[13/05/2026 01:54]

RIYADH-SABA
His Excellency President Dr. Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) received today, Wednesday, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),Peter Hawkins.

The talks covered UNICEF's interventions in humanitarian fields, particularly in the areas of health and education, child protection, combating malnutrition, immunization against deadly diseases and psychological support, as well as environmental sanitation programs, and building the capacities of local authorities to operate and manage water systems and reservoirs.

The President praised the existing partnership between the government and United Nations (UN) organizations, highly appreciating the significant role of UNICEF in Yemen since the 1970s, and its ongoing role in supporting Yemeni children and families.

"UNICEF's interventions are greatly valued, they proved very helpful to mitigate the repercussions of the humanitarian crisis created by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militias", he said.

The President blamed the Houthi militia coup for damaging the humanitarian protection network and turning of millions of children into direct victims of the conflict through recruitment, depriving them of education and necessary vaccines and the destruction of infrastructure and the national economy.

The Chairman of the PLC underscored the need for further humanitarian and development interventions by the UN's organizations.

" We're looking for greater humanitarian and developmental interventions related to children, especially support for education and preventing school dropouts, water and environmental sanitation, primary health care and psychosocial support programs", al-Alimi said.

The President restated that state and the government are committed to providing all means of protection and assistance for humanitarian and UN organizations, as well as ensuring a safe environment for their wor.

He also reiterated full support for the humanitarian community and for relief workers and UN organizations arbitrarily detained by the Houthi terrorist militias.

This is a blatant violation of international law and all national norms, he noted.

The Chairman of the PLC highlighted the role of the donor countries and entities supporting UNICEF programs in Yemen, namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the international partners who continue to support the Yemeni people in these tough circumstances.

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