Yemen is now the  world’s largest humanitarian crisis, including the fastest growing cholera epidemic ever recorded, and the world’s largest food emergency. Some 20 million people require humanitarian assistance, seven million of whom are severely food insecure, staving off the threat of famine.

Despite challenging conditions and lack of funding, UN and humanitarian parties are providing direct assistance to more than 7 million people each month. During a visit to Yemen in October by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator,  he stressed the need for more funding and better humanitarian access to the population in need, calling all parties to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians.

The Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is 56.9  per cent funded with $1.3 billion of the $2.3 billion required to reach the 12 million people in need of humanitarian support and protection this year.

UNFPA's response in Yemen has so far  reached  nearly 1.5 million people with reproductive health and gender-based violence services.  Support in October included treatment of 23 fistula cases in Sana'a and Aden. In addition, nearly 2,000 'mama kits' containing  items for the hygiene and protection of mother's and their newborns were provided to 25 maternity units across 8 governorates.