The U.N. warned on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is worsening and that gains made to tackle malnutrition and health would go into reverse due to funding cuts.
“We are expecting things to be much worse in 2026,” Julien Harneis, U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, told reporters in Geneva.
Some 21 million people will need humanitarian assistance this year, an increase from 19.5 million the previous year, according to the U.N. The situation has been aggravated by economic collapse and disruption of essential services including health and education, and political uncertainty, Harneis said.
The U.S. slashed its aid spending this year, and leading Western donors also pared back help as they pivoted to raise defence spending, triggering a funding crunch for the U.N.
“Children are dying and it’s going to get worse,” Harneis said. Food insecurity is projected to worsen across the country, with higher rates of malnutrition anticipated, he stated.
“For 10 years, the U.N. and humanitarian organisations were able to improve mortality and improve morbidity…this year, that’s not going to be the case.”
