The conflict in Yemen has reached a tragic milestone – over one decade of largely unrelenting conflict, with only brief and fragile periods of reduced hostilities, that has stolen childhoods, shattered futures, and left an entire generation fighting to survive, said UNICEF Yemen Representative Peter Hawkins at a press briefing in the Palais des Nations in Geneva
Hawkins added “1 in 2 children under five are acutely malnourished. Among them, over 537,000 suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM)—a condition that is agonizing, life-threatening, and entirely preventable. Malnutrition weakens immune systems, stunts growth, and robs children of their potential. In Yemen, it is not just a health crisis—it is a death sentence for thousands. Equally alarming, 1.4 million pregnant and lactating women are malnourished, perpetuating a vicious cycle of intergenerational suffering.
UNICEF Yemen Representative described the situation in Yemen as a not natural catastrophe “It is man-made. Over a decade of conflict has decimated Yemen’s economy, healthcare system, and infrastructure. Even during periods of reduced violence, the structural consequences of the conflict—especially for children—have remained severe. More than half of the population relies on humanitarian aid to survive. Food prices have soared by 300 percent since 2015. Critical ports and roads—lifelines for food and medicine—are damaged or blockaded”.
Hawkins said: “In 2025, we continue to support 3,200 health facilities, the treatment of 600,000 malnourished children, 70 mobile teams, 42,000 community health workers and 27 therapeutic feeding centers. For this to continue, we need sustained funding. Otherwise, 7.6 million people in Yemen risk not having access to primary health care.
Our 2025 appeal is only 25 percent funded. Without urgent resources, we cannot sustain even the minimal services we are able to provide in the face of growing needs.
“Time is of the essence here because, for those 527,000 children with SAM, every minute counts. A child with SAM is 11 times more likely to die than their healthy peers. Without treatment, they will perish silently. Even those who survive face lifelong consequences—impaired cognitive development, chronic disease, and lost economic potential. This is not just Yemen’s loss; it is humanity’s failure.
“One: Funding the Response Fully: We need an additional $157 million for our response in 2025. We need sustained investment in fighting all forms of malnutrition, and the diseases, lack of education and other forms of suffering children in Yemen are forced to endure.
“Two: Protecting Humanitarian Access: All parties to the conflict in Yemen must allow unimpeded delivery of aid and allow humanitarians to do what they do best; save lives. We call for the release of detained UN staff and other humanitarian workers. And, importantly, for the conflict to cease.