Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to allow aid to enter and be distributed throughout Yemen without restriction.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Improving access into and within Yemen for commercial goods and humanitarian aid is one of the UK’s top priorities. We have consistently called on all parties to improve commercial access for essential imports of food, fuel and medical supplies; facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need; and safeguard major access routes and key infrastructure in Yemen, including airports, sea ports and fuel distribution sites.

In addition, we fund agencies and NGOs who have the best access and ability to deliver humanitarian aid. In addition, we have provided:

• £1 million to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), who broker humanitarian access for the international response.
• £1 million to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to provide an air bridge into Yemen for humanitarian staff and essential medical supplies.
• £1.42 million for the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to improve supply of essential goods into Yemen.