UN warns humanitarian aid to Yemen at risk due to funding cuts

Vatican News

The health system in Yemen has been weakened by years of conflict and underinvestment, according to a new report from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Released on Sunday, the December humanitarian update noted that 453 health facilities faced partial or imminent closure in 2025.

These facilities are spread across 22 governorates and include hospitals, mobile clinics, and primary health centers.

At the same time, Yemenis are enduring widespread food insecurity, unsafe water and sanitation, disease outbreaks, and malnutrition.

Millions of people face reduced access to healthcare, maternal services, and emergency treatment.

These cuts affect both areas controlled by the government and those under de facto Houthi authority.

Earlier in 2025, floods hit the Marib governorate, displacing tens of thousands of people.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) provided emergency supplies and then cash assistance, which helped families recover from the natural disaster more quickly, according to the report.

However, funding cuts to international agencies over the past year have left their mark, limiting the ability of NGOs to respond with life-saving services.

The OCHA report upheld the importance of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, saying it helps channel limited resources to life-saving interventions and community-based projects.

Yemen has endured a decade of conflict between the Government of Yemen and the rebel Houthi movement, which took over the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Large-scale fighting has eased in recent years, but the risk of renewed hostilities continue as tensions remain high.

The UN’s humanitarian coordination office called on donors to increase their support for its humanitarian mission, warning of further service closures with devastating effects for Yemen’s most vulnerable people.