1. Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Ham Sang-wook attended the High-level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen held on March 16 (Geneva time) and announced the Korean government’s plan to provide 20 million U.S. dollars in humanitarian assistance in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

o The meeting was co-hosted by the governments of Switzerland and Sweden and the United Nations with a view to mobilizing international support for addressing the protracted humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by continuing conflicts.

o The meeting was held in a hybrid format, and among the participants were UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, President of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis, Prime Minister of Yemen Maeen Abdulmalek Saeed, and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie.

o The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) estimates that 21 million Yemenis, which account for 70% of the population, are in need of assistance. Earlier this year, OCHA announced that the humanitarian response for Yemen would require 3.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.

2. This year’s contribution will be used to alleviate hunger and provide life-saving support to the most vulnerable people in Yemen through means such as delivering rice to those in need.

o Since it joined the Food Assistance Convention in 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has been providing a total of 50,000 tons of rice to 4 to 6 countries every year through WFP.

3. In his speech, Deputy Minister Ham reaffirmed the Korean government’s commitment to resolving the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. He also emphasized the importance of a peaceful solution in ending the suffering of Yemeni people and reiterated Korea’s support for the UN-led peace process.

4. The Korean government will continue to play its part in supporting those suffering from protracted humanitarian crises, including the one in Yemen, and work with the international community to enhance the Humanitarian assistance-Development-Peace nexus.