LONDON: Saudi Arabia hosted a virtual donors conference for Yemen in partnership with the United Nations on Tuesday. The event, organized under the directives of King Salman, marked the latest humanitarian effort for Yemen by the Kingdom. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned at the beginning of the event that aid workers face a "race against time" to prevent catastrophe in Yemen, a country ravaged by war and a fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak. "We are in a race against time. Tackling COVID-19 on top of the existing humanitarian emergency requires urgent action," Guterres said. ------- READ MORE: Saudi Arabia to organize virtual donors conference for Yemen in partnership with UN Saudi Arabia’s donor conference ‘embodies Kingdoms support’ of Yemen Donors seek to raise $2.4 billion for Yemen -------- Germany announced €125 million ($139.8 million) in humanitarian assistance to Yemen, Niels Annen, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, told the conference, with additional smaller contributions to relief efforts also announced. Britain announced £160 million ($201 million) in humanitarian aid to Yemen, James Cleverly, the Foreign Office minister for the Middle East and North Africa said. The US said it would not be donating on Tuesday, but planned new pledges in the coming weeks, citing its $2.8 billion in contributions to Yemen since Ocotber 2014 and $400 million this fiscal year. The US also donated $225 million in food assistance on May 6. Its representative, David Schenker, said the Houthi militia had to stop preventing aid reaching the people who need it most. The UN said it hoped the event would raise more than $2 billion in aid for Yemen, which it called “one of the gravest humanitarian situations in modern history,” adding that around 80 percent of Yemenis have been negatively affected by the Houthi conflict and do not have direct access to food, clean water, shelter and health care services.  "A total of $2.3 billion is being sought to cover emergency requirements in Yemen across multiple humanitarian sectors, including medical, food and shelter assistance," a Saudi government statement said On Monday, Yemen’s government said  the conference reflects Saudi Arabia’s support for the Yemeni people.