UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian chief warned Friday that Yemen suffers the worst food insecurity in the world and the ongoing conflict is worsening circumstances for a humanitarian response.
"Yemen faces the largest food security emergency in the world, and the worsening humanitarian outlook requires urgent action to reduce the likelihood of significant loss of life," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock told the Security Council, citing FEWSNet, a leading provider of analysis on acute food insecurity.
Lowcock revealed that, despite calls for the violence to stop, UN sources have observed nearly 800 separate incidents of shelling, armed clashes, or air strikes across Yemen, often with devastating consequences for civilians.
Due to the fighting, humanitarian programs have been scaled back in the port of Hodeidah, a crucial gateway for aid efforts.
Commercial food imports in October through Hodeidah and Saleef ports fell by more than 50 percent compared to September, he said, adding that only 17 ships discharged cargo in these ports that month, the second lowest monthly figure ever recorded.
Furthermore, despite Saudi Arabia's deposit of 200 million U.S. dollars in the Yemeni central bank, the Yemeni rial, though boosted by the move, has lost nearly 50 percent of its value in the last year alone and is only one third of its value four years ago before the conflict escalated.
Lowcock reiterated his priority calls for alleviating the Yemeni humanitarian situation, including a cessation of hostilities in and around infrastructure on which aid operations and commercial importers rely, and an increase in funding and support for the humanitarian operations.
