S/PV.9623 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. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen; and Mr. Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor to Mr. Grundberg. Mr. Grundberg: Today I am addressing the Security Council from Aden, where I had meetings with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, and Vice President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, as well as the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. In those meetings we discussed the urgent need to address the deteriorating living conditions for Yemenis and make progress towards securing a road map agreement that ends the war and opens a path to a just peace. I am encouraged by the constructive environment of the meetings. My interlocutors did not shy away from the challenges that we face, but also confirmed the long-term goal — to resolve the conflict in Yemen. On the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, celebrated on 24 April, the Secretary-General reminded us that dialogue, diplomacy and multilateral solutions provide the surest path to a peaceful and just world. In December, through dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation, the parties took a courageous step towards a peaceful solution for Yemen when they agreed to a set of commitments to be operationalized through a United Nations road map. Those commitments would provide for a nationwide ceasefire, ensure much-needed relief for Yemenis and initiate an inclusive political process to sustainably end the conflict. However, the challenges that I highlighted in previous briefings continue to hamper progress, most critically, the precarious environment in the wider region. Although we have witnessed a reduction in attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, as well as reduced numbers of United States and United Kingdom air strikes against land-based targets within Yemen, hostilities continue. Announcements by Ansar Allah to expand the scope of attacks are a worrisome provocation in an already volatile situation. With the regional situation continuing to complicate our ability to achieve progress in Yemen, I reiterate the Secretary- General’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza and I urge all involved to de-escalate the situation in the Red Sea and its vicinity. Inside Yemen, the security situation along the front lines has remained contained in the past month. Still, I am concerned about the continuation of military activity in the form of shelling, sniper fire, intermittent fighting, drone attacks and troop movements in Al-Dhale’e, Al-Hudaydah, Lahj, Ma’rib, Sa’ada, Shabwa and Taiz. On 27 April, two women and three girls were tragically killed in Taiz governorate by a drone attack while collecting water near their home. That highlights the dire risks to civilians in the currently unresolved situation. I am also concerned about the parties’ threats to return to war, including Ansar Allah’s rhetoric and actions in relation to Ma’rib. Let me be clear: further violence will not resolve this conflict. On the contrary, it will only exacerbate the suffering we see today and risk losing the opportunity for a political settlement. Again, I urge the parties to exercise maximum restraint in both their actions and words during this fragile period. Despite those challenges, I believe that a peaceful and just solution remains possible. Over the past month, my Office and I have stepped up engagements in Yemen and the region with the Government of Yemen, Ansar Allah and other Yemeni voices, including political parties, women and civil society activists, as well as the international community. The messages we hear from our engagements is a continued desire for a peaceful solution to the conflict. Yemenis are calling for equality as citizens before the law, for a chance to tap into their country’s true economic potential and for functioning services and good governance. Those calls ultimately require an agreement to end the war and begin a political process. My approach to realizing those objectives is three-pronged. First, I am continuing engagements with the parties to make progress on the United Nations road map, with the support of the international community and the region, notably the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman. To that end, I held meetings in Aden, Riyadh and Muscat with senior officials of the Government of Yemen, Ansar Allah and regional stakeholders. Secondly, I continue to explore avenues for de-escalation and confidence-building. That requires both coordinated international engagement and good faith of the parties to take initial steps to work together to relieve some of the most severe hardships. Currently, my Office is engaged with Yemenis to facilitate the release of conflict-related detainees, the opening of roads and improvements in the economic and financial sector. My economic team, for example, has engaged extensively with both parties and key stakeholders on recent developments in the banking sector, which I hope will also provide an opportunity to discuss economic issues more broadly. I urge the parties to engage in good faith with my Office and to find mutually acceptable solutions to de-escalate and to prioritize the well-being of Yemenis. Thirdly, I continue preparations for a nationwide ceasefire and the resumption of an inclusive political process. To that end, my Office is engaging with diverse actors, such as local authority representatives, security actors and military officials, economic policymakers, civil society actors, journalists, community leaders, local mediators and representatives of the private sector. I continue to prioritize the women and peace and security agenda, and my Office has recently organized several meetings with Yemenis on how to enhance women’s meaningful participation in all aspects of the peace process. I am determined to continue directing all my efforts towards enabling Yemenis to reach a nationwide ceasefire and start an inclusive political process that lays the foundations for a lasting peace. There are concrete and critical steps that the parties can take right now. Clearly, the uncertainty in the wider region is impacting Yemen, but we must not lose sight of the intrinsic value of long-term peace. To make these shared aspirations possible, I will need to draw on the support of the region and the Council. The Yemeni people expect nothing less.

I thank Mr. Grundberg for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Griffiths. Mr. Griffiths: I also want to thank Mr. Hans Grundberg for his tireless efforts and his crucial work aimed at a lasting solution for the people of Yemen. It is very good to be speaking before the Council with him today. My first briefing to the Security Council as the Emergency Relief Coordinator (see S/PV.8840), nearly three years ago now, in August 2021, was on Yemen. It seems fitting that I should speak to the Council on Yemen today for one of my last briefings in this function. During the past three years, there have been moments of great hope. The United Nations-brokered truce, thanks to Mr. Grundberg, in 2022, and the resulting gains, is undoubtedly one of rare bright moments that we see in our world today. Yemen is not out of woods, as Mr. Grundberg said, far from it, but it remains a country where things have deteriorated quickly in the past and where they can do so again and equally can be recovered. Hunger, a defining menace of the crisis, continues to haunt the people of Yemen. The modest improvements in food insecurity and malnutrition rates following the United Nations-brokered truce are all but gone. Levels of severe food deprivation remain alarmingly high across the country and are expected to worsen further when the lean season starts in June. The progress made by the World Food Programme on its retargeting pilot in areas under Ansar Allah control is a positive development, but it needs further progress. We are also deeply concerned about the rapidly worsening cholera outbreak. So far, 40,000 suspected cases and more than 160 deaths have been reported — a sharp increase since our update last month (see S/PV.9603). The majority are in areas under Ansar Allah control, where hundreds of new cases are reported every day. Heavy rains and flooding are expected to make things worse. The United Nations and its partners are taking urgent action to stem the spread, and that includes the development, in close collaboration with the authorities, of what we like to call a multi-cluster response plan  — and I am sure we can give Council members details of what a multi-cluster response plan looks like in writing on request. That will need rapid funding, if we are to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control. The consequences of inaction are familiar. Let us not forget that not that between 2016 and 2021, some 4,000 people in Yemen, mostly children, lost their lives to cholera. In that context, it was very reassuring to have the reaffirmation of the international community’s commitment and support for the people of Yemen at the sixth Senior Officials Meeting held in Brussels last week. Several donors used the opportunity to announce financial contributions, totalling $792 million for this year. And we thank them for their generosity. That funding is critical for saving lives and addressing urgent humanitarian needs. It is equally vital to make meaningful progress on essential conditions for Yemen to move beyond reliance on humanitarian response and humanitarian assistance. The first — and this is where Mr. Grundberg’s leadership is so central and crucial — is stability and peace, as he has said. Conflict in Yemen has been the key driver of humanitarian needs. It is not the only one but the key one. It has deeply undercut the country’s economy, and hence his work, as he put it, on the banking sector is of central importance to this issue. It has decimated half of Yemen’s health facilities, displaced millions of people and, as I have said already, allowed hunger and disease to prosper under the circumstances. In the past two years, under Mr. Grundberg’s leadership and with the help of Governments in the region and beyond, an outline of a comprehensive political settlement has appeared. That progress is fragile. It needs to be protected. It needs to be nurtured. We are there to provide support in any way that the Office of the Special Envoy requires. The past seven months of misery and pain in the wider region  — I am referring to the conflict in the Middle East, in Gaza  — have added to instability in Yemen. The attacks on vessels in and around the Red Sea have disrupted global trade. But we cannot, we must not, let developments in the region and the Red Sea stand in the way of peace in Yemen. That is why, from the beginning of this particular crisis, Mr. Grundberg and his team were insistent on the need to protect the gains that have been made and move back towards the ceasefire. The other major driver of humanitarian needs in Yemen is the protracted economic crisis, linked to the absence of peace. Rapidly rising food and fuel prices continue to erode families’ purchasing power. Therefore, the second priority has to be to shore up Yemen’s economy. My colleague Julien Harneis, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, is also working on that. We have developed a framework aimed at encouraging the creation of jobs and livelihood opportunities, and we are supporting economic reforms, as already described by Mr. Grundberg, at the national and local levels. But the parties to the conflict need to do their part. It is time to put an end to hostile economic measures and put the interests of the people of Yemen first. Oil exports must be allowed to resume immediately. That would stabilize the local currency and reinforce essential public services in areas under the control of the Government. Public sector employees across Yemen must be paid a living wage. It will be simply impossible to restore public services without doing so. Those clearly defined measures, which are often discussed and very clearly a priority in international action, would go a long way towards reducing humanitarian needs — moving away from reliance on humanitarian aid — and building the Yemeni authorities’ control of their own future. Yemen is a place dear to my heart. It pains me to see its people being dealt one blow after another and that many of the things I called for and that we have heard from Mr. Grundberg in each of the briefings to the Council are still relevant today: the protection of civilians, unhindered humanitarian access, funding for the operation of the aid agencies, more support for the economy and, most important of all, progress towards a lasting peace. After almost 10 years of gruelling conflict and overwhelming odds, the people of Yemen deserve a break for the better. And frankly the world deserves to see that conflicts may be resolved on the basis of justice and the popular desire for peace. I am one of those who continue to believe that progress is possible — the opportunity is there. It will require all our support and sustained attention, the efforts of the Special Envoy and his team, the Governments in the region and the members of the Council.

I thank Mr. Griffiths for his briefing. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements. Dame Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom): I thank Special Envoy Grundberg and Under-Secretary- General Griffiths for their briefings and particularly Mr. Martin Griffiths for his long engagement on this file. As a Council, we cannot now falter in our support to Yemen, our support for an inclusive and sustainable peace. And we should remain unified behind the Special Envoy’s efforts to secure that peace via de-escalation and ceasefire. We therefore call on all parties to de-escalate tensions and preserve space for negotiations, under the United Nations road map, to secure lasting peace and prosperity for the people of Yemen. I will make three points. First, with regard to shipping, the United Kingdom condemns the most recent Houthi threats to extend their attacks on shipping to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The continued escalation of maritime attacks is undermining Yemen’s security and stability, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation. We cannot secure a sustainable peace agreement without a conducive security environment. We therefore reiterate our calls to the Houthis to respect freedom of navigation and cease their attacks on shipping. Secondly, there has been a notable surge in vessels entering Houthi-controlled ports without reporting to the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen. The violations that have been reported since October 2023 could equate to as much as 500 truckloads of uninspected material entering Al-Hudaydah. We have been clear on that issue — the Mechanism is crucial to restricting the supply of illegal weapons entering Yemen, and we call on all vessels to comply with the necessary inspections. Thirdly, as we heard again from Under-Secretary- General Griffiths, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains one of the world’s worst and one that demands one of the largest humanitarian responses. Yet aid agencies have been unable to reach and assist vulnerable people. We call on the authorities, and the de facto authorities, to do more to lift barriers to the delivery of aid. As we heard from Mr. Griffiths, at the Yemen Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting last week, donors committed more than $790 million towards the humanitarian crisis. But more is urgently required, and the United Kingdom will shortly be announcing its pledge for 2024. We call on others in the international community and the region to help provide funding in support of the multi-cluster response plan outlined by Under-Secretary-General Griffiths. In conclusion, it has been almost a year since the Houthis unlawfully detained members of the Baha’i community. We continue to call on them to uphold freedom of religion and belief and immediately and unconditionally release the remaining Baha’is in detention.

Let me start by thanking Special Envoy Grundberg for his informative briefing. I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to Under-Secretary-General Griffiths, not only for today’s briefing but for his excellent leadership and tireless work over the past three years. Unfortunately, the role of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was never expected to be as big as it is today, but fortunately we have had him as a leader. The situation surrounding Yemen remains highly volatile and complex. The Houthis have continued intermittently launching drones and missiles targeting vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and have even announced that they will expand the scope of their attacks. They have also held 25 innocent multinational crew members and the Japanese-operated MV Galaxy Leader for almost six months. The disruption of supply chains has raised the cost of shipping, which is negatively affecting world economies, including that of Yemen. Japan reiterates its strong condemnation of the Houthis’ reckless conduct and demands an immediate cessation of its threats to maritime security, as well as the release of the MV Galaxy Leader and its crew, in accordance with resolution 2722 (2024). Furthermore, the ongoing Houthi attacks on vessels have revealed that they possess an enormous amount of advanced weaponry and military technology, despite the arms embargo imposed by the Council. Japan stresses the need to strengthen the existing mechanisms to prevent further illicit transfers of weapons and military assistance to the Houthis. As Special Envoy Grundberg just reiterated, the current regional turmoil is affecting the security situation in Yemen and undermining the possibility of an environment conducive to peace talks. We sincerely hope that the parties engage constructively under the auspices of the United Nations and prevent what would be a tragic return to civil war. Only a comprehensive Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue that includes women, young people, civil society and marginalized groups can pave the way for a lasting peace in Yemen. Japan continues to support the work of the Special Envoy to that end. Japan is alarmed by Mr. Griffiths’ briefing on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, which is worsening owing to issues such as the cholera outbreak and continued malnutrition. Despite the rising humanitarian needs, the restrictions put in place by the Houthis have created challenges to the provision of aid, especially in Houthi-controlled areas. We continue to urge the Houthis to lift those restrictions, including on mahram, regarding female aid workers, as soon as possible. Japan calls for the international community to show its solidarity with the people in dire need, particularly women and children, and to do everything possible to resolve their long-lasting plight in Yemen.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the three African members of the Security Council plus one (A3+), namely, Algeria, Guyana, Mozambique, and my own country, Sierra Leone. We thank Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths for their important briefings on developments in Yemen. The A3+ pays tribute to Under-Secretary-General Griffiths. We are profoundly grateful to him for his extraordinary contribution to the work of our Organization and wish him all the best and good health in his retirement. We also welcome the participation of the representative of Yemen in this meeting. The A3+ reiterates its support for the Special Envoy’s efforts to resume a Yemeni-led and -owned political and peace process under the auspices of the United Nations. An inclusive political settlement, accompanied by confidence-building measures and sustained nationwide consultations, together with a permanent ceasefire, remains the only viable pathway to resolving the complex situation in Yemen. The huge trust deficit in the political process is of great concern to the A3+. We call on the parties to safeguard the gains achieved in the peacemaking process so far and to commit to preventing a rollback. We also urge the parties to focus on building synergies and maintaining mutual collaboration, continuing to build trust and confidence through exchanging prisoners, re-opening roads and resolving emerging economic fragmentation, and committing to sustained implementation of the United Nations road map. We see those measures as important steps in reviving the commitment of all parties to a resumption of negotiations. We further urge the parties to the conflict to refrain from unilateral actions or escalatory rhetoric that could destabilize the peace process. The A3+ recognizes that good-faith dialogue among the parties is an indispensable element in achieving a sustainable peace in Yemen, and we therefore urge all the parties to refrain from provocative and unilateral actions. While negotiations are ongoing on the political track, we must not ignore the devastating humanitarian situation in Yemen. We welcome the pledges announced at the sixth Yemen Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting and call for sustained support to address the food-insecurity situation and the increasing rates of malnutrition. We also urge donors to support education and child protection programmes and efforts aimed at mitigating the urgent health crisis triggered by the outbreaks of cholera in the country. We further underscore that the protection of female humanitarian personnel, their freedom of movement and the delivery of essential life-saving aid in Houthi-controlled areas must be guaranteed. The A3+ is concerned about the fact that the Houthis have expanded the zone of risk beyond the shores of Yemen. We condemn their recent attack on the MSC Orion and the MV Cyclades, and any attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, and we demand that they cease such escalatory action. We also call on them to remove the restrictions imposed on vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Yemeni ports. Yemen cannot rely solely on humanitarian aid and external support. We call on the international community to intensify its efforts to promote Yemen’s economic activity. We also reiterate the need to address the root causes of the conflict in Yemen and call on all the parties to the conflict to exercise maximum restraint and to prioritize political and diplomatic means in resolving the situation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In conclusion, the A3+ would like to highlight the nexus between events in Gaza and the situation in Yemen. It is critical that the members of the Council work together to prevent a spillover of the Gaza- Israel conflict and its potential escalation throughout the region. With regard to Yemen specifically, only a sustained, just and inclusive peace process, with a viable political settlement under the leadership of the United Nations and national ownership, is the right path.

I thank Special Envoy Grundberg and Under-Secretary- General Griffiths for their briefings. One year ago, the Security Council hailed a hopeful moment for Yemen marked by an agreement to release almost 900 conflict-related detainees. The durability of a United Nations-brokered truce and intensive negotiations held some promise for an end to the conflict. Although the truce continues to hold, the sad reality today is that Houthi attacks on commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea have rendered the possibility of continued progress towards a sustainable peace elusive, and the humanitarian situation has worsened for the Yemeni people. As a result of the Houthi attacks driving up prices and causing delivery delays, Yemenis are struggling to buy goods, food and essentials in marketplaces. The residents of Taiz essentially remain hostages in their own city, victims of Houthi snipers and shelling that have killed and injured women and children. There are widespread humanitarian needs across Yemen, with 18.2 million people — more than half the population — requiring humanitarian assistance. Millions are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition. Many remain internally displaced in southern Yemen and lack access to protection and health services, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. As a result, a cholera outbreak is spreading across northern and southern Yemen. Despite the vast level of need, there are not enough resources to support the humanitarian response. As the world’s leading donor of humanitarian assistance for Yemen, the United States calls on the international community to provide more financial support to mitigate the dire humanitarian crisis. In order to ensure relief for the people and allow desperately needed food and supplies to enter Yemen, the Houthis must cease their attacks on international shipping, consistent with resolution 2722 (2024). We have repeatedly asked that the Secretary-General’s monthly report submitted to the Council in accordance with resolution 2722 (2024) include information regarding the types of weapons used in each incident, and where appropriate, their likely origin. We have already pointed to the extensive evidence of Iran’s provision to the Houthis of advanced weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, in violation of United Nations sanctions, thereby further promoting regional instability. If the Council wants a return to a more hopeful outlook for Yemen, we must take collective action, plain and simple. We must collectively call Iran out for its destabilizing role and insist that it cannot hide behind the Houthis. We reiterate our call to Iran to cease its unlawful arms transfers and its enabling of the Houthis’ illegal and reckless attacks. To underscore the Council’s concern regarding the ongoing violations of the arms embargo, we must do more to strengthen enforcement and deter the violators of sanctions. The scale and diversity of materiel currently being transferred to the Houthis in violation of Council resolutions is unprecedented. To that end, we look forward to continued discussions about ways to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism to inspect vessels bound for Houthi-controlled ports to ensure compliance with the arms embargo and prevent the import of weapons. We must redouble our collective efforts to put Yemen on a more positive trajectory. We continue to believe that the best path to stability is negotiating an inclusive Yemeni-Yemeni peace process under United Nations auspices. It is abundantly clear that the Houthis and their attacks in the Red Sea, and increasingly now in the Indian Ocean, are jeopardizing the potential benefits of a political resolution between the Yemeni parties. In conclusion, I again call on the Houthis to release the locally employed United States Embassy staff whom they are holding.

Like my colleagues, I would like to start by thanking Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths for their intervention and above all their commitment to the civilian population in Yemen. As has been mentioned, it was a context about which we were very hopeful until recently. I would therefore like to begin with the words of Sawsan Alshamiri, a 10-year-old whose words were used as part of a UNICEF campaign in Yemen: “I call on all to bring our childhood laughter back and to let my dreams for peace become real”. I think that his call is clearly addressed to us. We must collectively respond to that appeal and support this generation of tomorrow’s decision-makers and peacemakers. In that context, Switzerland would like to highlight the following points. At the political level, it must be said that the situation in the Near East and the regional repercussions that we are seeing in the Middle East, including the escalation in the Red Sea, have slowed down the talks that the Special Envoy worked so hard on to reach an agreement. However, it is vital to protect those gains. The current discussions on a road map are an opportunity to put a nationwide ceasefire in place, while promoting an inclusive political process under the auspices of the United Nations. The Eid Al-Adha celebrations next month would be an opportunity for the parties to make gestures such as exchanging prisoners or opening roads. As we all know, such measures could improve the daily lives of many families. Secondly, as we have heard, the situation in Yemen at the humanitarian level is alarming. More than 17 million people are enduring serious food insecurity and need access to water and basic health facilities. We all know that children are among the most vulnerable people in any conflict. Thanks to the lack of access to drinking water and hygiene products, around 1.7 million children in Yemen at a high risk of exposure to infectious diseases, which will have an impact on their health in the short and medium term. Their fate reminds us that the price of inaction will only increase, as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has also said. In that context, we commend the commitment of humanitarian and United Nations personnel, including national and local staff, and would like to remind everyone that they are protected by international law. Lastly, at the economic level, the various measures that the parties to the conflict are continuing to take are stifling the private economy in Yemen, which has already been affected by 13 years of conflict, again as we have heard before. That further destabilization is being borne entirely by the civilian population and is heightening the tensions between the parties to the conflict. We must reverse that trend. There is an alternative to conflict. The Council must remain fully engaged and must support the Special Envoy in his efforts to obtain an agreement between the parties to the conflict. Switzerland always stands ready to host discussions that will enable the legitimate aspirations of the Yemeni people to be met.

I too thank Special Envoy Grundberg for his briefing and would like to take this opportunity to join colleagues in thanking Under- Secretary-General Griffiths for his service on the Yemeni file. As we have heard again today, Yemen is still suffering a dire humanitarian crisis owing to protracted conflict. Public services and institutions continue to deteriorate, as the re-emergence of cholera and growing levels of malnutrition have clearly indicated. We are very concerned that cholera continues to spread rapidly in areas under Houthi control. The slowing spread of cholera in Government- controlled areas, thanks to cooperation between the authorities and the humanitarian community, underlines the importance of supporting our humanitarian partners. That is the only way to ensure the necessary response to address the cholera crisis. Funding is desperately needed in order to restock essential supplies and strengthen water, sanitation and hygiene systems. A robust response can be ensured only if unimpeded humanitarian access is guaranteed. We reiterate our call for all authorities, particularly the Houthis, to allow the free movement of humanitarian partners, without interference or constraint. We also call for authorities to lift restrictions on women’s freedom of movement, which severely hamper the delivery of health care, social services and essential aid to the most vulnerable. Food and nutrition insecurity continues to drive untold suffering for millions of Yemenis. Humanitarian partners need more support to address those needs. We highlight the European Union’s pledge of €125 million in humanitarian funding and further call on the international community to scale-up support for Yemen’s humanitarian response plan. Malta is troubled that space for mediation efforts between the parties to the conflict in Yemen remains constrained, aggravated by escalations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all attacks and actions against commercial shipping and abide by their obligations under international law, including full adherence to resolution 2722 (2024). We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of the MV Galaxy Leader and its crew, as well as the five remaining Baha’i who have been forcibly detained for over one year. Yemen’s fragmented economy also continues to be a driver of suffering for civilians. Unilateral economic decisions and policies risk further bifurcating the economic system. We call on the parties to adopt a strategic and coordinated response to Yemen’s economic challenges. Parties must prioritize de-escalation and engage in dialogue in order to fulfil commitments made to the United Nations road map, which aims to establish a formalized ceasefire, improve living conditions and resume a political process under the auspices of the United Nations. A sustainable political process must be Yemeni-led and -owned and include the participation of a wide range of voices, including women, young persons, civil society and marginalized groups. Children continue to bear the brunt of suffering in Yemen, with millions not knowing a life without war. Nearly 10 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.5 million children suffer food insecurity, and almost one in two children under the age of five are stunted from malnutrition. More than 4.5 million children are unable to attend schools due to attacks and insecurity, thus jeopardizing their futures and increasing protection risks. Children are also at a heightened risk of cholera and are disproportionally killed and maimed by landmines and explosive remnants of war. The international community must urgently scale up support to reach vulnerable children in Yemen by investing in a robust humanitarian response, as well as comprehensive health services, education, demining and explosive ordnance risk education. Investing in Yemen’s children is investing in Yemen’s future.

I appreciate the information provided by the Special Envoy Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General Griffiths, whom Ecuador thanks for his steadfast commitment to the humanitarian causes of the Organization since May 2021. I welcome the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the Chamber. Ecuador reiterates its call to reduce tensions in Yemen and for the parties to commit to the path of stability and peace, especially given the volatile situation in the region. Intra-Yemeni political dialogue, under the auspices of the United Nations, is the only path to sustainable peace. In the face of the growing internal and external challenges to the peace process in Yemen, I commend Special Envoy Grundberg’s approach to preserving the gains achieved and advancing the road map. After nine years of conflict, the humanitarian needs in Yemen remain immense. Deteriorating economic conditions, damage to civilian infrastructure and the collapse of essential services are critical drivers of vulnerabilities across the country. Currently, 17.6 million people — about half of its total population — face food insecurity, and nearly half of children under the age of five are stunted, posing a serious threat to the country’s future. In addition, there has been an alarming resurgence of cholera, with nearly 20,000 suspected cases identified. The precariousness of the sanitation, health and drinking water distribution systems raises fears of a resurgence similar to the one the country suffered five years ago. This situation highlights the fundamental role that humanitarian organizations can play. Their safe and unimpeded access must therefore be guaranteed. Lack of funding impacts the continuity of humanitarian programming, causing delays and suspensions of vital assistance programmes that affect millions of people. Financial support to humanitarian organizations is key to addressing the most pressing needs of the population, including the continuation of humanitarian mine action. In that regard, Ecuador welcomes the pledges of financial contributions made by donors at the meeting held in Brussels a few days ago, as Under-Secretary- General Griffiths relayed to the Council. Ecuador reiterates the need to comply with resolution 2722 (2024) and the immediate cessation of attacks on commercial vessels by the Houthis, who are exerting considerable pressure on international trade, regional stability and the economic recovery of Yemen and East African countries. In conclusion, I stress the importance of redoubling efforts to implement the arms embargo, an aspect on which the Panel of Experts established by the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) has identified recurrent violations.

I would like to thank Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and Under- Secretary-General Martin Griffiths for their informative updates. I want to pay tribute to Mr. Griffiths’ devotion and excellent leadership over the past three years. I also welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of Yemen in this meeting. Regrettably, the security situation in and around Yemen remains perilously unstable, and the dire humanitarian situation has worsened. Despite the unified voice of the Security Council, the Houthi attacks against vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden persist. Even more concerning is their expansion of targets against ships navigating in the Indian Ocean. The Houthis also recently declared their intention to target any ships heading to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean. We once again strongly urge the Houthis to immediately cease all reckless and illegal attacks, which endanger freedom of navigation and impede global commerce. It is particularly alarming that the weapons used in those attacks, including missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicle systems, indicate ongoing serious violations of the arms embargo. All Member States should faithfully implement the targeted arms embargo established by resolution 2216 (2015). As Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014), concerning Yemen, the Republic of Korea emphasizes that the Panel of Experts’ activities are essential. In that regard, the appointment process of the two out of five yet to be appointed experts on international humanitarian law and armed groups should be expedited, in order to empower the Panel to fulfil its mandate by analysing interconnected issues comprehensively. In addition, we take note of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism’s important role to ensure compliance with the arms embargo, while facilitating the unimpeded flow of commercial items to Houthi- controlled areas. Yemen continues to face a pronounced economic tailspin, resulting in larger-scale humanitarian needs. The Houthis’ hostile economic tactics, including the sudden issuance of a new 100-rial coin, coupled with countermeasures from the Government of Yemen, are exacerbating the dire economic situation and further entrenching Yemen’s divisions. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than half of Yemen’s population, totalling 18.2 million people, of whom 14 million are women and children, need humanitarian assistance and protection services. In addition, the spread of cholera poses significant threats to communities across the country. The joint statement by humanitarian organizations in Yemen on 6 May urgently appealed for sustained support for the Yemeni people in need. As such, the international community must focus more of its attention on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen. In that connection, the Republic of Korea remains firmly committed to providing assistance to Yemen, in both the humanitarian and development spheres, including through its donation of 18,000 tons of rice this year, in close cooperation with the World Food Programme. We believe that it is critical to resume political dialogue in Yemen with a view to revitalizing the gains fostered by the Omani-facilitated talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia prior to the current crisis. We also support an inclusive Yemeni-led political transition process under United Nations auspices. In that vein, my delegation reiterates its full support for Special Envoy Grundberg’s tireless efforts despite many difficulties. At our next meeting, we hope to see some tangible outcomes in that regard. Ultimately, it is the innocent Yemeni people who suffer the consequences of this multifaceted crisis. A holistic and strategic response is thus needed, and the Republic of Korea will step up its efforts to that end.

We thank Mr. Hans Grundberg and Mr. Martin Griffiths for their briefings on the political and humanitarian situation in Yemen. It pains us that the current events in the Middle East, in which forces from outside the region are involved in a far from constructive way, are hampering the process of Yemeni normalization, which had been experiencing a positive dynamic. The relative calm on the ground is very fragile, and the ongoing regional escalation is increasing the risks, especially in the formal absence of national reconciliation in Yemen. Nevertheless, we would like to believe that the Yemeni parties are still determined to reach a compromise and launch a full- fledged political process. The goal of the international community is to create favourable conditions for that. The key to settlement can be found in a political and diplomatic negotiation process involving all Yemeni protagonists and leading regional players, with skilled and impartial mediation on the part of the United Nations. In that regard, we reaffirm our support for Special Envoy Grundberg. Even though agreement on a comprehensive road map is currently paused, there is a need to find possible areas of convergence and build on them with a view to increasing trust between the parties. It would also be helpful to have proposals to update the outdated international legal framework for a settlement in Yemen, which does not reflect the realities on the ground. For our part, through close and trust-based contacts with all parties to the Yemeni conflict, we are doing our utmost to facilitate the Special Envoy’s mediation efforts. We urge the Yemeni stakeholders to adopt a constructive attitude, exercise restraint and work towards reaching an agreement. Unfortunately, the situation in the region has escalated again. On 6 May, the Israeli authorities announced the start of their operation in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Knowing the fundamental position of the Houthis, condemning Israel’s actions against Palestinian civilians, there is no doubt that this will also have an impact on the situation in the waters surrounding Yemen. Russia, of course, is in favour of ensuring free and safe navigation in the waters surrounding Yemen, including the Red Sea. We call for an immediate cessation of the shelling of commercial vessels and any other actions that impede maritime navigation. We demand an immediate release of the MV Galaxy Leader and its crew. The already complex situation has been further complicated by the Western coalition’s unjustified aggressive strikes against the territory of sovereign Yemen in violation of the Charter of the United Nations. Such actions, as well as the continued militarization of the waters surrounding Yemen, is in no way helping to ensure the safety of navigation in the Red Sea, but rather has led to further escalation. Attempts to justify the aggression through resolution 2722 (2024) are unjustified, as are references to the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. The failure of the coalition that has been thrown together by the United States clearly shows that the use of force against Yemen will not improve the situation in the Red Sea. There is a need for a comprehensive approach, taking into consideration all regional aspects. A cessation of hostilities in the Palestinian territories would be of great help in that regard and would benefit many Middle East crises, including the situation in Yemen. Until that happens, we note with profound regret that the humanitarian situation in Yemen not only is not improving, but also is in fact worsening. More than 18.2 million Yemenis — almost half the population of the country — are in need of humanitarian assistance. The disease control and prevention situation is worsening. There are serious food shortages. In that context, we welcome the efforts of United Nations specialized bodies, including the World Food Programme, to provide assistance to the segments of the population most in need, even in the face of a catastrophic lack of funding. Members of the international community must pool their efforts in order to improve the situation. Against that background, it is extremely disappointing that a number of Western colleagues are seeking to use the crisis in Yemen for their own selfish geopolitical interests. I am referring to the transfer by the United States authorities of weapons and ammunition seized in the waters off the coast of Yemen to the Kyiv regime in Ukraine, which is on the brink of collapse. We condemn the expanded interpretation of the provisions of the relevant Security Council resolutions on Yemen, including the sanctions resolutions. We would like to recall that there is no special inspection regime for vessels in international waters in the context of Yemen, and that such actions violate relevant Security Council decisions. As for our American colleagues, their actions only reinforce their reputation as completely unscrupulous actors who have no compunction about trampling on international law if it prevents them from making a profit or implementing their narrow, self-serving geopolitical agenda.

I thank our briefers this morning, Special Envoy Grundberg and Under- Secretary-General Griffiths. I also welcome the Yemeni Ambassador to the discussion today. I want to thank Under-Secretary-General Griffiths for his dedicated and tireless work for the United Nations. With each and every situation on the Security Council’s agenda he has demonstrated his dedication and commitment to those in need of protection and aid. To put it simply, he has shown us that he cares. His briefings have significantly influenced our work in the Council, and we thank him for that. As we mark almost a decade of deadly conflict in Yemen, Slovenia remains steadfast in its commitment to peace in the country and for the Yemeni people. We fully support the efforts of the United Nations to achieve that peace through an inclusive intra-Yemeni process. Towards the end of 2023 we saw clear moments of opportunity and positivity in the country’s trajectory towards peace. However, we acknowledge that so far in 2024 those efforts have been stymied by a complicated regional dynamic, as we face a dangerous moment for the Middle East. We regret that the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have continued, and we once again call for them to end. It is clear that what Yemen needs now is an environment conducive to dialogue between the parties — an environment that can advance discussions on the United Nations road map and its key elements. We therefore call for de-escalation on the part of all parties in both their actions and their rhetoric. We welcome the continued efforts by the Special Envoy and his ongoing engagement with Yemeni and regional actors to push forward. We urge everyone to work with the Special Envoy in good faith and to exercise maximum restraint. The humanitarian imperative in Yemen continues to be our guiding light in our approach to the devastating conflict that is driving so many needs on the ground. The recent cholera outbreak, as Under-Secretary- General Griffiths also mentioned, is particularly alarming. The lack of access to clean water and health- care services makes dealing with the outbreak all the more challenging. And the continued restrictions on the movement of women, limiting their access to humanitarian aid and impeding the work of women humanitarian workers, are simply unacceptable. We call for those measures to be lifted immediately. With more than half of the population in need of humanitarian assistance, the international community has a responsibility to continue supporting critical humanitarian efforts. We welcome all the pledges made last week in Brussels on the occasion of the sixth Yemen Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting, including a package of €125 million in new humanitarian funding from the European Union to address the most pressing needs of the Yemeni population. We encourage all donors to come forward with the much-needed funding. In our endeavours we must insist on principled humanitarian action, reinforce the emergency response with a focus on long-term resilience and, importantly, support locally led efforts. We appreciate the vital role of Yemeni non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian workers in that regard. We also want to point to the critical work being undertaken by the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen and the need for strengthening its capacity. Our final point today is that we very much welcomed the convening of the Women, Peace and Security Yemen Forum in Madrid last month. We commend Spain for its role in co-organizing the event and bringing together grass-roots peacemakers, gender experts and representatives from NGOs across the world. We must not lose sight of the ultimate aim — an inclusive intra-Yemeni process leading to sustainable peace. That requires the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of diverse Yemeni women at all stages of the peace process. In that respect, we strongly support women’s voices from the field, including at the Security Council. We would like to remind everyone of the minimum 30 per cent quota for women’s representation agreed to at the National Dialogue Conference, and we stress that any future peace agreement should include provisions on preventing and responding to gross violations of women’s rights, including sexual and gender-based violence.

I would like to thank Mr. Grundberg and Mr. Griffiths for their briefings, and to join my colleagues in saluting the commitment of Martin Griffiths throughout his missions as Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs. We thank him for his unwavering commitment in the service of peace and the response to the humanitarian crises that unfortunately occupy us on a daily basis, particularly in Yemen. I would also like to welcome the presence here today of the Permanent Representative of Yemen. France condemns the attacks carried out by the Houthis in the Red Sea, which have continued despite the Council’s warnings and its adoption of resolution 2722 (2024). They undermine rights and freedoms of navigation, destabilize Yemen and the region, harm the interests of countries in the region and disrupt international trade. We call on the Houthis to immediately release the MV Galaxy Leader and its crew, who have been detained since November 2023. France is continuing its commitment within the framework of the European Union’s Operation Aspides to guaranteeing maritime safety and freedom of navigation, in line with international law and together with our partners. Resolution 2722 (2024) takes note of the right of States, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks. It must be fully applied. On the security front, the de facto truce must be transformed as quickly as possible into a complete and lasting cessation of hostilities, with a view to preventing any resumption of conflict on the ground. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic and has deteriorated in the past few months. The insecurity in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is affecting supplies and the cost of humanitarian operations. The Houthis must stop destabilizing Yemen’s economy and waging an economic war. Their irresponsible attitude is contributing to the impoverishment of the population. We must all continue to work collectively to meet the needs of the civilians in Yemen. More than half of the country’s population will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. Food insecurity is affecting 70 per cent of children under the age of two, and we are also greatly concerned about the cholera epidemic that is spreading throughout the country. In order to deal with that situation, it is essential to guarantee all humanitarian access, and it is fundamental that humanitarian workers be able to carry out their missions without hindrance, which particularly applies to female personnel in Houthi areas. We want to express our concern about the increasing number of arrests and atrocities committed by the Houthis against their own population, such as the brutal destruction of houses in Radaa last month, which resulted in the death of several inhabitants, including women and children. France supports United Nations mechanisms that promote greater stability and security in Yemen, such as the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen, which is helping to combat arms trafficking in the Red Sea while facilitating commercial imports and the delivery of humanitarian aid in Yemen. It must be strengthened and better funded. Finally, only a political solution will bring an end to the Yemeni conflict. France reiterates its full support for the Special Envoy and his efforts to define and implement an inclusive political road map. The effective participation of Yemeni women in the negotiations must be guaranteed. We call on the Houthis to choose the path of the peace process under the auspices of the Special Envoy. France also welcomes the efforts of Saudi Arabia, Oman and other regional stakeholders with regard to the issue.

I thank Special Envoy Grundberg and Under-Secretary- General Griffiths for their briefings and welcome the presence of the representative of Yemen at this meeting. I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Under-Secretary-General Griffiths for his contribution and efforts during his tenure. China supports Special Envoy Grundberg and the parties concerned that are working actively to promote the peace process in Yemen. We would like to highlight three points. First, to resolve the Yemeni issue, we must rely on political and diplomatic means. The parties concerned should keep in mind the welfare of all Yemeni people, focus on a political settlement as an overarching goal, discourage interference, meet each other halfway and work together to facilitate a comprehensive political process that is Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned. All the parties, especially countries with influence over the situation in Yemen, should play a constructive role to that end. Secondly, if the Yemeni issue is to be resolved, it will be essential to de-escalate the situation in the Red Sea as soon as possible. We call on the Houthis to respect freedom of navigation for commercial vessels of all countries in the Red Sea, in accordance with international law, and to cease their related attacks and harassment. We urge the parties concerned to exercise restraint and refrain from action that could exacerbate tensions. Thirdly, to resolve the Yemeni issue, humanitarian considerations must be prioritized. The international community should scale up its humanitarian assistance to Yemen, fulfil its pledges and provide food, medicine and other urgently needed supplies without delay. The situation in Yemen and the Red Sea has interacted with the conflict in Gaza, and the two are closely linked. More than seven months have passed since the outbreak of the current round of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, and the protracted fighting has not only caused unprecedented civilian casualties and humanitarian catastrophe, but it has also jeopardized regional peace and stability. China calls for the expeditious implementation of resolutions 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023) and 2728 (2024), and urges the relevant countries to step up their efforts to persuade and pressure Israel. China is ready to continue working with other parties to facilitate a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, alleviate humanitarian suffering and achieve peace and stability in Middle East.

I now give the floor to the representative of Yemen.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your country’s assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May, and to wish you every success. I thank your predecessor, the Permanent Representative of Malta, for her successful presidency of the Council last month. I also want to thank Mr. Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, and Mr. Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, for their briefings. We are grateful to Mr. Griffiths for all the efforts he has made since he took office, especially with regard to the situation in Yemen, and we wish him health, happiness and success. The Yemeni Government reaffirms its commitment to the path of peace and its ongoing support to the regional and international efforts and endeavours that can help achieve a just and sustainable peace, based on the fundamental terms of reference for the agreed political solution  — that is, the Gulf initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and the relevant Security Council resolutions, first and foremost resolution 2216 (2015), which outlined the road map for addressing the crisis in Yemen. In the face of those efforts, instead of dealing seriously and interacting positively with the peace efforts and the road map achieved with the help of our brothers in Saudi Arabia and Oman, the Houthi terrorist militias have chosen an approach of escalation, terrorism and piracy, targeting international navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and threatening ships in the Mediterranean Sea as well as oil facilities in Ma’rib governorate. That in turn threatens to undermine peace efforts and exacerbate the suffering of the Yemeni people. In that regard, my Government appreciates the efforts of our brothers in Saudi Arabia and of Mr. Grundberg aimed at establishing peace and stability in Yemen and launching a political process that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people by restoring the State institutions that guarantee equal citizenship and public freedoms. We stress the importance of reconsidering the way that the Houthi militias are being dealt with, with a view to reviving the peace process. One of the reasons for the failure to resolve the Yemeni crisis so far is the way that the United Nations and the international community have tackled the militias’ behaviour, together with the lack of effective implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and of all the agreements, commitments and understandings within the framework of the peace process, most recently the humanitarian truce agreement and the Stockholm agreement, which last is proof of the Yemeni Government’s seriousness and its desire to achieve peace and end the conflict. However, the Stockholm agreement is also a demonstration of the deceit and evasiveness of the Houthi militias, which have undermined the implementation of the agreement’s provision of a guarantee for control of the city of Al-Hudaydah and its ports so that the Houthis have turned them into a platform for targeting international shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, something that the Yemeni Government repeatedly warned against. One of the pillars of sustainable peace in Yemen is the presence of a real and serious partner that prioritizes the interests of the Yemeni people and believes in political partnership and equal rights for all Yemenis, while rejecting selectivity and the paths of war and violence and respecting international rules, charters and norms. For any projected political settlement in Yemen to be viable and sustainable it must therefore include those foundations, in order to ensure that the settlement does not become a factor in new cycles of instability and internal wars or a source of threats to regional and international security and peace. My Government stresses the importance of seeing the international community and the Council put real and effective pressure on the Houthi militias to deal and interact positively with the peace efforts, prioritize the interests of the Yemeni people over those of their leaders and supporters of the Iranian regime, and abandon the option of war, which can only lead to more crises for the Yemeni people. The Government of Yemen gives top priority to achieving economic stability and meeting its vital obligations in these exceptional circumstances, including the provision of basic services and the regular payment of salaries to Government employees. It is moving forward with the implementation of its comprehensive economic, financial and administrative reform programme. That includes activating the performance of State institutions, providing a practical model for relationships with the private sector and creating partnerships at the international level to overcome the current difficulties and challenges, promote the economy and advance development. It also includes reducing the repercussions of the Houthi militias’ attacks on oil facilities and oil export ports, their systematic economic war on the Yemeni people and catastrophic effects on the country’s economic conditions, as well as their destructive measures in the banking sector, all of which are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. The Government of Yemen calls on the international community to support its efforts to address the current economic challenges and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. In the light of the difficulties of the economic situation imposed by the Houthi militias, the deterioration in the humanitarian situation and in public services and infrastructure, the internal displacement crisis, climate-related disasters and the accompanying epidemics and diseases, the lack of funding for the 2024 humanitarian response plan threatens to deprive millions who need its assistance to survive. It also threatens to increase the rates of acute food insecurity and malnutrition, especially among women, children and the elderly, particularly in the light of the obstacles and hindrances faced by humanitarian organizations in areas controlled by the Houthi militias, aimed at diverting aid away from those who deserve it. My Government appreciates the efforts of the United Nations and other international partners to alleviate the human suffering in Yemen and affirms its eagerness to provide every possible form of cooperation and coordination in order to address the challenges to those efforts. We appeal to the international community to provide generous support to the 2024 humanitarian response plan and call for urgently addressing the existing funding gap. We echo the warnings issued by humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen  — failure to act at this time will have dire consequences for the lives of those in need in Yemen, mostly women and children. The Houthi militias continue to recruit thousands of children and use them in their war, as they continue to exploit the just Palestinian question to lure, recruit and train children and brainwash them with extremist ideas, slogans of death, violence and hatred — jeopardizing their future and the future of Yemen. That confirms the readiness of Houthi militias to begin a new cycle of escalation, fuelled by the bodies of those children, amid the silence of the international community and the United Nations in the face of the largest recruitment of children in the history of humankind, in disregard of the dangers that this crime poses to present and future generations and their inherent right to life, as well as to the security and stability of the region and the world. It is imperative to take a firm stand against such violations, including by taking the necessary measures to include the Houthi leaders responsible for child recruitment on the sanctions lists. In conclusion, dialogue is the best means to resolve strife and end conflicts and wars, and it is the best means to harness the capabilities and energy for construction and development. We express our appreciation and gratitude to all our brethren and friends for supporting the efforts of the Yemeni Government to address the current economic and humanitarian challenges. We look forward to the continuation of that support in order to establish peace, end the conflict, normalize economic conditions and restore security, stability and development to Yemen.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject.