Page 118 - UAE Foreign Aid Report 2022

United Arab Emirates
118
Foreign Aid Report 2022

Yemen

Yemen, situated at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has been in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, marked
by prolonged conflict, collapsing infrastructure, hunger, and significant health challenges. The conflict in Yemen
has resulted in the displacement of millions.

According to the United Nation’s Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview 2022 analysis, an estimated 23.4 million
people in Yemen require humanitarian assistance. A vast majority of Yemen’s population is confronting food
insecurity, with children particularly at
risk of malnutrition and its associated
complications. The agriculture sector, which
was once Yemen’s lifeline, has been deeply
affected, leading to dwindling crop outputs
and exorbitant food prices. Yemen’s fragile
health infrastructure grapples with various
challenges, from outbreaks of preventable USD 391.4 million
diseases such as cholera to a critical shortage
of medical provisions and functional health
centers. This grim situation is further
exacerbated by a dire lack of access to clean
water and sanitation facilities.

Aid Allocation Overview
In 2022, Yemen benefitted from 11% of the UAE’s total foreign assistance, amounting to AED 1.44 billion (USD
391.4 million). This allocation marked a significant 50% increase from the preceding year. Of this aid, 23% was
disbursed as grants, while the balance was extended as concessional loans. Analyzing the distribution of this
assistance, the UAE earmarked over 90% for Yemen’s developmental initiatives. In contrast, humanitarian support
constituted 7%, with the remaining funds designated for philanthropic contributions.

Yemen has held a consistent position amongst the top beneficiaries of the UAE’s foreign assistance, securing its
place within the top five recipients annually over the last five years. The only exception to this trend was in 2019,
when Yemen was ranked sixth.

Over this five-year window, from 2018-2022, the cumulative foreign aid channeled to Yemen from the UAE reached
AED 14.20 billion (USD 3.86 billion). A predominant portion of this, 92% to be exact, was extended in the form of
grants.