GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. aid officials have been able to reach the Red Sea Mills in Yemen’s Hodeidah port for the first time in six months, showing some slow progress in the aid effort to avert famine, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday.

Guterres was addressing a U.N. pledging conference in Geneva where the world body is seeking $4 billion in humanitarian aid for Yemen this year. Saudi Arabia announced it would contribute $500 million.

“I just received an important piece of good news, for the first time in six months, finally it was possible for us to reach the so-called Red Sea mills which are important infrastructure in relation to distribution of namely essential food and other elements,” Guterres said. “So at least slowly some progress is being made.”