Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday participated in the Virtual High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Situation in Yemen. The conference was organized by the Swedish and Swiss governments as well as the UN, and saw the participation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, ministers from numerous member states, as well as representatives of international organizations and NGOs.
The organizers underscored that the goal of the conference was to raise awareness about the major humanitarian crisis in Yemen in order to collect funds through the Humanitarian Response Plan. Because of the protracted armed conflict in Yemen, more than 20 million people are in dire need of aid and protection, the organizers stressed, adding that malnutrition and disease had reached alarming levels. The collected funds will go towards preventing famine and malnutrition, curbing disease, protecting civilians and reviving civil infrastructure such as hospitals.
Addressing the conference, Grlić Radman thanked Sweden, Switzerland and the UN for organising the event, emphasizing that “Croatia fully supported the UN and international community’s efforts to find a political solution to the Yemeni crisis.”
The minister announced that Croatia would donate USD 100,000 through the World Food Programme, to be directed towards alleviating hunger among the most affected part of Yemen’s population. In addition, Grlić Radman underlined that it was crucial to remain committed and consistent in humanitarian activities in order to help the most vulnerable, notably women and children.