Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen by Lisa Doughten, Director, Financing and Partnerships Division, OCHA, on behalf of Tom Fletcher, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

As delivered

Thank you, Mr. President.

Allow me to start by recalling that despite the Secretary General’s calls, and despite all efforts, today, 73 UN staff remain arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities, along with dozens of others from NGOs and civil society.

On 29 January, the de facto authorities again entered multiple UN offices in Sana’a without permission, commandeering equipment and vehicles.

The de facto authorities have also continued to withhold clearances for UN Humanitarian Air Service flights to Marib. UNHAS flights into Sana’a resumed over the weekend following a month-long suspension caused by the lack of necessary clearances from the de facto authorities.

Mr. President,

As we have said in this Council before, these detentions of humanitarian workers are having a profound impact on operations. Such interference and impediments come at a time when the humanitarian situation is more desperate than ever.

This year, 22.3 million people – or half the population – will need humanitarian assistance – an increase of 2.8 million from last year.

Yemen continues to face the region's most severe hunger crisis. Today, over 18 million people face acute food insecurity. Yemen is also the country with the largest number of people – 5.5 million – experiencing IPC Phase 4 emergency food security conditions or above.

The health system is coming under increasing strain. Some 40 per cent of health facilities are not functioning or at risk of closing due to funding shortfalls and our partners scaling back their operations.

This has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, as access to essential maternal and reproductive health services becomes even more restricted.

This crisis is unfolding amid a rise in outbreaks of preventable disease and low immunization coverage. Just under two thirds of children are fully immunized.

Between January and September last year, Yemen recorded more than 18,600 measles cases and 188 deaths, among the world’s highest. Yemen also registered the third‑highest cholera caseload worldwide between March 2024 and November 2025, with 350,000 suspected cholera and acute watery diarrhoea cases and 1,100 associated deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

Food insecurity, limited access to healthcare and preventable disease are driving a dangerous rise in malnutrition, especially among children. More than 2.2 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, including 570,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Nearly one in two children in Yemen is stunted and wasting rates remain among the worst in the world. An additional 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are at serious risk to be malnourished this year, in 2026.

Mr. President,

Despite extreme challenges, humanitarians continued to save lives in 2025. Our partners delivered food aid to over 5 million people, provided 3.3 million medical consultations, and treated more than 330,000 children for severe acute malnutrition. This was achieved with the humanitarian appeal funded at only 28.5 per cent, forcing us to make impossible choices.

We deeply appreciate those donors who have continued to stand with the people of Yemen.

But, as I have outlined, Yemen is at a critical juncture. We must act together now to prevent a return to the devastating levels of hunger and disease witnessed only a few years ago, when malnutrition and cholera overwhelmed a fragile health system and wreaked havoc on communities across the country.

Mr. President,

We remain steadfast in our commitment to reach people across Yemen. Next week, in Amman, Jordan, we will convene donors, UN agencies, and international and national NGO partners to refine how we deliver aid so the most vulnerable continue to receive life‑saving support amidst the growing limitations.

We are reorganizing our operations to better address these challenges. Partners, including international and national NGOs, as well as ICRC, that remain active in DFA-held areas will assume a greater share of the operational workload on the ground.

As we move forward, we will act collectively to ensure that the UN’s unique capacities – coordination and operational engagement with line ministries, disease surveillance, technical oversight, and the maintenance of supply lines and humanitarian flights – are fully leveraged to enable an effective and principled humanitarian response.

I urge this Council to actively support these efforts.

Mr. President,

Briefing after briefing, we raise the same issues. The Yemeni people deserve much better.

I ask you to, first, maintain sustained engagement and pressure to secure the release of arbitrarily detained UN and NGO colleagues, as well as those from civil society and diplomatic missions. This goes hand in hand with ensuring that humanitarians are protected and their work is facilitated.

Secondly, fund the humanitarian response in Yemen, and engage other Member States to advocate for early contributions and sustained funding. We must prevent further deterioration. Millions of lives hang in the balance.

Thank you.