S/PV.9680 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2024/528, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2024/460, which contains the text of a letter dated 11 June 2024 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. I would like to thank the Secretariat for allowing us to return to the practice of disseminating the text of the draft resolutions to be adopted. Members have before them the text in English and one of the other official languages of the United Nations. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2742 (2024). I now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting. Dame Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom): The United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement plays an important role in maintaining critical commercial and humanitarian routes into the ports of Al-Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa, including by supporting the demilitarization of the ports. We thank the Council for the show of unity in the adoption of a 12-month mandate renewal (see resolution 2742 (2024)). This sends a clear message on the continued importance of the ceasefire in Al-Hudaydah and the work to preserve it. However, we are clear that the continued Houthi restrictions on the movement of the Mission and the proliferation of weapons in Al-Hudaydah must end. The United Kingdom is committed to securing a sustainable peace and long-term stability for Yemen, including by supporting the process led by the United Nations to achieve an inclusive political settlement.

We thank the United Kingdom for bringing forward a resolution to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) for an additional 12 months (resolution 2742 (2024)). This resolution allows UNMHA to continue patrols of Red Sea ports and coordinate with the stakeholders of the Stockholm Agreement. The resolution may also allow the expansion of monitoring of conflict-affected and front-line districts in the Al-Hudaydah governorate. The Houthis’ wanton attacks on international shipping and blatant disregard for the Security Council’s demand that they cease those attacks, affirm the need for UNMHA’s work to continue. We must continue our efforts to implement resolution 2722 (2024), demanding the Houthis cease their attacks. We all must also do more to underscore the Council’s concern regarding the Iranian origin of weapons used by the Houthis and the ongoing violations. While Iran denies these violations, its own State-affiliated media has touted the country’s supply of prohibited ballistic missile technology to the Houthis, something United Nations experts have concluded as well and published in their reports. We therefore repeat our call for Iran to stop those illegal weapons transfers and stop all activities that facilitate and directly enable the Houthis’ reckless attacks. Ongoing violations should not be tolerated. Violators should be designated by the Security Council, and we should strengthen existing mechanisms and authority to address the provision of weapons through the Houthis and the corresponding escalating violence in the Red Sea. The renewal of the UNMHA mandate is one part of our continued efforts to hold the Houthis and their foreign patrons accountable. Finally, the United States remains deeply disturbed that Houthi rebels continue to detain at least 45 Yemeni employees of United Nations agencies, Member State diplomatic missions, private companies, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The detention of United Nations and NGO staff directly and negatively affects the ability of those organizations to provide humanitarian aid. We all must speak together to condemn those detentions and call for the Houthis to release the detainees immediately.