WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th October, 2019) The United States has provided additional $25 million to support the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program in Yemen, the US Department of State announced in a release on Friday.
"This week, the United States announced $25 million in additional aid to support the people of Yemen through the UNICEF-implemented Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program," the release said. "This funding complements more than $2.2 billion in US humanitarian assistance since 2015 and will help 1.5 million Yemeni households - approximately 9 million people - access basic goods and services on the local economy."
The State Department explained in the release that the ECT program is based on Yemen's Social Welfare Fund, which used to provide critical support to vulnerable households across the country before the conflict.
"The United States has supported the implementation of the ECT program since its launch in 2017 to prevent vulnerable populations from descending further into poverty and to maintain this social protection mechanism," the release said. "US funding will ensure beneficiary households receive uninterrupted assistance through June 2020."
On February 26, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs secured $2.6 billion in aid from various partners to fund the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.
The armed conflict in Yemen between government forces led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi and the rebel Houthis has been ongoing since 2015. The United Nations has repeatedly called the Yemeni conflict the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 24 million people - nearly 80 percent of the country's population - currently in need of aid and protection.
