Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Mokhtar Al-Yafai and Minister of State and Governor of Aden Abdulrahman Sheikh today discussed with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and representatives of a number of international and local organizations the latest humanitarian developments and the implications of increasing waves of displacement to the capital, Aden, as well as ways to strengthen the humanitarian response and coordinate joint efforts.

The meeting addressed the humanitarian needs resulting from displacement from the governorates of Taiz and Hudaydah, along with mechanisms for receiving displaced people and providing them with essential needs, particularly shelter and accommodation. Discussions also focused on strengthening coordination between government authorities and humanitarian organizations to ensure a timely response and to direct interventions and assistance in line with actual priorities and needs.

Minister Al-Yafai affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to unifying humanitarian response efforts and strengthening its partnership with international and local organizations, improving the efficiency of interventions, and ensuring that assistance reaches those in need. He commended the efforts of the local authority in Aden, led by Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh, in responding to the displacement waves and providing displaced people with their immediate needs, stressing the importance of continued coordination and integration among all relevant stakeholders.

Minister Al-Yafai further stated that the Ministry intends to establish a high-level committee to organize and coordinate relief and humanitarian efforts. The committee will contribute to organizing interventions, setting priorities based on actual needs, and ensuring the equitable distribution of assistance so that aid does not become concentrated in specific areas or among particular groups. He emphasized that humanitarian organizations are a key partner of the government and that the Ministry is committed to creating an enabling environment for their work, strengthening their role in expanding the scope of the response, and maximizing the impact of humanitarian assistance.

Sheikh affirmed that humanitarian work is organized through the official frameworks and competent authorities, foremost among them the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, in coordination with the local authority and the response team established by it, in a manner that ensures complementarity of roles and the coordination of efforts.

For their part, representatives of OCHA and international and local organizations presented a number of observations and proposals concerning mechanisms for coordinating the humanitarian response. They stressed the importance of maintaining communication and coordination with government authorities and the local authority, and of strengthening joint efforts to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions and meet the growing needs of displaced people and host communities.