UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged all those with influence to help avoid "the worst famine the world has seen for decades" in Yemen.

The UN chief said in a statement that "Yemen is now in imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades. In the absence of immediate action, millions of lives may be lost."

"This arises from the combination of a drastic reduction in funding for the UN-coordinated relief operation this year compared to 2018 and 2019, a failure to sustain external support for Yemen's economy, especially in stabilizing the value of the Yemeni Rial, and the impact of the ongoing conflict and impediments imposed by powerful Yemeni and other parties on the life-saving work of humanitarian agencies. Locusts and floods compound these problems," the secretary-general explained.

"I urge all those with influence to act urgently on these issues to stave off catastrophe, and I also request that everyone avoids taking any action that could make the already dire situation even worse," said Guterres.

The UN chief stressed that "failing that, we risk a tragedy not just in the immediate loss of life but with consequences that will reverberate indefinitely into the future." Enditem

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