[18/08/2025 02:26]

LAHJ- SABA
Governor of Lahj Major General Ahmad Turki discussed Monday with a team from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), headed by the Deputy Director of the Program's office in Aden Rashid Hammad the latest developments in the governorate’s humanitarian situation amid escalating challenges facing thousands of poor and vulnerable households due to the reduction in aid volumes and the exclusion of a number of eligible cases from the Program's beneficiary rolls in recent periods.

During the meeting, which was attended by the Secretary-General of the Local Council in Lahj, Awad al-Salahi, and the Directors of the Offices of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr. Hisham Al-Saqqaf and Social Affairs and Labor Saeb Abdulaziz, Governor Turki praised the significant and tangible roles played by the World Food Programme in alleviating citizens’ suffering by providing in-kind and cash humanitarian assistance to the most needy families across all the districts of the governorate.

He affirmed that these efforts have helped bridge the food gap and curb the deterioration of living conditions amid very difficult economic circumstances.

The Governor noted the importance of re-including six districts that were recently excluded from the Programme’s aid, pointing out that depriving residents of these districts of support exacerbates humanitarian suffering and doubles the pressure on the local authorities there, who find themselves in direct confrontation with affected citizens.

The Governor expressed the Lahj local authority’s aspiration to strengthen its partnership with the World Food Program and intensify joint efforts to address the growing humanitarian gap.

He stressed that the priority lies in ensuring that support reaches the poorest and most vulnerable groups, contributing to social stability and alleviating the repercussions of the current crisis.

For his part, the WFP representative affirmed that Lahj holds special importance for the Programme within Yemen’s humanitarian response plans, noting that reduced funding from international donors is the main reason behind the downsizing of assistance and the exclusion of a number of eligible cases. He added that the Programme is striving to mobilize the necessary resources to sustain the flow of aid and expand geographic coverage for the most vulnerable groups.

The two parties agreed on the necessity of including a representative of the local authorities in the new beneficiary survey committees at the level of Lahj’s districts, in order to reinforce accountability, transparency and credibility, ensure data accuracy, and guarantee that assistance reaches deserving families, away from any errors or complications.

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