War, Africans take Yemen to Geneva Global Launch

GENEVA, Dec. 01 (Saba) – Yemen has
attended the Global Launch of the 2010 Consolidated Appeals. The Yemeni delegation
to the
U.N. annually-launched ceremonial event was spearheaded by deputy prime minister for
Defense and Security Affairs, who is minister of Local Administration, Rashad
al-Alimi.
The participation comes because of the influx of African refugees into Yemen and due
to obstacles the country is facing on helping the refugees from the war with the
Houthi
insurgents in the north. Minister of Public Health and Population Abdul Karim Rasa'a
and Yemen's permanent envoy to the Geneva-Based U.N. Headquarters Ibrahim al-Adoufi
and
other officials from the concerned authorities were attendants. Tuesday's meeting of
the Consolidated Appeal Process would be devoted to discussing humanitarian
assistance
for Yemen and ways to meet it. The participants will listen to a review of the
humanitarian issues in Yemen related to sheltering the displaced people, from Africa
and the
Saada war, and those related to the flood disaster which some parts of Yemen
experienced in 2008. Earlier, the U.N. said Yemen needed $ 177 million in
humanitarian aid. On
the margins of the ceremonial conference, al-Alimi met with John Holmes, UN
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
The meeting
dealt with possible UN aid for Yemen to cope with the refugee requirements.
Moreover, he met with Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Janet Lim. The two
discussed aspects
of cooperation and coordination between Yemen and the UNHCR to improve the
conditions of the African refugees and the war displaced people in north Yemen.
There more than
60.000 refugees as the army continues to cleanse up the north of the Houthi rebels,
who have been fighting the troops since 2004. The refugees were of those affected by
the
fresh confrontations that erupted in August this year. Yemen also says that the
number of the Africans who fled their Horn of Africa countries has exeeded 700.000
people,
calling on the international community to help cope with their needs. In 2008,
torrential rains hit many parts of Yemen, with the eastern provinces of Hadramout
and Mahara
the worst hit. More than 90 people were killed and over 2000 houses destroyed.
Losses were estimated at almost $ 1 billion, triggering calls to help Yemen rebuild
the hit
areas. The Global Launch is an annual key event of the humanitarian community. All
stakeholders in the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) are invited: the CAP
countries, the
donor countries, UN agencies, NGOs and representatives from the Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement. The main purpose of any launch event is to present the
inter-agency appeals
(in particular the humanitarian action plan and the attached projects) to the donor
community and to stimulate funding. The funds go to those countries hit by disasters
such
wars and floods. FR