YouSaid · the spoken record

Lowcock

lines on the record: 570
first: 2017-09-27
most recent: 2021-06-15
sittings or episodes: 46
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

“The more the exchange rate collapses, the more expensive food becomes, and so what is needed is what has worked previously: foreign exchange injections into the banking system would help stabilize the rial and bring down prices. And I really hope that Yemen’s partners will work closely with the Government to achieve that. Lastly, I turn to the question of progress towards peace. I strongly support everything Mr. Griffiths just told the Council. There has been no shortage of opportunities to stop the war. But the parties have failed to take those opportunities. As I said at the beginning, I have been calling for a nationwide ceasefire since late 2017. It would give Yemenis a break from the violence and create space for more political engagement. There should be no preconditions. War has solved nothing.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“This cycle of shortages and partial relief, a stranglehold being enforced then gradually released, has been going on for a year due to a dispute over revenue. The parties really have to find a solution to that dispute. Mr. Griffiths has offered countless ideas to do that; they need to be taken up. Lifting restrictions on commercial imports, as well as refraining from interference in the domestic market, would help millions of people. The second measure is strengthening the exchange rate, as this is a key determinant of what people can afford. The rial is now trading around 940 to the United States dollar in Government-held areas — a record low. And in May, food-basket prices exceeded 55,000 rials — a record high. And those two things are linked.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“For years, the Security Council has agreed that commercial imports must be able to enter all ports in adequate quantities. But that is still not happening. Fuel imports into Al-Hudaydah from January to May were one fifth the level — 20 per cent — of those during the equivalent period last year. As a result, fuel prices are going up, which is in turn making food, water and everything else more expensive, too, as well as forcing cuts in essential services. Increased fuel imports through Aden have not offset the price increases. The Government recently authorized four fuel vessels to enter Al-Hudaydah. All had been previously cleared by the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism. One had been waiting more than six months for Government permission to proceed.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“I am also calling on donors to increase their support and ensure funds are distributed in a balanced way across all the sectors where we need activities to be financed. In September, Sweden and Switzerland will co-host a humanitarian event on Yemen on the margins of the General Assembly. That meeting is intended to follow up on the pledging conference of 1 March, and it is really important that donors use the opportunity to increase their support and announce it that day. My next point relates to Yemen’s economy, which has collapsed as a result of the conflict. It is that economic collapse that is driving many of the most severe needs, including the risk of famine. As I have often said before, the two fastest ways to help the economy are to free up commercial imports and to bolster the exchange rate.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“Starting this month, the World Food Programme is resuming full rations for 6 million hungry people whose aid had previously been cut. But the money will soon start running out again. In August, UNICEF will cut fuel support for water and sanitation systems serving 3.4 million people. In September, the World Health Organization will stop providing the minimum-service package that enables health care for 6 million people. The cuts will intensify from there. The dangers of famine, disease, including the coronavirus disease, and displacement have not gone away, and if more money does not come in, more people will die. I therefore call once again on all donors to pay outstanding pledges right away. More than $200 million in promises from the March event have still not been paid, including from some of Yemen’s biggest donors.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“Where humanitarian agencies cannot do what they are supposed to do, we can expect funding to decline and aid to decrease. The parties — especially Ansar Allah — need to do more to facilitate the work of humanitarian agencies; that will help convince donors to sustain funding throughout the year. My next point relates to funding for the humanitarian operations. Since the pledging event on 1 March, the response plan has moved from about 15 per cent funded to 43 per cent funded today. That is substantial progress, and I want to thank the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the European Union and those others that have stepped up. As of today, the wider aid operation is on better financial footing.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“Migrants and refugees in Yemen face some of the most dangerous conditions in the world, and they need more support. The next point is access for aid workers. Aid agencies are now helping more than 10 million people every month in Yemen, but they still face too many obstacles. Most, but not all, of the problems are in areas controlled by Ansar Allah. Senior donor and agency officials discussed all this in an important meeting on 1 June. They welcomed progress over the past year on such issues as assessments, project approvals and biometrics. But they were also clear that much more was needed, particularly to facilitate future assessments, allow aid workers to travel without undue restrictions, and agree standard operating procedures to fast-track project approvals, visas and other routine processes.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“Air strikes, shelling, clashes and other incidents have continued in other parts of Yemen over the past month as well, causing civilian casualties in Sa’ada, Taiz, Al-Hudaydah and elsewhere. At all times, the parties must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout military operations. There must also be accountability for serious violations. And, as I have been saying since 2017, Yemen needs a nationwide ceasefire, as Martin Griffiths referred to in his briefing. I would also like to draw attention once again to the plight of migrants and refugees, because yesterday a boat carrying more than 150 migrants sank off Yemen’s southern coast. Local reports indicate that 25 bodies have already washed up onshore; dozens of people are still missing.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“That means everyone — especially the parties to the conflict — must act on all five of those points that we have been discussing in the Security Council for years. Let us start with the protection of civilians. On average, at least five civilians are now being killed or injured by hostilities in Yemen every single day. May was the deadliest month so far this year, with more than 60 civilians killed across the country. On 10 June, a missile and drone attack, apparently launched by Ansar Allah forces, struck Ma’rib city, causing dozens of civilian casualties. The explosions also damaged a nearby residence for aid workers. The Ansar Allah offensive in Ma’rib continues to pose a direct threat to millions of people, including more than 1 million Yemenis who fled their homes and are sheltering in and around the city.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“But I believed then, as I do now, that by acting on all five of those issues, the world could make a difference. And over the years, we have seen some important achievements. In 2018 and 2019, for example, we stopped a major famine. There are some early signs that — perhaps — we will manage to stop a big famine again this year as well, although I should emphasize that it is still too early to be sure, and a lot depends on what happens in the next three months. But two brushes with mass famine in three years is not a success, even if the worst was avoided. It is a failure. Millions of Yemenis can attest to that. Their lives have just kept getting worse. There is broad agreement on what to do, including in the Security Council. We need to translate that agreement into action.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: Several weeks after starting this job, in October 2017, I went to Yemen again because I wanted to see for myself what was going on there and what the world might help. When I came back, I described, including here in the Security Council, what I saw: bombed out buildings, children starving to death, families crowded into tents, surging disease and a collapsing economy. The only way to stop all that suffering, I said, was to end the war. In the meantime, I noted, the world could also do other things that would help right away: better protection for civilians, more access for aid workers, more money for aid agencies and more support for the Yemeni economy. Those five points will sound familiar. Nearly four years later, they are still the things we ask for every month.”
2021-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8797 (2021) · source
“The economic support we saw in 2018 was critical to the famine-prevention effort. Given current conditions in Yemen, I am not convinced that humanitarian agencies, even if they had more funding, could prevent famine now if there is no accompanying support for the economy. My final point is progress towards peace. The crisis urgently needs a political solution. That is what would help move the country back from the edge of famine. Indeed, food security data show clearly that the worst hunger is concentrated in areas affected by conflict. The Council has just heard Mr. Griffiths summarize developments on the political track. The Council’s support on that and on the other issues I have raised has never been more important.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“The Government has periodically cleared vessels to enter Al-Hudaydah on an exceptional basis, including a number this month, as Mr. Griffiths mentioned. But that modest and temporary exception to the fuel blockade does little to solve the problem. I therefore reiterate the Special Envoy’s request for the parties to work urgently with his team to find a solution. Fuel is essential to providing life-saving assistance to millions in need. I turn now to the exchange rate. In September, the Yemeni rial reached an all-time low, trading in the south at 850 to the dollar. This means fewer people can afford food and other essential goods, nearly all of which have to be imported. Yemen needs regular foreign exchange injections to help stabilize the rial, subsidize commercial imports and pay salaries. That worked in the past and it can work again.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“Commercial food imports have remained largely stable in recent months, with more than 380,000 metric tons entering Al-Hudaydah and Saleef in September, but the cost of food and other basic goods means that they are out of reach for millions of families. Fuel shortages also persist in the north. They are driving up the price of fuel, which in turn is exacerbating humanitarian needs. Only 20,000 metric tons of commercial fuel entered Al-Hudaydah in September. That is the third-lowest figure ever recorded and 76 per cent less than in August. Currently, 20 commercial fuel ships are waiting to enter the port and discharge the equivalent of three months of imports. The Government is blocking their entry due to an ongoing dispute with the Ansar Allah authorities over the management of import revenues.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“Just last week, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was forced to close a livestock vaccination programme that was serving 3 million rural families. Aid agencies are now reaching only about 9 million people a month in Yemen, down from more than 13 million at the start of the year. What is to be the fate of the 4 million people we no longer have the money to help? I said earlier that the window to prevent famine in Yemen is closing. Increasing support for the response plan, starting with fulfilling unpaid pledges, but also increasing support back to last year’s levels, is the fastest way to help. The fourth point concerns Yemen’s economy, which remains a key determinant in the risk of famine.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“On a separate note, as Martin touched on, we continue to speak to the Ansar Allah authorities about the SAFER tanker. The discussions have accelerated in recent weeks, and, as he indicated, we hope to receive formal written approval in the coming days for the United Nations mission to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the vessel and to undertake initial repairs. The third point concerns funding for the humanitarian operation. Since my last briefing, funding for the Yemen humanitarian response plan has increased from 30 per cent to 42 per cent. That is obviously to be welcomed, but at this time last year, the response plan was 65 per cent funded. Funding shortages still mean that more key programmes are at risk of shutting down.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“Since my most recent briefing, they have taken concrete steps to reopen Sana’a airport to humanitarian flights, which is welcome. That means that aid personnel and cargo should again be able to come in and out of northern Yemen. Reopening the airport has also enabled the return home on 4 October of 29 Yemeni patients and their carers who had travelled to Jordan for medical treatment, using the air bridge established and facilitated by the World Health Organization. More broadly, donors and agencies continue to engage with the Ansar Allah authorities with the aim of improving the operating environment for humanitarian agencies. More progress is needed there. The European Union and the Government of Sweden will convene senior officials in November to take stock of developments on this issue and to look to the future.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“We welcome the recent mandate renewal of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts, which was established by the Human Rights Council to document violations and promote greater accountability. The second point is unimpeded humanitarian access. In the south, front-line humanitarian staff continue to face challenges due to insecurity, including harassment by armed groups. Discussions with the Government of Yemen to streamline bureaucratic processes to approve aid projects are still continuing, as they have done for the last six months. We hope that a resolution can be expedited. In the north, agencies are grappling with more severe access challenges, mainly the result of restrictions imposed by the Ansar Allah authorities.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“Just yesterday, a civilian was killed and seven were injured when a local market in Ma’rib was hit by missiles. On 11 October, in Taiz, artillery shells struck a school, killing a child and injuring others. And despite Yemen’s hunger crisis, farms are attacked with alarming regularity. The Norwegian Refugee Council estimates that air strikes and shelling have hit farms more than 900 times since 2018; that is about once every day. So I repeat: Yemen needs a nationwide ceasefire, one that covers Ma’rib, Al-Hudaydah and everywhere else. That has been our message for many months. All parties must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout military operations. There should be accountability for violations.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“As Martin alluded to, in recent days, hostilities have subsided a little bit, but it is not enough. Approximately 1 million displaced people are sheltering in and around Ma’rib city. A major confrontation there, as we said before, would be disastrous. The escalating violence in Al-Hudaydah is also very worrying. Al-Hudaydah, of course, remains the lifeline for northern Yemen, and anything jeopardizing its smooth and continuous functioning would put millions of lives at risk. Violence also continues to force people from their homes. Nearly 150,000 people have fled this year, most of them in Ma’rib. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 80 per cent of people displaced in the last two months have had to move into already overcrowded shelters. Critical civilian infrastructure is still coming under attack.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: While, as Martin has just said, there is a glimmer of hope on the political side, experts are increasingly worried that the window to prevent famine in Yemen is closing. I will again brief the Council today on five priority issues that, when acted on two years ago, successfully prevented famine: protection of civilians, humanitarian access, funding of the relief operation, support for the economy and progress towards peace. I turn first to the issue of the protection of civilians. Since we last briefed the Council (see S/PV.8757), we have seen a further escalation of conflict. There are now 47 active front lines across Yemen — the most ever recorded. In recent weeks, the heaviest clashes have occurred in Al-Hudaydah, Ma’rib and Al-Jawf. In September, civilian casualties reached the highest levels recorded this year.”
2020-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8770 (2020) · source
“When one talks to people like this — and there are millions just like them all across Yemen — and listens to their articulate, human and emotional stories, the main thing one learns is they are just like us, except that they are victims of people and forces over whom they have no influence or control. Their stories may be hard to hear, but they are a lot harder to live. Yemen is in the state it is because those with power and influence have decided there are things more important than the fate of these people. Is it not way past time for a different decision?”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“Samia, in Aden, told me life there has never been worse. COVID-19 killed the main earners in her family, and she says they now have no sources of income. She is asking the Council to look at Yemen with compassion and humanity, and at least offer food and medicine. I also talked to Mohammed, who fled Sa’ada to seek refuge in Sana’a after air strikes destroyed his house and the bus he used to drive. His family had been receiving aid every month, but it too has been cut back. His children are now too hungry to go to school. Every night, they ask him: “Daddy, where is the food? When is it coming?” He does not have an answer for them, and he is hoping the Council will do something to help. He is worried the world has forgotten about people like him or — worse — has decided to do nothing.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“On Sunday, two days ago, I spent a few hours on the phone talking to people from all over Yemen. I wanted to hear their concerns and ask what message they had for powerful countries and people, like all present here, who hold their fate in their hands. I spoke to Jamila, a mother of five who fled the fighting in Taiz. Her family have had their food aid cut in half. She wants the Council to know that they cannot keep going without its help. I spoke to Abdulrahman, in Sana’a. He told me that his six children come crying to him every day in hunger, and that he has even less to give them now because the aid he was receiving has been cut. His message to the Council is that Yemenis are human beings who deserve respect. He hopes the Council will again support basic assistance for his family.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“I also want to reiterate my call on Yemen’s partners to provide regular foreign-exchange injections. Just as it did two years ago, that would bring down basic commodity prices, and it would allow more people to eat. My fifth point is progress towards peace. Martin has just briefed the Council on his efforts to secure a nationwide ceasefire and resume and make progress in the political process. That is more important than ever. Data show very clearly that the worst hunger in Yemen is mainly in conflict-affected areas. This is the thirty-first time we have briefed the Security Council on Yemen since I took up this role. Every month I present the facts and figures, but there is a tendency to forget that the facts and figures are all about real people.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“Only about half the normal value of commercial fuel has entered Al-Hudaydah since June. Right now, because of the blockade, more than three months’ worth of fuel is stuck outside the port awaiting Government permission to enter. The resulting shortages mean that water, sanitation and health services are shutting down because they do not have enough fuel to keep going. That directly affect the services provided by humanitarian agencies, too. A group of non-governmental organizations has estimated that fuel shortages have so far reduced water and sanitation assistance to at least 2.5 million people and has disrupted food aid for at least half a million people, with another 300,000 people at risk. Resolving the dispute that is behind the fuel blockade is essential to stopping Yemen’s drift towards famine.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“The Government also estimates that remittances from abroad were supporting half the population before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Those remittances have fallen by up to 70 per cent in the wake of the pandemic. So, Yemenis have much less money in their pockets to feed their families or pay medical bills, and the money they do have is worth much less. The rial has collapsed again. In the south, it is trading at more than 800 to the United States dollar; that is the lowest value that the currency has ever seen. This is pushing food prices even higher. Today food is about 140 per cent more expensive than before the conflict. Fuel costs in the informal market are now more than double the official rate in many areas; that is mainly due to the acute shortages in the north that I mentioned earlier.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“Several donors, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, which have a particular responsibility that they have discharged in recent years, have so far given nothing to this year’s United Nations plan. It is particularly reprehensible to promise money, which gives people hope that help may be on the way, and then to dash those hopes by simply failing to fulfil the promise. More than 9 million people have been affected by deepening cuts to aid programmes, including food, water and health care. Continuing to hold back money from the humanitarian response now will be a death sentence for many families. So yet again I call on all donors to pay their pledges now and increase their support. My fourth point is Yemen’s economy. The economy has shrunk by 45 per cent since 2015.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“The United Nations team has submitted a revised proposal for the assessment and initial repair mission, and we have held several rounds of constructive technical discussions with the Ansar Allah authorities. Frustrating as the endless delays have been, we are not giving up, and we hope that the new proposal will be quickly approved so that work can start. The third point is funding for the aid operation. Increased funding two years ago was the main reason famine was prevented. This year we have received only 30 per cent of what is needed. Aid agencies with staff in Yemen all agree that this is the biggest challenge for their work today.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“A rapid solution is essential if aid workers are to remain safely in the north and if we are to maintain the operations on the necessary scale. In the coming weeks, about 100 metric tons of humanitarian cargo is due to fly into Sana’a airport, including essential vaccines and other medical supplies. We also need faster progress on the wider operating environment for aid agencies. Over the last few months, we saw significant improvements on assessments, project agreements and other issues, but it is now more than a year since a plan was agreed to pilot biometric registration of food aid beneficiaries. That pilot still has not started. You will be expecting another update from me, Mr. President, on the FSO SAFER oil tanker.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“The second point is humanitarian access. In the south, we continue to face challenges, including insecurity and bureaucratic impediments. But those challenges remain less severe than what we encounter in the north. I am, like Martin, deeply concerned that the Ansar Allah authorities have closed Sana’a airport to United Nations and humanitarian flights. The authorities attribute that decision to fuel shortages in the north. Those shortages are having severe humanitarian consequences, which I will come to in a moment. But that does not justify closing the airport, and I would emphasize that safe and reliable transport for aid personnel is one of the basic conditions the United Nations requires to work anywhere in the world.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“Unfortunately, those who are in a position to help and who have a particular responsibility to do so are mostly choosing not to. Let us start with the protection of civilians. Conflict has continued to escalate in recent weeks, particularly in central Yemen. In August, more civilians were killed across the country than in any other month this year. One in four civilian casualties in Yemen are now people who are killed or injured in their own homes. Like Martin, I remain extremely worried about Ma’rib, where more than 1 million people have sought refuge since 2015. A major confrontation there would be disastrous for civilians. So, I reinforce Martin’s message to the parties to work urgently to agree a nationwide ceasefire, including in Ma’rib. De-escalation played a major role in averting famine two years ago; we need similar steps now.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“Foreign- exchange injections stabilized the then-collapsing Yemeni rial; that helped many more people afford food and other essential goods, nearly all of which, as all present are aware, have to be imported into Yemen. With Martin’s support, the parties signed the Stockholm Agreement in 2018, which calmed the conflict at a critical time and helped keep Al-Hudaydah port open for essential imports. The results of all this were clear: millions of lives were saved; there was no large-scale famine. But today the spectre of famine has returned. The risk has become so serious that we have again notified the Council, as we are required to do under the terms of resolution 2417 (2018), just as we did two years ago. The same five priority actions that worked then can work today.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: Two years ago, I warned the Security Council that we were losing the fight against famine in Yemen. At the time we identified five urgent priorities: first, protecting civilians; secondly, humanitarian access; thirdly, funding; fourthly, the need to support the economy; and, fifthly, progress towards peace. Progress was made. Donors swiftly allocated more funds, meeting almost 90 per cent of our funding requirements. With more money in the bank, food aid beneficiaries increased from 8 million to 12 million people a month. Health, education, water and other programmes were also expanded. In parallel, Yemen’s partners took steps to strengthen the economy.”
2020-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8757 (2020) · source
“As we know, famine is stalking the country again, and the fuel shortages are also behind sharply escalating food prices. On top of those challenges, many Yemenis are losing any remaining income at an alarming rate. COVID-19 has cut into remittances — long the country’s invisible life-line — by as much as 70 per cent. A recent survey found that about half of families have lost at least 50 per cent of their income since April. My fifth point is about progress towards peace. The Council just heard from Mr. Griffiths on the political process. With adequate funding, humanitarian agencies can address the most immediate needs in Yemen and prevent a renewed slide towards famine. That would spare millions of people from needless suffering, which would in turn help to create more space for the political process.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“Yemen needs regular foreign- exchange injections to help stabilize the rial, underwrite essential imports and pay salaries. When Saudi Arabia did that in the past, it was very effective. Fuel is another key determinant of basic commodity prices. Fuel is needed to distribute goods around the country, to pump drinking water and to power basic services. In June, only 8,100 metric tons of commercial fuel imports reached Al-Hudaydah — by far the lowest amount ever recorded. As a result, drinking water prices have increased, in some cases more than doubling within a few weeks. Aid agencies are increasingly affected, with some reporting that they can no longer travel to communities to deliver assistance because there is no fuel.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“When the risk of famine was greatest in late 2018, the exchange rate had fallen to 800 Yemeni rial to the United States dollar. On its current trajectory, economists predict that the value of the rial will drop to 1,000 to the dollar in the coming months. Already in some areas, the rate has been well above 700 rial for weeks. The exchange rate is one of the major determinants of the price of food and other commodities, nearly all of which are imported. In other words, as the rial collapses, fewer people will eat. One solution is for the Government to finance commercial imports, but the Government has run out of foreign exchange. A deposit by Saudi Arabia in the Central Bank of Yemen is nearly depleted, and oil revenue — a major source of Government income — has collapsed.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“In the coming weeks, we will have results from a similar assessment in Ansar Allah-controlled areas, where funding cuts required significant reductions in food aid this year. I therefore once again implore donors to pay their pledges immediately. I am grateful to the United States, Germany, Japan and the European Commission. They are the largest contributors, according to the tracking service my Office runs, of the money we have received so far. I urge those with undisbursed pledges to pay now. There is no time to lose. I also call on Yemen’s neighbours in the Gulf to increase their support. The sharp drop in pledges and payments from Gulf countries this year is the main reason the resource gap remains so large. My fourth point concerns Yemen’s economy, which is in free fall.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“Without more funding, we should all expect large increases in hunger, malnutrition, cholera, COVID-19 and, above all, death. We should expect many more people to die. And just as we are cutting programmes, demands for assistance are set to increase sharply. Last week, a new food security survey was released, covering 133 districts controlled by the Government of Yemen. About 40 per cent of people in those areas are now estimated to be highly food insecure — an increase from 25 per cent at the start of the year. Sixteen districts are now categorized as phase 4, which is one step away from famine conditions. At the beginning of the year, just two districts had been rated as phase 4.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“What had been, in recent years, one of the better-funded humanitarian operations around the world is now one of the most underfunded. In August, that will mean a 50 per cent cut to water and sanitation programmes in 15 cities across the country. We will also have to stop hygiene activities for people who recently fled their homes. In September, nearly 400 health facilities, including 189 hospitals, will lose their supply of clean water and essential medicines. That could cut off health care for 9 million people. Also in September, we will run out of money to treat more than a quarter of a million children who are suffering from severe malnutrition. Without treatment, those children will die. It is not difficult to predict the effects of less food, less water and less health care in Yemen.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“Meanwhile, in the south, we continue to have serious concerns, with an uptick in violent incidents targeting humanitarian assets and local authorities adding new bureaucratic requirements for aid agencies. My third point is funding for the aid operation, which is, frankly, on the verge of collapse. We have already seen severe cuts to many of our most essential activities. We used to provide food to 13 million hungry people every month in Yemen. Because of funding cuts, only 5 million of those people are still getting full rations. Eight million have had their rations cut in half. Similar cuts are affecting millions of people who rely on aid for water, health care and other needs. Aid organizations have so far received about 18 per cent of what we need for this year’s humanitarian response plan.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“I call on all the parties to do everything possible to de-escalate the violence now, both in Ma’rib and across the country. Yemenis need a nationwide ceasefire. Secondly, with regard to humanitarian access, overall, efforts to improve the operating environment in the north, where we have most of the problems, are making progress. There is of course more to be done. In the coming weeks, we will work with everyone to build on the good practices we have seen recently on approving project agreements and other issues. We also want to see the long-planned World Food Programme pilot begin for biometric registration of food-aid recipients. After delaying for several weeks, the coalition has now agreed that the technical equipment can be shipped to Yemen, which is welcome. I urge the Ansar Allah authorities to move quickly to implement the pilot.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“There are now 43 active front lines in Yemen — as compared to 33 in January. The number of conflict incidents causing civilian harm increased in the second quarter of the year — for the third quarter in a row. On 15 June, at least 12 civilians were killed in an attack on a vehicle in Sa’ada. On 12 July, an attack killed nine civilians in Hajjah. Three days later, another attack killed 11 civilians in Al-Jawf. Available information indicates that those attacks were all air strikes. I am particularly concerned at escalating hostilities in Ma’rib, including recent shelling incidents. Mr. Griffiths has already talked about that. Nearly 1 million people are displaced and sheltering in and around Ma’rib. If there is an assault on the city, we will almost certainly see waves of already vulnerable people fleeing the area.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“Some Council members will remember that in late 2017, and again in late 2018, I warned that the coalition blockade and then their mooted attack on Al-Hudaydah were likely to plunge Yemen into famine. Those warnings were heeded. The worst was avoided. It would then be the unhappiest of ironies if the failure of Ansar Allah to allow us to deal with the tanker were to be the cause of the loss of the ports. The consequences would be just as I warned in 2017 and 2018. I hope wiser counsel will prevail. The rhetoric on Yemen is often reassuring, yet the actions are relentlessly ruinous. I will brief the Security Council today on five issues: the protection of civilians, humanitarian access, funding, the economy and progress towards peace. With respect to the protection of civilians, hostilities are intensifying across the country.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has never been worse. I want to be clear on that point. Famine is again on the horizon. Conflict is again escalating. The economy is again in tatters. Humanitarian agencies are again nearly broke. And then there are the new problems. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading out of control. And we have the sorry saga of the FSO SAFER oil tanker. I promised when I briefed the Security Council the week before last that I would update Council members on the FSO SAFER today. There has been no progress. As I told the Council last time, the thing that worries me most about the FSO SAFER is that, if it explodes or leaks, the oil spilled could, the technical experts have told us, put the ports of Al-Hudaydah and Saleef out of action for weeks — or even months.”
2020-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8753 (2020) · source
“I repeat again the Secretary- General’s renewed call yesterday for an immediate ceasefire and for international humanitarian law to be upheld. Let me finish with a message from Dr. Ballour: “We cannot wait. Every minute people are dying. The Security Council can help. The Security Council knows what is happening. They are watching. Yet they do nothing”.”
2020-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8727 (2020) · source
“We are considering all options to increase support into the north-west. We are working with the Government of Turkey to expand the opening of the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing to seven days a week in order to increase the number of aid trucks coming in. We are asking the Government of Syria for permission for a mission from Damascus to areas they have recently taken control of in order to see who is there and to assess their needs. Two years ago, almost to the day, the Security Council voted in favour of a 30-day ceasefire in Syria (see S/PV.8188). The Council’s vote was unanimous, and resolution 2401 (2018) expressed “outrage at the unacceptable levels of violence”. Is the violence we are seeing now not an outrage?”
2020-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8727 (2020) · source
“The maternity and child-care hospitals in Atarib and Idlib city, which provide life-saving maternal and child-care treatments, have stopped functioning. As Dr. Ballour told me, with the closure of hospitals and medical facilities, many doctors have nowhere to work, even as needs grow ever greater. Humanitarian operations continue cross-border from Turkey to provide assistance, but, as I said before, the aid effort is overwhelmed. On 6 February I briefed the Council (see S/PV.8715) on our appeal for an additional $336 million to help 800,000 newly or potentially displaced people over the next six months. Because of what has happened since then, it is now clear that that will be inadequate. In the next few days we expect to publish a revised plan for some $500 million to assist at least 1.1 million people.”
2020-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8727 (2020) · source
“We are still trying to count the number of civilians killed yesterday. We have today given new maps to all the relevant parties showing all the very large number of locations where we think displaced people who have fled now are. It is incumbent on all parties to protect those people. The mass movement of people into ever-smaller areas of Idlib and Aleppo is placing immense additional strain on local communities. Most markets have closed, available basic goods are prohibitively expensive, and the price of basic goods has increased by 70 per cent over the last six months. Since December, 72 hospitals, primary health-care centres, specialized care centres and mobile clinics have ceased activities, collectively suspending the services of nearly 200 doctors, more than 300 nurses and more than 50 midwives.”
2020-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8727 (2020) · source
“With the huge number of new arrivals of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Dana now has a greater population density than the capital cities of many of our countries, and the number of new arrivals is growing by the day. If hostilities reach these areas packed with civilians, the human cost will be instant and huge. On 10 February a child was killed and two others were injured in an air strike on an IDP camp in Idlib’s Kafr Aruq, and on 14 and 15 February ground-based strikes hit two makeshift IDP camps in the Sarmada area of northern rural Idlib, killing a civilian and injuring nine others. As High Commissioner Bachelet said yesterday, no shelter is now safe. The bombing of women and children living under scraps of plastic sheeting and in freezing conditions is cruel beyond belief.”
2020-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8727 (2020) · source