Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government’s current strategy on Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK’s position remains that a political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen. We are in regular contact with all parties to the conflict, urging engagement in good faith and to take steps towards achieving a durable ceasefire and we fully support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen. The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis and has more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen over the last year to £75 million. UK aid has assisted at least 700,000 people directly affected by the conflict including vulnerable host communities, internally displaced people and migrants. We have provided critical support for healthcare, malnutrition, water and sanitation, protection and shelter. We have also continued to strengthen and protect local capacity and community assets from further shocks by providing agricultural and other livelihoods assistance.