Yemen warns at COP30 of the threat of water scarcity and demands fair climate financing.

Arab Sea Newspaper - News Updates

Yemen warned in its speech during the United Nations Climate Conference COP30 that water scarcity represents the greatest threat facing the country, as the Minister of Water and Environment, Tawfiq Al-Sharjabi, revealed that the annual water deficit has reached about 2.6 billion cubic meters, which portends dire consequences for food security and stability in the country. Minister Al-Sharjabi explained in his speech at the plenary session of the conference held in Brazil that Yemen is in a very difficult climatic situation, as the effects of climate change are exacerbated by extreme phenomena that include drought, floods, and tropical storms, which increases the severity of instability in the country. Despite these exceptional challenges, the Yemeni official affirmed his country's commitment to climate action, noting that Yemen is moving forward in raising its climate ambitions within its national vision for the transition from fragility to resilience and inclusion. He added that work is underway to update the nationally determined contributions, prepare the periodic transparency report, and complete the national adaptation plan. Al-Sharjabi stressed that achieving these climate ambitions depends on providing fair climate financing that is in line with the letter and spirit of the Paris Agreement, calling for grant-based financing and concessional financing, with a clear priority given to the least developed countries. He also called for enhancing Yemen's access to clean technology, which includes low-cost desalination solutions, climate-smart agriculture, and monitoring and early warning systems. This comes at a time when an increase in the support of the United Nations Adaptation Fund for Climate Change to Yemen was announced, reaching $40 million, in a step that would help the country face the increasing climate challenges and contribute to building a more sustainable future.