China Contributes US$5 Million To Support WFP Fight Against Famine In Yemen

More than 17 million people in Yemen, or two-thirds of the population, do not know where their next meal is coming from. This includes nearly 6.8 million people who depend entirely on assistance to cover their essential food needs.

With Yemen facing one of the world’s worst hunger crises, WFP’s effort to avert famine in the country is currently only 37 percent funded until the end of 2017. WFP is in urgent need of funds to prevent more people from sinking deeper into hunger, particularly during a time when an escalating cholera outbreak is placing an extra burden on the humanitarian response.

“China is deeply sympathetic to the humanitarian crisis suffered by our brothers and sisters in Yemen, and the Chinese humanitarian aid is fully committed to the true friendship between China and Yemen,” said Chinese Ambassador to Yemen Tian Qi. “China firmly supports a political solution to the crisis and hopes Yemen can restore peace and stability at an earliest date. China would like to join hands with Yemen to push forward the Belt and Road initiative to benefit the people of the region.”  

This Chinese contribution was marked this week at a WFP distribution point in Al-Dhahi district in the port city of Hodeidah. WFP distributed wheat grains to the most deprived families in the governorate, which has one of the worst malnutrition rates in the country.

“We are very grateful for the timely support we are receiving from China as we struggle to provide crucial assistance to families in Yemen who rely on us and our ability to continue to cover their most basic food needs,” said WFP Yemen Representative and Country Director Stephen Anderson.

Over the past three months, WFP has been providing food assistance to an average of four million people each month in Yemen. In June, WFP provided food assistance to 5.4 million people. Yet due to funding shortages, 3.3 million of these people received a smaller food ration last month, which is enough to cover only 60 percent of their monthly needs. The remaining 2.1 million people received full assistance in June.

Over the coming year, WFP and its partners aim to provide food assistance and nutritional support to more than nine million people in Yemen. To fully implement these plans and provide full rations, WFP requires US$323 million from July to December 2017 to provide vital assistance to millions of people across Yemen.

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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):

Reem Nada, WFP/Sana’a, Tel. +967739555099

Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo, Tel. +2010 66634352

Mohamed Megahed, WFP/Amman, Tel. +962 791295749

Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 65132321, Mob. +39 346 7600521

Bettina Luescher, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41 22 917 8564, Mob. + 41-79-842-8057

Steve Taravella, WFP/Washington DC, Tel. +1 202 653 1149, Mob. +1 202 770 5993