• The first deal, worth $15 million, will secure and distribute shelter, aid and non-food items to displaced people in the governorates of Marib, Taiz and Hodeidah
• The second agreement covers rapid intervention in the water and sanitation sector in several Yemeni governorates

Arab News

RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center signed two agreements with the International Organization for Migration on Yemen.

The deals, which have a total value of $20 million, were signed by KSrelief Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino.

The first deal, worth $15 million, will secure and distribute shelter, aid and non-food items to displaced people in the governorates of Marib, Taiz and Hodeidah. It will target 82,320 people from internally displaced families and 20,580 people in host communities in Yemen.

The second agreement covers rapid intervention in the water and sanitation sector in several Yemeni governorates, with the aim of providing drinking water in impoverished areas, helping to reduce the spread of disease.

It comes in addition to the reconstruction of water and sanitation resources, and health awareness and hygiene programs, which will help about 50,500 Yemenis through a $5 million investment.

Al-Rabeeah said that the two agreements “will help hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who lack housing, shelter and food.

“They will also reduce the impact of humanitarian violations that Yemenis face from the Houthi militia.”

He called on the IOM to “stand firmly against the militia” and its “violations against refugees and internally displaced people,” warning that the group had targeted refugee camps in Marib and Al-Jouf.

The militia has also banned the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, and imposes harsh taxation on refugees, Al-Rabeeah added.

He said that these practices, which “contradict humanitarian laws,” are strictly rejected by the IOM.

Vitorino said that the two deals “reflect the strategic partnership between the IOM and KSrelief,” and that they will “make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who live under difficult humanitarian conditions.”

He added that since 2019, the IOM in Yemen has received more than $100 million of KSrelief support, which has “greatly contributed to helping the country.”

Vitorino expressed his hope that the IOM will provide urgent protection, assistance, healthcare and shelter for Yemenis in need.

Yemen is among the top beneficiaries of KSrelief assistance. In total, the center has implemented 647 projects in Yemen for a total cost of more than $3.9 billion.

The center’s programs cover food security, water sanitation and hygiene, health, education, emergency aid and nutrition.

KSrelief has implemented 1,814 projects worth more than $5.5 billion in 77 countries. The initiatives were carried out in cooperation with 144 local, regional and international partners since the inception of the center in May 2015.

According to a recent KSrelief report, the countries and territories that benefited the most from the center’s various projects were Yemen ($3.9 billion), Palestine ($368 million), Syria ($322 million) and Somalia ($209 million).