Prior to the conference, only about 15 per cent had been met. “Some 17 million are food-insecure, making this the world’s largest hunger crisis,” Guterres said, highlighting a situation worsened by import restrictions and the destruction of port facilities. Calling particular attention to children at risk in Yemen, Guterres said that on average, one child under the age of five dies of preventable causes every 10 minutes in Yemen. “This means fifty children in Yemen will die during today’s conference – and all those deaths could have been prevented,” he stated. “Now we must see the pledges translated into the scaled up action the people of Yemen need and deserve,” he said.

Source: Manila Times April 26, 2017 09:45 UTC