Swiss president warns not to forget Yemen’s civil war

Children and women are affected most severely by the humanitarian crisis in Yemen where about four million people have been forced to leave the homes because of the long-standing civil war. Keystone/Yahya Arhab

The Swiss government has pledged CHF14.5 million ($15.5 million) in financial support for aid operations in war-torn Yemen.

The money is to go towards activities of humanitarian organisations including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations World Food Programme.

Switzerland’s support will focus on water, sanitation, food security and civilian protection, according to a foreign ministry statementExternal link.

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis made the pledge at a high-level event in the Swiss city of Geneva on Wednesday, co-chaired by the Swiss and Swedish governments as well as the UN.

“Let’s offer concrete support and the prospect of a better future to millions of Yemeni women and children,” he said in his opening speech.

Cassis, who also holds the post of Swiss president this year, said that as conflict is raging in Ukraine other crises must not be forgotten.

The civil war in Yemen, which is ongoing since 2014, prompted one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving more than 23 million people in need of humanitarian aid, according to the foreign ministry.

So far, Switzerland has donated over CHF71 million in aid to Yemen.