YouSaid · the spoken record

Abdullah Al-Saadi

lines on the record: 47
first: 2021-03-11
most recent: 2021-08-09
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In particular in Yemen, where an international role, including through the Security Council, is needed to end the Houthi militias’ threats to international maritime lanes, including the use of waterborne improvised explosive devices that has long-term consequences for international commerce and for the well-being of societies, especially in areas of conflict.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“It is also found that international waters are being used by smugglers to perform ship-to-ship transfers of weapons that are used by the Houthi militias to prolong the war and target civilians and civilia n objects within and across the borders of Yemen. Furthermore, the Houthi militias’ prevention of the United Nations technical team from inspecting and repairing the FSO Safer tanker, despite years of warnings of an environmental catastrophe, poses a great danger to the maritime environment in the Red Sea. Such actions are recognized by the United Nations report of 2008 on the oceans and the law of the sea as “threats to human life and safety both at sea and on land”. Finally, allow me to use this forum to reemphasize the need for an international effort to address the challenges facing maritime security globally.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“The Houthis have committed over 20 incidents involving suspicious approaches and attacks on civilian ships in 2020 alone. In these attacks, the Houthis used waterborne improvised explosive devices, skiffs and speedboats. These technologies are found to match the ones used by the Iranian regime, clear evidence of their sponsoring and engagement in actions that pose threats to the stability, peace and security of Yemen, the region and the world. The Iranian-Houthi threat to maritime security is also showcased in the Iranian non-compliance with, and violation of, the Yemen targeted arms embargo, as stated in Security Council resolution 2216 (2015).”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“Yet the Government of Yemen, supported by the international community, including the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, is sparing no efforts in addressing the security and environmental challenges in both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. After the Houthi militias’ coup in 2014, the Government had to rebuild its coast guard forces, train its personnel, and equip them with the needed resources to counter piracy, smuggling, and attacks against civilian ships and vessels. However, further international support is needed to address the growing threats posed by the Houthi militias in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait. Houthi threats, attacks and use of sea mines have been documented by several international organizations and bodies, including the Panel of Experts on Yemen of the Security Council.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“International cooperation to maintain maritime security is needed more than ever, especially in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Spreading maritime domain awareness while sharing information, data and resources should facilitate the international communities’ efforts towards establishing an international framework for maritime security. In particular, stakeholders need to work together in implementing international instruments, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to address emerging maritime security challenges. In Yemen, a country with around 2,500 km of coastline and set on one of the world’s most important maritime passages – Bab al-Mandab strait – the threats and challenges with regard to maritime security have never been greater.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“Finally, I would like to reaffirm the steadfast commitment of the Government of Yemen to protecting children and preventing grave violations against them. In particular, I would like to reiterate the government’s readiness to continue and enhance the ongoing cooperation with the international community, including through the work of Virginia Gamba and her team to protect children in Yemen and around the world.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“In addition, the Government notes that the representation of United Nations agencies in Aden, Marib and Taiz, including of those in relation to children and armed conflict remains insufficient to the level of cooperation and engagement shown by the Government. In contrary, the Houthis continue their crimes in disregard to international norms and conventions despite the high-level representation of the United Nations in Sana’a. Thus, the Government invites, again, the United Nations agencies to increase the level of their representation in Government-controlled areas, where they enjoy free movement and reporting, and away from the Houthi influence or restrictions. This should enhance the transparency of the reporting, allowing for better accountability.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“This includes training specialists in several governorates to enhance awareness and mobilize the community to participate in preventing child recruitment. The Government of Yemen has noted the recent report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict. Although the report welcomed the steps taken by the Government to protect children, it failed to translate this progress into a delisting. The Government of Yemen is concerned that despite the vast difference between the Government and the Houthi militia in terms of nature, actions and cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and its country team in Yemen, the report depends on unreliable sources and is distributing the guilt among the parties in Yemen.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“In 2020, a presidential and a military directives were issued to prevent the recruitment of children into the armed forces; establish child protection units; demobilize and hand over recruited children under the age of 18 to agreed civilian bodies in the field of child protection to ensure their return to civilian life; and prosecute all military or civilian personnel who participated or were part of a fraudulent operation for recruiting children. The Government of Yemen is also working with partners, including King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Aid to establish specialized centres for rehabilitation of children involved in military actions, who were recruited by the Houthi militias.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“The Government efforts to prevent child recruitment includes the following: In 2014, the Government and UNICEF signed an action plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. In 2017, the Government endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration to prevent the use of schools in armed conflict. In 2018, the Government adopted a handover protocol on the release of children caught fighting for the Houthis in the battlefield, and adopted with the UNICEF a road map to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. Immediately, the vice president issued a directive to all armed forces to adhere to the protocol and the road map.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“Besides using schools for military activities, they target schools in the Government-controlled areas, attack camps for internally displaced persons, and kill children in their random attacks against civilian facilities, most notably the recent attack against a gas station in Marib, where children were killed, including one that was burned beyond recognition. In addition, the Houthi snipers continue to inhumanly take the lives of children in Taiz. The international community must act immediately to stop these Houthis heinous crimes against children and the Yemeni people. The Government of Yemen is sparing no effort to protect children and alleviate their suffering. Although the war has created unstable conditions, the Government continues its commitments under international law, including in regards to children.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“Since 2014, the Houthis have recruited 12 ,054 children to fight, of which 308 are below 11 years old, and 6 ,729 are actively fighting in the Houthi frontlines. In their efforts to mobilize fighters, the Houthis use schools, mosques and summer camps where they brainwash children, train them in a hurry to send them to die in the frontlines, including in the recent offensive against Marib city. The Houthis grave violations against children are not limited to only areas under their control.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“Nelson Mandela once said “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.” And yet, children continue to suffer from conflicts and are forced to live with its consequences. I cannot stress more the importance of the international community’s collective effort to prevent grave violations against children. Thus, I would like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict for her commitment in this regard. In Yemen, the Houthi militia continues to present a great threat to children. They continue to kill, maim, abduct, sexually violate, and recruit children in their absurd war against the Yemeni people.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“If the situation of the SFO SAFER oil tanker continues to deteriorate and no tangible progress is made, environmental, economic and humanitarian disaster will ensue. Hundreds of communities on the Red Sea coast in Yemen and neighbouring countries rely on fishing as livelihood and for food supply. The leakage of more than 1 million barrels of oil would have grave environmental consequences, depriving those communities of their sources of subsistence and survival, in addition to placing global trading routes at risk. The time has thus come for this Council to take strict deterrent measures against the militias’ intransigence and stalling, in order to prevent a major catastrophe. The Council must do more than call for the Panel of Experts to be granted access to the tanker, as such calls have gone unheeded by the militias.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“We demand that the Houthi militias disclose the number of coronavirus cases in the areas under their control, and we appeal to the international community and international organizations to increase their support for Yemen to combat the pandemic. In spite of the difficult circumstances, the Government of Yemen continues to work to stimulate development, maintain the value of the Yemeni rial and achieve economic recovery. Doing so will require generous international support in the economic and development areas and an increase in contributions to the humanitarian response plan. We greatly appreciate the grant by Saudi Arabia of $422 million worth of oil derivatives to support the operation of power stations in Yemen.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“They also prove that Iran continues to direct the political and military decisions of these militias, through which that country is carrying out its subversive agenda of sowing chaos and undermining regional security and stability. These militias’ decision-making is not their own but is instead dependent on the Iranian regime. The international community must shoulder its responsibilities, put an end to the irresponsible conduct of these militias and take all necessary measures to maintain regional and international security and stability. The deterioration of the Yemeni economy continues to compound human suffering, especially as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease pandemic, whose second wave has recently hit many Yemeni governorates.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“The Panel of Experts should also conduct a transparent and independent investigation to uncover the details of the heinous crime, perpetrated by Houthi militias, of setting African migrants on fire in Sana’a, and bring those involved to justice. The terrorist attacks perpetrated by the Houthi militias against Saudi Arabian civilians, civilian objects and economic installations systematically and deliberately target energy resources and the nerve centre of the global economy, the security and stability of oil supplies and the freedom of global maritime navigation and trade, in f lagrant violation of international humanitarian law. These attacks confirm that the Houthi militias reject all political efforts to end the crisis, especially following the announcement of the Saudi Arabian initiative.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“However, it calls on the international community and all international organizations to demand that the Houthi militias stop capitalizing politically on human suffering by fabricating crises and then trading oil derivatives on the black market to fund their war against Yemenis. Pressure should be brought to bear on the militias to agree to use the proceeds of those shipments, as agreed with the Special Envoy, to pay public sector employees their salaries, thereby alleviating real human suffering. Once again, we ask the Council, out of respect for the victims and for international humanitarian law, to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on Aden International Airport are held accountable.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“The Government has also facilitated the entry of fuel through liberated ports and by land. In the past two days, the Government has granted entry permits on an exceptional basis to a number of ships carrying oil derivatives to Al-Hudaydah port to mitigate human suffering despite the Houthi militias’ continued violation of the Stockholm Agreement. The oil imported to areas under Houthi control accounts for approximately 60 per cent of overall oil imports into Yemen. That amount is sufficient to cover civilian and humanitarian needs. The Government of Yemen affirms that it is committed to ensuring that fuel supplies reach all areas, especially those areas under Houthi control.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“In order to alleviate that suffering, the Government has continued recently — specifically in the first quarter of 2021 — to facilitate the flow of oil derivatives to areas under Houthi control at a normal rate compared to the past two years and in amounts that meet existing needs. Despite the looting by Houthi militias of more than 70 billion Yemeni rials in Government fuel shipment revenues, which the militias used to finance their war effort, instead of paying the salaries of civil servants per the agreement with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, the Government of Yemen has granted entry permits to some 40 ships through Hudaydah port since 2020. Port fees have been collected and confiscated by the militias, which have refused to allow the office of the Special Envoy to monitor revenues.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“We call on the Council and on the international community to condemn those vicious attacks, which contravene international humanitarian law and international human rights law; to exert the utmost pressure in order to put an end to the militias’ violations against millions of civilians and displaced persons; and to address the militias’ disregard for the international community and their failure to abide by any agreement or commitment, most recently the Stockholm Agreement. The Government of Yemen is aware of the magnitude of our people’s suffering in the current humanitarian situation and of the economic and development challenges caused by the protracted unjust war being waged by the Houthi militias.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“Most recently, militias bombed three camps for displaced persons in northern Ma’rib, firing 37 artillery shells and missiles. There were dozens of casualties, most of them women and children. Since 6 February, more than 2,400 families have been displaced by the brutal attacks, which blatantly defied the Council’s calls for an end to the aggression and which imperil the peace process, undermine the political process as a whole, place the lives of millions of civilians at risk, and are spurring a fresh wave of displacement, compounding the suffering of Yemenis.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“It welcomes the initiative of Saudi Arabia in the context of international efforts to end the insurrection and the war. That initiative, which enjoys broad international consensus, constitutes an important step towards ending the crisis. While the Government of Yemen continues to engage constructively in the aforementioned efforts offering many concessions, it lacks a partner genuinely interested in pursuing peace. The Houthi militias remain intransigent, publicly rejecting all initiatives and proposals aimed at ending their senseless war and establishing peace. They continue their barbaric aggression against Ma’rib governorate, attacking civilians and camps for displaced persons with ballistic missiles, uncrewed aerial vehicles and other heavy weapons.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“The Government of Yemen, under the guidance and leadership of President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour, is making every effort to end the war, alleviate the suffering of Yemenis and achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace through the United Nations-led peace process, on the basis of the terms of reference for a political solution in Yemen, namely, the Initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the All-Inclusive National Dialogue Conference, and the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2216 (2015). The Government reaffirms its support for United Nations efforts, through Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, to establish peace in Yemen, and for all proposals and initiatives aimed at achieving that objective.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“At the outset, allow me to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Council this month, and to wish you every success in the fulfilment of your mandate, and to thank your predecessor, the Permanent Representative of the United States, for her successful presidency of the Council.”
2021-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/372 (2021) · source
“The Government continues to be committed to protecting women, advancing their rights and ensuring their minimum participation level of 30 per cent in all Government bodies, in accordance with the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“Among other things, the plan focuses on implementing the provisions of resolution 1325 (2000), strengthening partnerships with non-governmental organizations in order to combat extremism, enhance women’s participation and empower them to play a meaningful role in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. Before I conclude, allow me to reiterate that although substantial progress has been made, there is still much work to be done in the years ahead. The Government of Yemen recognizes the important role of women in achieving a fair and sustainable peace. In fact, in all previous United Nations-led peace talks, women have been represented only in Government delegations.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“For its part, the Government of Yemen has ratified international conventions and protocols related to the protection of women’s rights and respect for international humanitarian law, including international covenants to protect women during armed conflict, and has also incorporated those rights into its national laws and legislative framework so as to ensure rights for all, without gender discrimination, and to enable women to contribute to the economic, social and cultural fields. In October, in line with the Government’s commitment to respecting human rights and promoting the concepts of justice, equality and partnership, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour adopted a national action plan for 2020 to 2022 in order to implement the women and peace and security agenda.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“In that regard, the Government of Yemen calls on the international community, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen and all women’s protection organizations to play an active role in highlighting the challenges and violations facing Yemeni women in Houthi-controlled areas, to show solidarity with them, to condemn these outrageous Houthi crimes, to exert pressure on the Houthi terrorist militia to stop using women for extortion and to unconditionally release all kidnapped women held in their private prisons. Silence will only embolden the perpetrators.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“Most recently, in furtherance of their practices of terrorizing Yemeni women, the Houthi militia abducted a young Yemeni model and actress due to the nature of her job and detained her in a secret prison. On the heels of the death of Sultan Zabin, who was recently subjected to Security Council sanctions, this heinous crime confirms the systematic nature of Houthi oppression and crimes against women.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“In areas under Houthi control, women continue to be subjected to a full range of threats and human rights violations and abuses by the Houthis, including arbitrary detention, sexual violence, suppression of their rights to express their opinion, to demonstrate and to demand the release of their family members imprisoned by the Houthis. Further, the Houthi militias continue to target women, in particular, on account of their activism against the militia’s practices. The Houthi militia have detained hundreds of Yemeni women in private prisons and have subjected them to various types of torture and violations, including rape and forced disappearance, as documented by the Panel of Experts. In addition, many cases go unreported due to fear of reprisals, stigma, pressure from the community or lack of services.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“In Yemen, women’s rights, safety and public and political participation has seen remarkable progress since the start of the transitional political process in 2012. Since then, women have been at the heart of shaping the present and future of Yemen, including through their meaningful involvement in the National Dialogue Conference, which gathered 565 participants. Women met the 30 per cent participation quota set for the Conference, and of the 17 members who drafted the Constitution of the new federal State, four were women. Unfortunately, the hard-won progress made in this area was partially halted, and even reversed in some respects, following the coup of the Houthi militia in 2014.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“I thank you for convening this open debate on the very important subject of sexual violence in conflict. I also wish to extend my thanks and gratitude to all the briefers for their informative presentations. As the world faces intersecting crises, the most vulnerable groups, namely women and children, bear the brunt of conflicts and humanitarian crises as victims of sexual violence, and suffer reduced access to health care and support services. Globally, both in situations of conflict and peace, the pandemic has exacerbated the disproportionate socioeconomic and childcare burden borne by women. That burden is even higher in conflict situations like Yemen, where women face unique security and socioeconomic challenges.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“The planting rate is higher than the demining one, and the number of civilian victims is unfortunately increasing, and it might even spike once internally displaced persons start returning to their homes. International action is therefore urgently needed in Yemen, first by pressuring the Houthis to end the use of mines and, secondly, by supporting the Government’s demining efforts. Finally, I would like to reiterate the Government of Yemen’s adherence to its obligations under international conventions and relevant Security Council S/2021/346 resolutions on this issue, including resolution 2365 (2017), as well as its commitment to strengthening the global partnership for better delivery on mine action.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“Yemen has therefore established a set of mine action projects covering many areas of importance, including social and economic impacts, mine risk education and psychological impacts. The Government is also working with the Arab coalition and partners on removing mines planted by the Houthis in large areas of Yemen and the Red Sea. Since 2015, the Government has removed over 228,315 landmines, IEDs and sea mines planted by these militias. However, the Houthis continued planting of prohibited mines undermines all efforts with regard to mine action in Yemen, resulting in the killing and injuring of many civilians, including women and children. Unfortunately, Yemen will continue to suffer from this hidden catastrophe for decades to come.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“Despite their prohibition, the Houthis use mines with no strategic military purposes, but rather in an indiscriminate pattern, targeting more civilian populations, especially women and children, in a deliberate and systematic killing of innocents. Even if injured civilians are fortunate enough to survive the explosions, they are not fortunate enough to have access to health facilities. Normally, they have no other choice but to amputate damaged limbs. The Government of Yemen has established a national mine action committee as a step in implementing the mine action response plan. The committee is the official body formulating relevant policy, allocating resources and developing the national mine response strategy.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“Besides their grave danger to civilians during and even long after the conflict, landmines undermine efforts by humanitarian actors by limiting the number of safe corridors for food, leaving civilians in critical conditions and facing high possibilities of widespread famine. In Yemen, since the Houthis’ coup in 2014, the militia has planted more than 1 million mines in all the territories they reached during their expansion. This includes in and around key cities and on key transportation routes between them. International reports have proven that the Houthis not only use the weapons and mines provided by Iran, but also that they are domestically manufacturing mines and IEDs.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“Allow me to start by thanking you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting on such an important topic. Indeed, mines pose a serious danger and have long-term consequences for societies, especially in areas of conflict, where many innocent civilians, including children and women, fall victim to those internationally prohibited weapons, in particular anti-personal mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, which has been ratified by the Republic of Yemen, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti- personnel mines. Yet such weapons are still being widely used in many conflict areas, especially by insurrections, coup militias and armed non-State actors.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“The Security Council and the international community should apply the utmost pressure on the Houthis to end their absurd war and engage in good faith with the United Nations Special Envoy to reach a sustainable peaceful solution to the conflict, based on agreed references, including the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2216 (2015).”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“The Government, which is working from the interim capital of Aden, is focused on paying salaries and providing services to the Yemeni people across the country, including in Houthi- controlled areas. We would welcome a deposit to the Central Bank as a good start. Next, the Council and the international community should use urgent measures to deter and stop the Houthi from manipulating the FSO SAFER tanker issue. The Houthis must immediately allow the United Nations technical team to gain access to the tanker so it can make its assessment and undertake urgent repairs. The spilling of over a million barrels of crude oil into the Red Sea would have devastating environmental, economic and humanitarian consequences for decades. It will affect fisheries activities and deprive Yemenis of an important food source.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“They have blocked the roads into and out of the city, forcing people to take long, unpaved and bumpy roads to reach their destinations. Nowadays, a trip that used to take around four hours is taking almost a full day. The effect that that has on the food accessibility, not to mention access to health care and hospitals, is incalculable. The Security Council should therefore act immediately to stop this war crime and hold the Houthis accountable. Finally, although urgently addressing the aforementioned pressing issues is crucial to save lives, it will not be enough to end hunger and food insecurity in Yemen. The Government of Yemen therefore calls on the Security Council and the international community to provide support to the new Yemeni Cabinet, which was formed in accordance with the Riyadh Agreement.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“A living S/2021/250 example is the Houthi attack on Ma’rib, a city that is hosting 2 million internally displaced persons, or 70 per cent of the internally-displaced-person population in Yemen. For this reason, the Security Council should act immediately and apply the utmost pressure on the Houthis and their regional sponsor, Iran, in order to stop this heinous attack on civilians, which is clearly a violation of international humanitarian law. Fourthly, the most abhorrent reason for hunger in Yemen is the Houthis’ use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. This disgraceful tactic has been used against the people of the resilient city of Taiz, where Houthis have besieged the city for over six years.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“The Security Council should act immediately to stop these Houthi practices and ensure that aid reaches its intended beneficiaries. Thirdly, even when the aid, which mostly arrives in Yemen through the Al- Hudaydah seaport, bypasses the Houthis’ obstacles and makes it to the internally displaced persons camps, it often arrives too late, that is, after the conflict has driven the internally displaced persons to flee to different camps. It takes a lot of effort and time for the United Nations and international non-governmental organizations to assess the new locations of displaced persons and to establish adequate supply chains for aid delivery, causing the levels of food insecurity in those camps to soar.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“Saudi deposits between 2018 and 2020 provided the Government with the resources to slow food price hikes. Another deposit is therefore very much needed to avert a looming famine. Secondly, even when the generous contribution of the international community provided free food and aid to Yemenis, hunger persisted in Houthi-controlled areas. United Nations agencies, in particular the World Food Programme (WFP), have spoken loudly and clearly about the obstacles to aid delivery imposed by the Houthis. We have seen enough evidence in United Nations reports and reports of other international non-governmental organizations that show how the Houthis steal aid from the mouths of the hungry and divert it to the fighting fronts to prolong the war.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“Understanding the causes of hunger and food insecurity in Yemen is a key element to finding a solution. Allow me therefore to illustrate some of those causes in the following few points, First, the main driver of hunger in Yemen is not the lack of food, but rather the people’s inability to afford it. When the Houthis took control over the Central Bank headquarters in Sana’a before they were moved to Aden, they squandered over $4 billion of the bank’s foreign reserves. As a consequence, the Government lost its ability to provide letters of credit and foreign currency for traders who import the majority of food consumed in the country. This led traders to secure their currency from the market, thereby driving up food prices dramatically.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“In Yemen, according to the latest analysis of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than 24 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance, while more than 20 million people are facing hunger. Malnutrition rates among women and children in Yemen remain very high. Figures show that 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women and 2.3 million children under five need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. Of these children, about 400,000 remain without treatment and are at a risk of dying. Unfortunately, this dismal picture of the situation in Yemen is a human-made crisis and results from the Houthi militia having waged war against the Yemeni people since 2014.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source
“Allow me at the outset to congratulate the President, and through her, the United States, for presiding over the Security Council for the month of March, and to express our best wishes to her during this presidency. I would like also to extend our gratitude to the United Kingdom for its delegation’s successful presidency during the month of February. The eradication of hunger sits at the top of the Sustainable Development Goals, yet, despite the progress made in this context, in some countries and regions, severe hunger and malnutrition remain major obstacles to development, especially in countries enduring conflicts.”
2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source