As the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly convenes, more than 30 international and regional humanitarian organizations issued an urgent warning about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, calling on the international community to take immediate action to prevent the country from sliding into large-scale famine and a deeper humanitarian catastrophe.
According to the joint statement released by the organizations, more than 17 million people in Yemen are facing the risk of hunger, including 41,000 at catastrophic levels. Nearly 2.4 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, hundreds of thousands of whom are in life-threatening conditions. The organizations confirmed that at least two children have died of malnutrition in recent months.
The statement indicated that the situation is set to deteriorate further due to reductions in humanitarian assistance, the spread of epidemics, and economic collapse. Reports revealed that one in five families endures a full day and night without food, while parents forgo their own meals so that their children can eat the little that is available.
Climate-related crises have worsened the tragedy, with recent floods killing and injuring 157 people and displacing more than 50,000 families, most of whom are already displaced persons. At the same time, disease outbreaks continue, with 58,000 suspected cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea and 163 related deaths recorded since the beginning of the year, alongside a worrying surge in dengue fever cases.
Humanitarian organizations stressed that the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan has received only 18% of the required funding—the lowest level in a decade—forcing them to scale back aid and reach just 3.7 million people per month, less than one-third of those in need.
The organizations urged the international community to urgently increase humanitarian funding to ensure the continuation of food, health, and water programs, protect civilians and infrastructure, and halt attacks that have caused more than 880 civilian casualties since the beginning of 2025.
They also called for the release of detained humanitarian workers, the guarantee of unhindered humanitarian access, strengthened peace efforts, and support for the UN-led political process.
The statement concluded by stressing that Yemen stands at the brink of collapse, and that “the time to act is now” before the situation escalates to levels beyond containment.
