Qatar has sent some $2 million to a United Nations programme that aims to clear hazardous waste caused by years of war in Yemen.
A $2m contribution has been made by the Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD) to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to clean up debris and hazardous waste caused by Yemen’s deadly war.
The project will see UN-Habitat and QFFD develop and implement an effective debris management strategy in Yemen, where more than five years of war has devastated much of the country.
The move is expected to benefit residents of areas affected by the conflict and will also provide training for young locals to assist in recycling and reusing debris from damaged buildings to rehabilitate and reconstruct homes.
“The crisis in Yemen has created many intractable problems that need long-term development solutions. We are proud of this strategic cooperation with UN-Habitat as this agreement will contribute to creating a healthy clean environment, improve livelihoods and help internally displaced persons,” says Misfer bin Hamad Al Shahwani, Deputy Director General of Projects Development at QFFD.
Effect of war
Yemen’s conflicted was exacerbated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition militarily intervened to reinstate the internationally-backed government after Houthi rebels overran the capital and other major cities. Since then, more than 100,000 people have been killed and much of the country’s infrastructure destroyed.
This year, the World Heritage sites of Zabid, Shibam, and Sana’a collapsed as a result of extreme weather conditions. The buildings were weakened by continuous Saudi-led coalition air strikes that have bombarded the country since the start of the deadly intervention.
The flash floods killed at least 172 people, including children, and has raised concerns over the spread of cholera and other diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 200,000 cholera cases were recorded between 2018 and 2020, including 1,535 deaths.
Read also: Qatar delivers aid to Yemen’s Taiz amid ongoing COVID-19 crisis
Additionally, at least 1.8 million children suffer from acute malnutrition and 400,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition on a daily basis.
The United Nations has described Yemen as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis” with at least 80 percent of the population in need of humanitarian assistance.
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