The Development Champions Forum (DCF) has followed closely the convening and outcome of the Donor Conference for humanitarian needs, held virtually on 1st March 2021 and hosted by the United Nations and the governments of Sweden and Switzerland.

The world’s worst humanitarian crisis continues to put the lives of millions of Yemenis at risk. The DCF recognizes this “man-made” crisis is a result of the ongoing conflict and its impact on livelihoods in Yemen. The DCF continues its firm belief that a sustainable peace agreement to bring an end to the war in Yemen is the only viable way to address the humanitarian crisis and put Yemen’s economy on the road to recovery.

Until peace is achieved, we welcome and appreciate the pledges made by Yemen’s regional and international partners. However, we share the disappointment of the UN Secretary General at the total amount pledged (US$1.67B), which represents less than 50% of the announced needs.

Considering the lower-than-expected number of pledges, the DCF believes that it is even more important to ensure better targeting and higher efficiency to increase impact.

Also, it is most critical to ensure the highest level of transparency in aid disbursement and operations and remove all obstacles and interference that impede humanitarian aid operations. Public perception and confidence towards humanitarian efforts must be improved and elevated.

In addition to humanitarian aid, the DCF recommends and urges that resources and efforts of Yemen’s authorities together with regional and international partners should be directed at the following:

1. Enhancing local food production and job creation by improving productivity through resolving bottlenecks in energy, transport, and governance. The DCF will soon publish a detailed paper on improving local productivity and the local economic environment.
2. While food handouts are appreciated and necessary, more efforts are needed towards sustainability and longer-term impact. More involvement of the local private sector may provide a channel for efficiency and longer-term development.
3. Supporting access to finance for farmers and fishermen to create jobs particularly among youth and women, enhance production, and address food security challenges.
4. Addressing fuel and energy shortages through financing of renewable energy projects in agriculture and fisheries infrastructure.

The DCF hopes that the efforts to end the war in Yemen will remain high on the agendas of the United Nations and other international and regional actors. The Development Champions express their hope that the momentum generated by the recent efforts will be maintained towards ending the suffering of Yemeni people.