France, Saudi Arabia to hold humanitarian conference on Yemen in Paris

France and Saudi Arabia will co-host an international conference on Yemen in Paris in June to assess humanitarian needs for the country and possibly contribute to reviving UN-backed peace talks. “We are currently working on how to organize this conference with our various partners, Yemen and the United Nations,” France’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said on Wednesday. The event “should take stock of humanitarian needs, evaluate the assistance provided and the response mechanisms which need to be improved and define humanitarian actions to improve the situation of civilian populations,” according to the statement. The French president’s office said the conference will take place at the end of June, and Reuters cited a source aware of the plans as saying that it was scheduled for June 27.