March 20, 2022

Ukraine is a disaster: but don’t forget wars in Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Ethiopia…

WHO DG Tedros: “Just as we continue to call on Russia to make peace in Ukraine, so we continue to call on Ethiopia and Eritrea to end the blockade — the siege — and allow safe access for humanitarian supplies and workers to save lives.”  He also called on world leaders to remember the needs of people in Yemen, where UNDP estimates the 377,000 people have been killed from conflict and famine, and 20 million people are in need of health assistance;  Afghanistan, with 3.4 million people internally displaced, widespread malnutrition (over 90% of the population food insecure), and 24 million people needing humanitarian support;  Myanmar, with over 12,600 conflict deaths in the past year and over 800,000 displaced;  Syria, with 6.7 million people internally displaced and over 13 million in need of assistance, and Ethiopia, where over 11.3 million have been displaced.

Note that the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen has been grossly inadequate for the third year straight. The humanitarian response requires $4.27 billion. 36 donors pledged a total of only $1.3 billion at the conference, while , which means the plan is currently only 30% funded leaving a colossal $3 billion shortfall – this gap will cost lives.

Yemen: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/un-yemen-recovery-possible-in-one-generation-if-war-stops-now

Myanmar: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60144957