Yemen: EU co-hosts humanitarian community meeting as famine looms
The humanitarian situation in Yemen is alarming, with millions of people facing famine. On 1 June, the European Commission and Sweden co-hosted the third Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said: “Yemen remains the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with an unprecedented famine looming. The EU is committed to supporting the people in need. I welcome today's discussion by the humanitarian community on how to ensure that assistance gets to the Yemeni population quickly and effectively. I call on the parties to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian law and allow the delivery of urgently needed aid to the affected population throughout Yemen.”

Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs Per Olsson Fridh stated: “We remain committed to supporting the Yemeni people, who have borne the brunt of this devastating conflict for more than 6 years. Today, we have reaffirmed our steadfast support to the lifesaving work of humanitarian actors and the collective message is clear: relief efforts must reach all Yemenis in need of emergency assistance and protection. The SOM approach is unique and has demonstrated that tangible improvements can be achieved when we speak with one voice as a humanitarian community. It is crucial that we jointly monitor progress and continue to push for more improvements.”

During the meeting, the participants expressed their continued concern about the humanitarian situation in Yemen, as the needs reach unprecedented levels and the threat of widespread famine remains as tangible as ever before.

The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by a collapsing economy, restricted access for humanitarian