Aden (South24) 

Yesterday, a meeting of top donors in Brussels failed to commit to providing the estimated $2.7 billion needed to fund the humanitarian response plan in Yemen, amid fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis that is already among the worst in the world.

A statement from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said that the Senior Official Meeting of donor states announced a commitment of a little more than $735 million, roughly a quarter of the amount required to finance the humanitarian response plan.

The statement expressed disappointment over the meeting’s failure to back previous “positive rhetoric” regarding the provision of adequate support for what Yemenis say is a "daily fight for survival."

“Today marks a missed opportunity for the international community to take meaningful steps towards pulling Yemenis back from the brink of severe hunger and widespread disease,” said Samah Hadid, the NRC’s Head of Advocacy for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Instead, it has sent a bad signal that one of the worst humanitarian crises remains neglected by donor governments and will not receive the support it urgently needs,” Hadid added.

The statement indicated that over 17 million people in Yemen are now suffering from food insecurity.

The statement added: "The NRC urges the international community to step up and increase funding that meets the daily needs for Yemenis. This includes resuming food aid programming across Yemen and scaling up targeted support to food security, nutrition, and water programming".

In February, the United Nations launched an appeal to raise $4 billion to fund the humanitarian response plan for Yemen in 2024 to deliver life-saving aid and protection services.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the 2024 humanitarian response plan would require $2.7 billion to fund life-saving assistance and protection services for more than 18.2 million people.

OCHA added that an additional $1.3 billion would be needed to provide support to millions of Yemenis through sustainable development programs.

In March, the war in Yemen entered its tenth year amidst increasing levels of poverty, widespread hunger, and the spread of deadly diseases and epidemics among Yemenis.

A recent report by the World Bank revealed that Yemen is on the verge of becoming the poorest country in the world as a result of the war and worsening levels of food insecurity. The April 2024 report ranked Yemen as the 12th poorest country globally.

Related: World Bank: Yemen amongst poorest countries in the world