S/PV.7255 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Yemen to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Following consultations among members of the Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on their behalf. “The Security Council welcomes the recent progress in Yemen’s political transition, in line with the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and Implementation Mechanism, including the recent meeting of the National Authority for Monitoring the Implementation of the National Dialogue Outcomes on 11 August; and the economic reform agenda. The Security Council supports President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour in his efforts to address the concerns of all parties within the framework of the National Dialogue Conference Outcomes, urging the Yemeni authorities to expedite the process of reforms, including army and security sector reform. “The Security Council urges all the parties in Yemen to adhere to resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation, reject acts of violence to achieve political goals, refrain from provocation and fully abide by resolutions 2014 (2011), 2051 (2012) and 2140 (2014). Furthermore, the Security Council calls on all Member States to refrain from external interference which seeks to foment conflict and instability and instead to support the political transition. “The members of the Security Council note with concern that the Houthis and others continue to stoke the conflict in the north in an attempt to obstruct the political transition. The Security Council recalls that resolution 2140 (2014) introduced targeted sanctions measures against individuals or entities engaging in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, security or stability in Yemen. The Security Council supports the efforts of the Panel of Experts in gathering and analysing information regarding the implementation of these measures, in particular incidents of undermining the political transition. “The Security Council expresses grave concern about the deterioration of the security situation in Yemen in the light of the action taken by the Houthis, led by Abdul Malik al Houthi, and those who support them, to undermine the political transition and the security of Yemen. These actions include their escalating campaign to bring down the Government; establishing camps in and around Sana’a; seeking to supplant the authority of the State by installing checkpoints on strategic routes into Sana’a; as well as ongoing fighting in al Jawf. The Security Council calls on all armed groups to refrain from any action which might exacerbate this already fragile situation. “The Security Council condemns the actions of Houthi forces commanded by Abdullah Yahya al Hakim (Abu Ali al Hakim) who overran Amran including the Yemeni Army Brigade headquarters on 8 July. “The Security Council calls on the Houthis to withdraw their forces from Amran and return Amran to Government of Yemen control, cease all armed hostilities against the Government of Yemen in al Jawf and remove the camps and dismantle the checkpoints they have erected in and around Sana’a. “The Security Council condemns the growing number of attacks carried out or sponsored by Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, and expresses its determination to address this threat in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including applicable human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, and in this regard, through the Al-Qaida sanctions regime administered by the Committee established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) and reiterates its readiness, under the above-mentioned regime, to sanction further individuals, groups, undertakings and entities who do not cut off all ties to Al-Qaida and associated groups. “The Security Council stresses the need for an initial draft of the constitution to be passed to the National Authority review in a timely manner in order to conduct a referendum on the constitution without undue delay. “The Security Council reiterates its call for comprehensive, independent and impartial investigations, consistent with international standards, into alleged human rights violations and abuses in line with the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and Implementation Mechanism. The Security Council recalls its reference in resolution 2140 (2014) to the early adoption of a law on transitional justice and national reconciliation. “The Security Council notes the formidable economic, security and social challenges confronting Yemen, which continue to leave many Yemenis in acute need of humanitarian assistance. It reaffirms the need to expedite economic reforms, which are a necessary part of achieving macroeconomic stability, fighting poverty and addressing the chronic humanitarian consequences of the crisis in a sustainable manner. It encourages rapid implementation of Government of Yemen plans to improve social protection, as well as urging the international community to support the humanitarian response plan which remains underfunded. The Security Council also urges all parties to facilitate safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to reach people in need of humanitarian assistance. It also reaffirms the need for all parties to ensure the safety of civilians, including those receiving assistance, as well as the need to ensure the security of humanitarian personnel and United Nations and its associated personnel. “The Security Council remains closely engaged on the situation in Yemen and will continue to closely follow the next steps towards a peaceful political transition. In this regard, it welcomes the continued and coordinated efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Group of Ten Ambassadors, the Secretary-General’s good offices, including through the Special Adviser Jamal Benomar, the wider diplomatic community, and the next Friends of Yemen meeting that will take place on 24 September in New York. The Security Council underscores the need for continued international support for Yemen’s political transition, including through the fulfillment of commitments made by donors to support Yemen.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2014/18. I now give the floor to the representative of Yemen.

Allow me, at the outset, to thank you, Mr. President, for inviting us to participate in this meeting of the Security Council to adopt presidential statement S/PRST/2014/18, on the situation in Yemen. Once again, the Council has spoken unanimously in support of the political process under way in Yemen. With the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and the various related mechanisms, it is again clearly reaffirming the provisions of resolution 2140 (2014), which warns individuals and entities seeking to hinder the national process designed to produce peaceful change in Yemen, and affirms the Council’s decision to take punitive measures if they attempt to disrupt the political process. Every member of the Security Council continues to take an exemplary position of international responsibility in support of the aspirations of the Yemeni people in their efforts to achieve peaceful change and build a federal State founded on respect for human rights, freedom of expression and women’s rights, as emerged from our National Dialogue, which has produced an extraordinary degree of unanimity among every element of Yemeni society. The cooperation of the Security Council and other United Nations entities with the Gulf Cooperation Council is also a great example of how good offices can succeed, internationally and regionally, in ending or reducing tensions. In that regard, we would like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Adviser on Yemen, Mr. Jamal Benomar, the staff of the United Nations working under Mr. Benomar, both in Sana’a and New York, all the United Nations representatives in Yemen and the 10 Embassies and representatives of the diplomatic corps in Sana’a. While the political leadership represented by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour continues to make progress in working towards peaceful change and national concord in order to achieve the various objectives of the transition period — that is, submitting a draft constitution to the institution that will deal with supervising the implementation of the outcomes of the National Dialogue and preparing for the referendum and the next elections — it is also working tirelessly to address the issues of living conditions and the difficult humanitarian and economic situation across the country. At a time when it is working under very difficult conditions and with extremely limited resources in its efforts to deal with extremism and terrorism on the security and military fronts, the leadership is extending its hand to all, inviting all to move forward together on the path of dialogue and of implementing the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference on which every element of Yemeni society is agreed, including our brothers in Ansar Allah and the Houthi movement. The Security Council has called on the latter to support the country and the outcomes of the national dialogue, rather than imposing a new status quo at gunpoint and fighting wars that have destroyed Yemen over the past 50 years.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.