Mun Position Paper Ideas

Conflict remains the primary underlying driver of hunger in Yemen.
The economic crisis, a

by-product of conflict and the depreciation of the currency, has pushed food prices in 2021
to their highest levels since 2015. The Ukraine war will likely lead to significant import
shocks, further driving food prices. Yemen depends almost entirely on food imports, with 30
percent of its wheat imports coming from Ukraine.
There are already massive gaps in funding the humanitarian response for the 20.7 million
people in need of assistance in Yemen, including clean water, healthcare, food, and nutrition.
The situation is likely to worsen as the conflict in Ukraine pushes up the prices of food,
fertilizer, and fuel. Meanwhile, the rapidly increasing needs of people worldwide will also
spread humanitarian resources even thinner.
The imports from Ukraine represent 31% of wheat that arrived in the country in the last three
months. Prices have risen dramatically to seven times higher than in 2015 (OCHA source).
Storage capacity at the main ports of Aden and Hodeida manages to cover only 20% of annual
requirements, leading to high exposure to price volatility in international trade. Currently, a
kilogram of wheat flour costs more than 800 rials in the country’s south, compared to 146 rials
before the crisis.
Food insecurity is a complex challenge, but meaningful steps can be taken. The ICRC has
three main calls to action:
_ First, in conflict, parties to the fighting have the primary responsibility to ensure the
basic needs of civilians in areas under their control are met. They must protect crops,
livestock, water structures, and health facilities indispensable to the population’s survival.
This includes facilitating rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.
_ Second, funding to address the food crisis must be increased immediately to save lives.
However, longer-term action to manage risks and strengthen resilience is critical to
preparing for the following problem. We must ensure assistance reaches those affected
by conflict and support climate-smart agriculture and pastoralist practices
_ Third, meeting the scale of needs in the short-, medium- and long-term calls for
leveraging the capacities of all actors, including humanitarian and development agencies,
financial institutions, and local and regional authorities.
Conflict and economic crisis remain the main drivers of acute food insecurity and
malnutrition in Yemen, further exacerbated by the instability of humanitarian assistance.
The outlook for 2022 indicates that both features will continue, with a likelihood of
further escalation of fighting in critical hotspots, thereby leading to further displacement.
In addition, due to the protracted conflict, access to public services has been brought to
a near-halt resulting in delays/cuts in salaries, poor access to health services, inadequate
access to water, and other services such as education, and energy, etc. remain severely
compromised.
Yemen’s food crisis is a direct, artificial result of the seven-year-long civil war. This war is
between the government formerly led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi armed
movement. The Houthi are Zaydi Shiites — Shia Muslims are a minority of the Islamic
World, and the Zaydis are a minority of the Shiites. They hold different beliefs and
doctrines than other Shiite Muslims. They have captured much of Yemen’s Capital, Sana’a,
by late 2014. They state that their goals are to combat economic underdevelopment and
political marginalization in Yemen while gaining greater autonomy for the Houthi-
majority regions of Yemen.
The response to food insecurity in Yemen is not enough. The problem persists because the
civil war continues, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further exacerbates food insecurity .
It is also essential to address the root causes of Yemen’s food insecurity — conflict and
economic hardship. Currently, Yemen must find other suppliers of affordable wheat besides
Ukraine to curb the estimated increases in food shortages. Furthermore, support must be
put in place to help alleviate economic hardships and improve the economy within Yemen.
The problem is that it is hard to focus on the economy within a country when they currently
have a raging civil war lasting several years. Both warring parties need to extend the agreed-
upon truce beyond two months since it will require a compromise between parties. Yemen
needs a legitimate and capable state for its economic future. Yemen is rich in resources —
liquefied natural gas reserves, minerals, a once prominent deep-water port, and tourism
opportunities. Financial assistance is needed from other states to help Yemen make use of
its resources.
More than 10,200 children have been killed or maimed since the beginning of the conflict,
and thousands more have been recruited into the fighting. An estimated 2 million children are
internally displaced. The damage and closure of schools and hospitals have also disrupted
access to education and health services. More than 2 million children are out of school,
leaving them even more vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s already dire hunger crisis is teetering on the edge of catastrophe. By
March 2022, around 17.4 million people needed food assistance, with a growing portion of
the population coping with emergency levels of hunger.

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Conflict remains the primary underlying driver of hunger in Yemen.

The economic crisis, a

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