The United States government has committed an additional $2 million through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Yemen.

“The United States is committed to supporting Yemenis’ efforts to combat the coronavirus, and to assisting the most vulnerable populations in Yemen,” U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Christopher Henzel said.

The United States, via USAID, is providing life-saving support by coordinating with the Government of Yemen, international humanitarian partners, and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment.

Through this assistance, USAID will support:

• Hygiene promotion and awareness to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• Increased access to clean water to enable handwashing and household hygiene, and installation of handwashing equipment at key health facilities and water distribution points.
• Infection prevention and control at public institutions through construction and rehabilitation of public latrines.
• Procurement and distribution of basic protective materials and sanitizing supplies for community health volunteers.

This support is in addition to the more than $16.7 million in humanitarian assistance that will support COVID-19 response efforts to help refugees and other vulnerable populations in Yemen. 

In the past 20 years, the United States has provided nearly $4 billion in total assistance for Yemen’s long-term development, including nearly $132 million for health. This work has supported life-saving maternal and child health services and critical water and sanitation infrastructure that helps the most vulnerable populations.

For decades, the United States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the United States has committed more than $20.5 billion for the international COVID-19 response. More than $1.6 billion in assistance from USAID and the Department of State is saving lives by improving public health education, protecting healthcare workers, strengthening laboratory systems, supporting disease surveillance, and boosting rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries around the world.

Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.    

For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus.

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