YEMEN – Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is in Yemen this week to draw attention to the devastating impact of the seven-year-old conflict on the civilian population.
The protracted conflict in Yemen has resulted in multiple crises affecting all aspects of ordinary people’s lives. It has claimed thousands of civilian casualties – in January 2022, one civilian was killed or injured every hour – as well as widespread destitution, hunger and economic collapse, pushing Yemenis to the brink. Today, two out of three Yemenis need humanitarian aid to survive, which equates to 20 million people. Ninety-two percent of all displaced Yemenis have no source of income and must survive on less than $40 a month.
Angelina Jolie, special envoy for refugees since 2011, arrived in Yemen on March 6 for a three-day visit. She met both internally displaced Yemenis and refugees in the north and south of the country.
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie called on all parties to the conflict to respect and commit to international humanitarian law. She also called on all parties to avoid targeting civilians and to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to all those in need, safe passage for civilians fleeing conflict areas and a negotiated political settlement.
Jolie urged the international community to step up support for the severely underfunded humanitarian response, ahead of the high-level Yemen donors’ conference to be held on March 16, and to redouble efforts to end the violence. More than 4 million people have been displaced over the past seven years.
At a site in Yemen’s southern Lahj governorate, where people who have fled their homes in recent years are living in flimsy shelters, displaced families tell Special Envoy Jolie how they lost their homes , their relatives and their livelihoods, describing how the conflict erupted. their hopes for their children and their families. Mudeera, a mother of five who has been displaced from Taiz in the past four years, said none of her children went to school, had birth certificates or had been vaccinated . Every day, she fights to give them something other than tea and bread.
In northern Yemen, at a site for displaced people, Jolie met Maryam, 65, who has been displaced since 2016 and lost her husband in the conflict. She told Jolie how three of her granddaughters had died because the family could not afford the health care they needed.
During her visit and on International Women’s Day today, Jolie witnessed the catastrophic impact this conflict has had on Yemeni civilians, especially women and girls, who represent more than half of the displaced population. Already facing some of the worst levels of gender inequality and discrimination in the world, their plight has been made worse by the unending conflict.
Jolie said: “The level of human suffering here is unimaginable. Every day that the brutal conflict in Yemen continues, more and more innocent lives are lost and more and more people will continue to suffer. We live in a world where suffering and horror dominate the headlines, but where those headlines can translate into overwhelming displays of compassion and international solidarity. I hope that this compassion and solidarity will extend to the people of Yemen, who urgently need a speedy and peaceful resolution to this conflict – and to other displaced people, whoever and wherever they are. in the world.
“With more than 80 million displaced people worldwide and global appeals for assistance underfunded, we urgently need to find solutions that resolve conflict and allow displaced people to return home. them with dignity and safety.
UNHCR and its partners remain on the ground in Yemen, providing lifesaving assistance by providing shelter, cash assistance and psychological support, as well as programs that specifically help protect children and prevent violence against women. While UNHCR hopes to maintain and expand its support in 2022 amid escalating fighting, the UN appeal for Yemen remains underfunded.
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