UN conference seeks $3bn in Yemen aid

Dubai: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the warring sides in Yemen on Tuesday to reach a political settlement to end a four-year-old conflict that has left 22 million people in urgent need of aid.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdul Malik Al Mekhlafi echoed the call for a return to the negotiating table and said that his internationally-recognised government was working to open ports and airports to humanitarian aid.

The UN conference, which is seeking pledges towards a $3 billion funding appeal to address the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

“A negotiated political settlement through inclusive intra-Yemeni dialogue is the only solution. I urge all parties to engage with my new Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, without delay,” Guterres told the one-day conference.

“All ports must remain open to humanitarian and commercial cargo, the medicines, food and the fuel needed to deliver them.”