DUBAI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia will provide funding of 200 million U.S. dollars for urgent humanitarian assistance to Yemen, Reem Al Hashimy, UAE's minister of state for international cooperation, said on Monday.

During a press conference in Abu Dhabi, Al Hashimy said this funding, which is part of a 500-million-dollar donation announced in November 2018, aims to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people by meeting basic needs in the sectors of food, nutrition, health and livelihoods in Yemen during the upcoming weeks.

The minister pointed that this joint humanitarian initiative, in cooperation with United Nations agencies, plays significant humanitarian role in Yemen.

The minister stated that a large portion of this support will focus on women because of their prominent role in providing efficient assistance and promoting the building of the social structure.

She also pointed out the difficulties that hinder the delivery of aid to Yemen, mainly the obstacles put in place by the Houthis.

According to the minister, this initiative is in addition to the two countries' previous pledges of one billion dollars, and the 250 million dollars provided by Kuwait.

The pledges were announced at the UN's recent High-level Pledging Event for Yemen on February 26, 2019.