The United States remains deeply concerned by the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, where millions of people now face pre-famine conditions. A collapsing health system is allowing rapid spread of dengue fever and other diseases, and child malnutrition is reaching alarming levels. A major increase in humanitarian and commercial access is needed immediately to ensure that essential goods and services are reaching the millions who need urgent relief. With each day that passes without such improvements, the suffering of the Yemeni people increases.

The joint statement by President Obama and King Salman of Saudi Arabia on September 4 reflects commitments to unfettered humanitarian access, the opening of Yemen's Red Sea ports, and support for UN-led humanitarian relief efforts. These commitments are critical if the world is to avert a catastrophic humanitarian situation, and so we are working with partners to translate the commitments into tangible results on the ground.

We anticipate that humanitarian organizations will be able to operate in accordance with globally recognized humanitarian principles and provide assistance to those most in need. Humanitarian actors should be able to move assistance freely to and within Yemen and safely use infrastructure critical to humanitarian operations without impediments. We also look forward to increased commercial imports to Yemen to provide the food that feeds nearly 90 percent of the population and the fuel that runs Yemen's water pumps, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure.