Tuesday 23 September 2025

As world leaders gather in New York for the 80th UN General Assembly, we, the undersigned humanitarian organisations working in Yemen, urge urgent and decisive action to address the worsening crisis in Yemen, threatening to push millions of families past the brink of catastrophe. Yemen’s crisis has stripped people down to the most basic of needs, making every day a struggle for survival.

Today, over 17 million people are facing hunger, with at least 41,000 of them being at risk of experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger – the toll on children is alarmingly staggering. At least 2.4 million children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, including hundreds of thousands at risk of severe acute malnutrition – a life-threatening condition without immediate treatment. Tragically, based on known records, at least two children have already lost their lives to malnutrition in recent months.

These figures are far from static — hunger and malnutrition are projected to worsen sharply in the coming months as aid cuts, disease outbreaks, and economic decline continue to erode families’ ability to cope. In one out of five households, someone goes a full day and night without any food at all. This includes children going to bed hungry, while parents are skipping meals so their little ones can have whatever little is available — leaving them feeling helpless as their children grow ill and severely weak. Without urgent action in the remaining months of 2025, vulnerable areas in Yemen will likely plunge into famine.

In recent weeks, flash floods have torn through parts of Yemen, killing and injuring 157 people, destroying shelters, and washing away arable lands, which threatens livelihoods and risks worsening hunger. More than 50,600 families, many of whom are internally displaced, have now lost their homes and sources of income to the floods.

Damaged water and sanitation infrastructure – already fragile as a result of the conflict, coupled with limited access to healthcare, continue to fuel the spread of the diseases. As of the end of July, over 58,000 suspected cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea, with 163 associated deaths, have been reported – making Yemen one of the worst-affected countries in the world. Additionally, reports of dengue fever cases indicate a concerning rise compared to the 2024 figures. Epidemiological surveillance and response efforts are further hindered by a lack of funding, which means the true scale of the outbreak is likely far higher than the reported figures. Women and girls continue to be disproportionately impacted.

This situation is forcing vulnerable and marginalised families and communities to adopt negative coping mechanisms such as early marriages, taking children out of school and child labour. Together with the reduction in services, the adoption of such strategies has long-term implications for the future generations of Yemen.

The regional tensions continue to spill over into Yemen, destabilising the country and further worsening the humanitarian situation. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure remain widespread, with over 880 civilian casualties reported so far in 2025, alongside extensive damage to critical infrastructure.

Aid workers, the lifeline for millions, face constant threats. The recent round of detention targeting UN staff members, along with previous detentions of humanitarian staff since June 2024 and prior, has escalated risks and deeply obstructed lifesaving assistance.

The 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is severely underfunded, standing at only 18 per cent as of early September – the lowest level of funding for the country’s appeal in a decade. Out of the 19.5 million people in need, the appeal was already intended to assist only 10.5 million. Still, current funding levels mean that even the vast majority of those will be left without planned assistance. The situation has forced humanitarian actors to make impossible choices, often described as taking food from the hungry to feed the starving.

Despite the immense challenges, hope remains as aid organisations continue to reach 3.7 million people each month, constituting less than 35 per cent of those targeted, with food, water, healthcare, protection, shelter, and cash assistance. This demonstrates our commitment and ability to deliver aid where it is needed. We stand ready to reach far more people in crisis and to support the people in Yemen to recover and rebuild their lives, if funding is scaled up to meet the immense needs.

Yemen is at a breaking point. The international community must act decisively:

+  Scale up humanitarian funding: Donor governments must urgently provide sufficient resources to ensure that food, health, water, and protection programs continue without interruption for those in need.

+  Centrality of protection is ensured in all interventions, with adequate funding for protection–related services.

+  Link humanitarian aid with resilience and development: Donor governments and policymakers must ensure that immediate relief is paired with efforts to strengthen livelihoods, services, and recovery systems, laying the groundwork for long-term development and breaking Yemen’s cycle of recurring needs.

+  Protect civilians and civilian infrastructure: Member states should call for all parties to respect international humanitarian law, refrain from attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Civilians are not a target.

+  Use diplomatic leverage to protect aid workers: Member states and regional actors should press for the immediate release of detained aid workers and advocate for unhindered movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies.

+  Reinforce commitment to peace: Member states should sustain diplomatic efforts to support the UN peace process and ensure Yemen is not forgotten as global and regional agendas compete for attention.

Yemen’s people cannot endure further suffering. The time to act for Yemen is now. Urgent, coordinated action at UNGA 80 is essential to save lives and prevent a deeper humanitarian catastrophe.

Signed by:

• Action Contre la Faim (ACF)
• Action for Humanity International
• ADRA
• Al Khair Women Association
• AlMamoon Foundation for Development
• Arab-European Center for Human Rights and International Law (Oslo)
• CARE
• Caritas Poland in Yemen
• CIVIC
• Concern Worldwide
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
• Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
• Dorcas
• Enqath Foundation for Development EFD
• FARHM Network for Development and Peace
• Field Medical Foundation (FMF)
• Geneva Call
• Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion
• Helpcode
• Humanitarian Aid and Development Organization (HAD)
• International Medical Corps
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)
• INTERSOS
• Islamic Help UK
• Islamic Relief Worldwide
• Light Foundation for Development
• Medglobal Yemen
• Mercy Corps
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
• NPA
• OXFAM
• Polish Humanitarian Action
• Première Urgence Internationale (PUI)
• Rafd Al-amajad Foundation for Development
• READ Foundation UK – Yemen (RFY)
• Relief International (RI)
• Saferworld
• Save the Children
• Secours Islamique France (SIF)
• Social Development – Hodeidah Girls Foundation
• Super Novae
• Triangle Generation Humanitaire
• Union of Social Charitable and Developmental Associations and Foundations
• War Child Alliance
• Wings of Peace Charitable Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response