WFP praises Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian role in Yemen‏‏

he executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, has lauded Saudi Arabia’s efforts in helping the organization meet the urgent food needs of “some of Yemen’s most vulnerable groups.”

In a recent statement, Beasley appreciated the Kingdom for contributing $60 million through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief).

Without this contribution, he stressed, humanitarian action in Yemen could not be sustained.

The WFP official noted that the donation would contribute to closing critical gaps in the supply and distribution of lifesaving food assistance during the next few months. With this funding, the WFP plans to procure wheat grain, flour, vegetable oil, and other staple items included in the monthly food baskets provided to needy families. The food aid will assist 4.9 million severely food-insecure people across 15 governorates.

Beasley expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom, represented by KSrelief, for this contribution, adding that it came at a time of great need, especially in light of the additional humanitarian challenges being caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Since 2018, he added, Saudi Arabia has contributed $858 million to WFP’s response in Yemen, including $380 million in 2019 that helped WFP scale-up its operations to reach 13 million people, effectively “pulling Yemen back from the brink of famine, and saving lives.”