Yemen: A joint emergency food response to meet urgent humanitarian needs

Since the start of the civil war in 2015, several parties have been fighting to claim power inside Yemen. This has had destructive consequences for one of the poorest populations on the Arabian Peninsula determining the country's fate as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.

Some 24 million people - more than two thirds of the population - are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. In a particularly cruel twist, it is children who bear the brunt of a merciless environment that UNICEF accurately describes as a "living hell". A staggering 30,000 children die every year of chronic malnutrition, among other leading causes. More than 20 million people are food insecure while a 10 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from - a reality that veers dangerously close to nationwide famine.

Air strikes on hospitals and schools are routine events; the collapse of public services inevitable. Despite the enormity of the crisis, there are many barriers to aid access including the presence of armed groups, kidnapping and bureaucratic blockades.