By Busayo Onijala
Lagos, Jan. 19, 2026(NAN) The United Nations has called for stronger global media engagement on humanitarian crisis around the world, particularly the situation in Yemen.
The organisation said that limited international attention is hampering awareness and support, at a time when millions face deepening food insecurity, health risks and shrinking aid resources.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Mr Julien Harneis, made the call on Monday, during a news conference on the humanitarian situation in the country.
He warned that the situation in Yemen is expected to deteriorate further in 2026, amid worsening food insecurity, economic pressures and reduced funding for critical services.
Harneis noted that in 2025 alone, about 19.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, while the Humanitarian Response Plan was only 28 per cent funded.
He attributed the bleak outlook to economic and political decisions that were exacerbating food insecurity across all parts of Yemen.
According to him, the worsening food situation is already manifesting in rising levels of malnutrition and increased pressure on the health system.
Harneis noted that Yemen’s health system had been supported by the United Nations, in collaboration with the World Bank for the past 10 years, but warned that this support would significantly reduce.
“We’re going to see a major change there, where the health system is not going to be supported in the way it has been in the past, and that is going to have very major consequences.
“Yemeni government lacks the capacity to finance and sustain the health system, leaving the country vulnerable to disease outbreaks.
“In a country which has already seen the highest rates of measles in the world, and which has frequently had cholera epidemics, we’re going to be very vulnerable to epidemics across the country, particularly in the North,” Harneis added.
The UN official said that humanitarian operations in northern Yemen were further complicated by the detention of 73 UN personnel as well as the seizure of UN offices.
He described the detentions as part of a broader pattern, noting that staff of international NGOs, embassy workers, activists and political actors, had also been detained often without public attention.
Harneis said that UN was working with the broader humanitarian country team, including international and national NGOs, to explore how other organisations could step in to cover gaps left by the UN.
He, however, stressed that some capacities were unique to UN agencies.
“Only the UN agencies have the scale of response that is required for a country where, for example, 2,300 primary health care facilities have been supported by UN agencies.
“No INGO has the capacity to support all of that,” he said.
He acknowledged that the humanitarian community would attempt to restructure and reorganise its response, but described the current circumstances as “deeply challenging”.
On media coverage, Harneis said that while regional and Arabic-language media paid attention to developments in Yemen, there was limited access to areas outside government control.
He added that although humanitarian organisations regularly briefed the UN Security Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation, international media engagement remained insufficient.
“The international media is not engaging with Yemen in the way that is needed now and the UN also needs to do more outreach.”
He clarified that while food insecurity was a major concern, it was not the direct cause of death.
He argued that food insecurity contributes to malnutrition, but so do poor access to clean water and lack of access to healthcare services.
According to him, when these factors combine with poor socio-economic conditions, they result in malnutrition, leading to increased mortality and morbidity, especially among children.
Harneis consequently, identified Nutrition, public health at the primary healthcare level, as well as freedom and security, as key priorities for humanitarian actors. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
