” and Yemen is “barely getting any attention.”

Mekki said the UN brokered truce “continues to hold, even though it has officially expired,” and has led to “a decrease, for example, in conflict related fatalities” as well as to “an improvement in the movement of UN agencies and humanitarian agencies across Yemen” and “a bit of a revitalization of the private sector, so there is more things to buy in the markets and people are able to reduce their needs for humanitarian assistance.”

This progress, she said, “is very fragile and that we need to build on it, so that we don't we don't regress. And that would be the real danger.”

Mekki noted that “hunger and malnutrition remain chronic. More than 17.5 million people across Yemen suffer from hunger. Among them are 5 million children. Lack of access to education for children, there is 4.5 million children who do not go to school across Yemen. So, the needs continue.”

She said, “we need to remember always that the most vulnerable are the ones who suffer in any context, and any insecurity, and any flare up of the conflict. And those would have to be the priority that we all focus on to make sure that we meet their needs and ensure their well-being as well.”

To conclude, the humanitarian official said, “the economic situation is, you know, it's catastrophic. We know that civil servants are not getting their salaries. We know that the health infrastructure has been decimated. We know that the public sector in a lot of areas has been, severely damaged. So, it's a combination of all of these things. Underdevelopment and decades of war, persistent economic crisis that has led to the persistent humanitarian needs across Yemen.”

Halfway through the year, OCHA’s global appeal remains only 17 percent funded.

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