On 26 February, the United Nations led a donors conference for Yemen which raised about $2.6 billion of the $4 billion the country needs to address the humanitarian crisis. The UN reportedly raised 30 percent more than during last year’s conference to raise funds for Yemen. The highest contributors at the conference – at $500 million each – were Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The war has caused a humanitarian emergency, a war described by the UN as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis”. Nevertheless, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the Gulf countries’ contributions and abstained from any criticism of their actions, despite requests from the media to clarify the situation where the two biggest donors are also parties in the Yemeni conflict. Guterres addressed the questions by saying “This is a pledging conference and any contribution is welcome despite a country’s role in the war”. The 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen requires $4 billion to reach 21.4 million people who are barely surviving. More than half of the funding is destined for emergency food aid for 12 million people – a 50 percent increase compared to last year.