Singapore’s Offer of Humanitarian Relief for Crisis and Famine in Yemen
Ministry of Foreign AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Christopher de Souza’s inquiry regarding whether the Government will provide humanitarian relief to help alleviate the crisis and famine in Yemen. Minister Vivian Balakrishnan explained that the conflict fosters extremist groups and massive civilian casualties, necessitating a political solution instead of continued warfare. He highlighted ground-up efforts by organisations like the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation and Islamic Relief Singapore, which provide aid through fundraising and partnerships with United Nations agencies. The Minister reaffirmed Singapore's support for UN-led peace talks to achieve a durable ceasefire and urged all parties to exercise restraint to allow for future reconstruction. Ultimately, the Government maintains that a political resolution is the key to resolving the humanitarian emergency and preventing further exploitation by terrorist organisations.
Transcript
42 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the Government will offer humanitarian relief to help alleviate the crisis and famine in Yemen.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Yemen has been torn by strife in recent years. The underlying roots of the current conflict are deep and complex.
Critically, the conflict has become a breeding ground for terrorist and extremist groups. More recently, the Islamic State has established a foothold in Yemen, which heightens the risks of radicalisation.
Alongside the threat of radicalisation, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen generated by the ongoing upheaval is also of serious concern for the international community. Between March 2015 and August 2018, the United Nation' Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights documented more than 17,000 civilian casualties, including more than 6,500 deaths.
Prolonged fighting will worsen the humanitarian situation and create more security vacuums for terror groups to exploit. Therefore, we strongly encourage the key players involved to work towards a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table to find a political solution. There can be no lasting and durable peace without political negotiations and compromise.
In the meantime, I am heartened to note that some of our community organisations have held various fundraising drives for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. For example, the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation, in partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, organised a special fundraising effort at 71 mosques in July 2017 for the affected civilians in Yemen. Islamic Relief Singapore has an ongoing fundraising drive for Islamic Relief’s efforts to distribute food and provide emergency water. In 2016, the Arab Association Singapore partnered with the United Nations Development Programme on the initiative "Yemen Our Home", in order to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, skills training, and the empowerment of women in Yemen. These ground-up initiatives speak to the generosity of Singaporeans.
The dire humanitarian situation will only improve once a durable ceasefire is in place, and reconstruction is only possible when the conflict is resolved. Singapore supports the work of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in organizing peace talks to reach a political solution, which is the real key to alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We continue to urge all parties to exercise utmost restraint and to work together towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Yemen.