Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the situation in the Middle East, during the 9806th meeting of the Security Council.
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Tom Fletcher, the newly appointed Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said, “the humanitarian response continues to face severe constraints,” explaining that “funding cuts have forced closure of vital programmes. The total number of people in need has increased since the beginning of the year from 18.2 to 19.5 million.”
Fletcher called on Council members to “sustained influence to secure full respect for international humanitarian law.”
“This includes ensuring that infrastructure indispensable to the survival of the population in Yemen is spared. It is particularly critical that Yemen’s Red Sea ports remain operational and available for imports – they are lifelines for millions of people,” he added.
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