YouSaid · the spoken record

Mark Lowcock

lines on the record: 336
first: 2020-03-30
most recent: 2021-05-26
sittings or episodes: 28
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 programmatic priorities reflected in the current draft result from an extensive dialogue with national partners and are informed by ongoing programmes and available resources. Consultations also continue with all other partners, in line with established practice, to help enrich the outcome and secure wide support, including financial support, for the successful implementation of the Strategic Framework. To allow for further consultation on all the pending issues, the United Nations has sought a six-month extension to the current Strategic Framework. Our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and country team are moving ahead in an open and transparent process, working with our national counterparts to deliver the best possible outcome.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Finally, let me update you on the United Nations Strategic Framework for the Syrian Arab Republic and the Parameters and Principles of United Nations Assistance in Syria, which the Secretary-General has asked me to speak to, on behalf of the United Nations system and as requested by the Russian Federation. The drafting of the United Nations Strategic Framework covering the period 2021-2023 was initiated last year and is aimed at reflecting the agreed operational activities of the United Nations country team in response to needs and priorities in Syria, from which the programmes and projects of specific United Nations agencies, funds and programmes will be derived. The United Nations is moving the process forward and currently working on the third draft of the document, in consultation with all stakeholders in Syria and elsewhere.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“It has recorded an increase in civilian casualties in northern Syria due to increased use of attacks using improvised explosive devices. As the Secretary-General has repeatedly said in his reports on Syria, perpetrators of serious violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable. On 17 February, a day after I spoke with the group of doctors, a hospital in Afrin was damaged when a missile struck a building right in front of it. A hospital staffer, his wife and three children who were nearby were injured in the attack. Humanitarian workers in Syria are delivering aid every day under the most difficult circumstances and at great personal risk. They must be protected.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“57) My next point concerns the protection of civilians. I am deeply saddened to report the death of another humanitarian worker in north-western Syria on 16 February. The colleague was working on a United Nations-supported health project in Al-Bab, providing services for people affected by the coronavirus disease. He was killed by a car bomb in a market in the middle of Al-Bab city on 16 February. Two others — a driver and a co-worker — were injured in the attack. This was the latest in a series of horrific bombings that have killed dozens of civilians and injured many more in northern Syria in recent months. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has the mandate in the United Nations to document incidents of this sort, involving civilian casualties.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Expanding the reach of medical supplies delivered cross-line will continue to depend on expedited approvals, improved security conditions leading to an end to road blockages and access to adequate funding. These deliveries are critical, but given the immense health needs in this region, they are not enough. Only 6 per cent of public hospitals and none of the public health centres in the north-east are assessed to be fully functioning. As the Secretary-General observes in his report, “a year on from the expiration of the Security Council’s authorization for the United Nations entities and their implementing partners to use the Ya‘rubiyah border crossing, humanitarian needs in the north-east remain high, and have been exacerbated by the [coronavirus disease] pandemic.” (S/2021/160, para.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Let me be absolutely clear: the United Nations is ready. We have been ready for a long time. What is needed now is wider agreement so that the first mission can go ahead. Turning to the north-east, an increase in tensions in recent months caused temporary disruptions in emergency assistance for hundreds of thousands of people. The United Nations, however, has continued to make every effort to scale up cross-line deliveries of medical supplies into the north-east. This includes deliveries of 344 tons of health supplies, amounting to almost 3 million treatments, in 2020. The World Health Organization plans to deliver another 50 tons of health supplies during the first quarter of 2021.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“The United Nations is continuing its efforts to conduct a first cross-line mission into north-west Syria. The aim is not to have a one-off mission, but to have regular cross-line missions that complement the ongoing cross-border operation. A new operational plan is being developed to accommodate the concerns of the relevant parties. The new proposal, which is in the process of being submitted, foresees a United Nations aid convoy crossing front lines and distributing aid in Al-Atareb with appropriate involvement from local volunteers and other relevant partners, the precise details of which and composition of whom need to be agreed. We continue to discuss this but have yet to reach an agreement with all the parties concerned. Without that, we will not be able to conduct the cross-line mission.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Without the cross-border operation, doctors in north-west Syria, like some of those I spoke to, would not be able to provide those children the care they need to survive. They would not have the resources and supplies to carry on. Within a short period of time, they said, the situation would go from terrible to catastrophic. As the Secretary-General notes in his latest report (S/2021/160) when it comes to delivering life-saving aid to people in need, all channels should be made, and kept, available. Conditions in the north-west are worse now than they were when the Security Council decided to extend its authorization for cross-border assistance last July. A failure to extend the authorization would trigger suffering and loss of life on a massive scale.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Five children died at his hospital as a result of malnutrition in the past two months. Another paediatrician told me that she diagnoses malnutrition in up to 20 children a day. But parents are bringing their children to her for completely different reasons, unaware that they are suffering from malnutrition. Malnutrition, she said, has become so normal that parents cannot spot the signs in their own children. Some doctors also told me how concerned they are about a potential disruption of cross-border aid into the north-west of Syria. That brings me to my next point, namely, humanitarian access. All humanitarian assistance that enters north-west Syria is delivered cross-border. It supports 2.4 million people on average each month, and the majority of this is delivered by the United Nations operation.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“Parents are eating less so they can feed their children and sending them to work instead of to school. Those who have run out of options are simply going hungry. More than half a million children under 5 in Syria suffer from stunting as a result of chronic malnutrition, according to our latest assessments. We fear this number will increase. These problems are visible in many parts of the country, but the situation is particularly bad in the north-west and north-east, where nutrition surveillance data show that up to one in three children in some areas suffers from stunting. The effects this will have on their development and learning will be lifelong and irreversible. Last week I spoke with a group of Syrian doctors. A doctor at a paediatrics hospital told me that of his 80 in-patient beds, half are occupied by malnourished children.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“An additional 4.5 million people have fallen into this category over the past year. The increase is shocking, but not surprising. Syria’s fragile economy suffered multiple shocks over the past 18 months. The steep depreciation of the Syrian pound, which lost more than three quarters of its value over the past year, has been one of the visible effects of this. While the value of the pound dropped, prices of food and other essential items increased by over 200 per cent. Purchasing power has dwindled quickly as a result. Average household expenses now exceed average income by an estimated 20 per cent. The result is that millions of Syrians are resorting to desperate measures to survive. Over 70 per cent of Syrians say they have taken on new debt over the past year. Many are selling assets and livestock.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“I will focus on three points today. First, the economic crisis and the rise in food insecurity; secondly, humanitarian access; and thirdly, the protection of civilians. In addition, I have been asked by the Secretary-General to provide, on behalf of the United Nations system, a briefing on the United Nations strategic framework and the “Parameters and Principles” document. This was a request made by the Russian Federation as conveyed to the Secretary-General’s Office by this month’s President of the Security Council. Let us start with the economy and disturbing new food security data published by the World Food Programme last week. Around 60 per cent of the Syrian population, 12.4 million people, do not have regular access to enough safe and nutritious food.”
2021-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/206 (2021) · source
“As I have said, there is an important opportunity right now to help Yemen move towards lasting peace. Preventing famine will be critical to making that opportunity a success. But there is more we can do. First, the violence must stop. I call on the parties to stop the dangerous escalation in Ma’rib. I also strongly support Martin’s efforts to mediate a nationwide ceasefire — not just in Ma’rib, but across the country — and to resume the political process. The only way to end the crisis in Yemen is to end the war.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“I call on Yemen’s partners to work urgently with the Government to devise a workable programme for foreign-exchange injections, including any necessary safeguards or oversight mechanisms — one other thing that will allow for the payment of some of the delayed salaries of key workers. Steps are also needed to ensure essential commodities can reach the country through all ports. Fuel imports remain near record lows. This is the result of a months-long dispute between the par-ties over import revenue. That dispute is contributing to serious fuel shortages, mainly in the north. Right now, 13 commercial fuel ships are just outside Al-Hudaydah port. On average, they have been waiting 75 days for Government permission to berth. My final point regards progress towards peace.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“Because Yemen imports nearly every-thing, the exchange rate is a major factor in what people can buy. Today, the rial is trading at around 890 to the United States dollar in the south — about four times higher than before the war. In the north, the rate is about three times higher than pre-conflict levels. That means people who do still have an income are finding their money buys much less. The quickest way to help people afford food again is to bring down the exchange rate. Foreign-exchange injections did this successfully in the past. If managed properly, they could do so again.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“On 1 March, the Secretary-General will convene a virtual high-level pledging event for the Yemen crisis, co-hosted by Sweden and Switzerland. This event is a chance for countries to show their commitment to the Yemeni people. It is also a chance to show they are serious about seizing the opportunity for peace. As I said, the world will have wasted the current opportunity for peace if a massive famine is allowed to take hold. So we call on all donors to pledge generously at — or better yet, before — the 1 March event and to disburse funds right away. The fourth issue is the economy. After years of conflict, the economy has shrunk by more than 50 per cent. Salaries, jobs and livelihoods have all become scarce. Coronavirus disease has depressed the remittances from abroad that millions had relied on.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“Water, sanitation and health facilities have closed or are under threat in several areas because agencies cannot afford to continue the support that keeps them running. There are many other examples. More money for the aid operation is the fastest, most efficient way to support famine prevention and other relief efforts right now. A surge in funding — mostly from the Gulf — is what enabled agencies to stop famine two years ago. With enough money, aid agencies can do this again. The United Nations response plan this year will need about $4 billion. That is on par with what we asked for in 2019, which was the last time assessments confirmed famine-like conditions in Yemen. Donors met nearly 90 per cent of funding requirements that year. As a result, there was no famine.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“Unfortunately, we heard this only after a key deadline had passed to deploy the team in March. It is now difficult to say when exactly the mission might go. Ansar Allah have recently made several new demands that the United Nations cannot meet. Mission preparations cannot be finalized until those, too, are resolved. The United Nations remains eager to help. My third point is funding for the aid operation. In 2020, the aid operation received $1.9 billion, or about half of what we needed and half of what we got the year before. That forced us to cut many of the programmes that millions of people need. Because there is no money, many hungry families in the north are still only getting half as much food aid as they should.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“These challenges limit agencies’ efforts to expand their operations in the south. Constructive discussions are under way to resolve them. In the north, the problems remain more severe. Ansar Allah authorities regularly delay routine processes, attempt to interfere with aid delivery and harass aid agencies and staff. This is unacceptable. Despite all these problems, the aid operation is still delivering. In 2020, aid agencies helped more than 10 million people a month, working in every one of Yemen’s 333 districts. That is no small feat. On the FSO SAFER tanker issue, Ansar Allah authorities recently announced plans to “review” their approval for the long-planned mission and advised the United Nations to pause some preparations. They have now dropped this review.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“Since 2015, about 1 million people have fled there to get away from the war in other areas. Many have fled multiple times. This escalation is extremely dangerous. It threatens to send hundreds of thousands of people again running for their lives at a time when everyone should be doing everything possible to stop famine. International humanitarian law requires all parties to take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout military operations. International humanitarian law also requires the par-ties to facilitate rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access, which is my second point: delivering aid in Yemen is still, as we have told the Council many times, much harder than it should be. In the south, challenges mainly include delays in signing project agreements or releasing equipment.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“To stop famine, we urgently need action on five points: first, protection of civilians; secondly, humanitarian access; thirdly, funding for the aid operation; fourthly, support for the economy; and, fifthly, progress towards peace. First, with regard to the protection of civilians, ten days ago, Ansar Allah forces launched a major offensive in Ma’rib. Fighting, shelling and air strikes have been some of the heaviest of the war. The front lines are reportedly moving closer to civilian areas. At least four missiles landed in Ma’rib city in the last ten days — seemingly fired indiscriminately. Those attacks killed at least three civilians. Missiles have also landed around camps for displaced people. Thousands are al-ready fleeing. Until recently, Ma’rib had been relatively safe.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“The United States was concerned about the devastating impact the designation could have on Yemen’s food supply at an exceptionally dangerous time. We have, as you know, welcomed the United States’ decision. Officials of the United States have made clear, and we agree, that the concerns around this issue are strictly humanitarian. The United States has reaffirmed it intends to prioritize diplomacy to end the war in Yemen as well as dealing with the humanitarian crisis. Many other countries, including countries of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, have welcomed this. So there is an important opportunity right now to help Yemen move towards lasting peace. That opportunity will be wasted if Yemen tips into a massive famine.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“Yemen is speeding towards the worst famine the world has seen in decades. Data released last week confirm, yet again, that we are running out of time. Malnutrition rates are at record highs. About 400,000 children aged under five are severely malnourished across the country. These are the children with distended bellies, emaciated limbs and blank stares — starving to death. Across Yemen, more than 16 million people are going hungry, including 5 million who are just one step away from famine. That is why, last month, I said every decision the world makes right now must address the risk of famine. Last week, the United States reversed its designation of Ansar Allah as a foreign terrorist organization and specially designated global terrorist entity under United States domestic law.”
2021-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/167 (2021) · source
“National Governments must also fulfil their responsibility to include in their national vaccination plans all high- risk populations within their territories, including refugees, internally displaced people and people living in areas under the control of non-State armed groups. We must also ensure that COVID-19 vaccines do not get financed in the very poorest countries at the expense of other life-saving activities. If money is diverted from routine immunization, famine relief or other health services to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine, the result will be more, not less, loss of life. We have reasons for hope. The speed with which effective vaccines have been developed is a historic achievement for humanity. But we have also seen a dangerous failure to take adequate action to help the world’s most vulnerable countries.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“Thirdly, we need to take urgent action to ensure that vaccines reach the most vulnerable people in the world. Countries should scale up their support to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility. While they have the primary responsibility for vaccinating their own citizens, Governments should also consider channelling surplus doses through the COVAX Facility. That is not about generosity but a matter of the self-interest of wealthier countries. New analysis reported by The New York Times yesterday suggests that wealthy countries vaccinating themselves by the middle of the year, but with poor countries largely excluded, could reduce the global economy by $9 trillion, nearly half the costs accruing to wealthy countries themselves.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“First, we need immediate and generous funding for the Global Humanitarian Overview 2021, which we published last month. In 2021, the United Nations- coordinated humanitarian system needs $35 billion to reach 160 million people. We need additional funding if we are to avoid some of the worst-case scenarios that lie on the horizon. Secondly, their shareholders must do more to strengthen the support that the international financial institutions provide to their most vulnerable members. It is staggering to me that of the $110 billion pledged by the international financial institutions since March, only $11.7 billion, just 10 per cent, was targeted at low- income countries. Only $7 billion has actually been disbursed, which is equivalent to about $10 per person.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“With that money, we were able to transport more than 26,000 health and humanitarian personnel and more than 118,000 cubic metres of critical COVID-19 cargo, reach 74 million people with critical water and sanitation supplies and services, provide 75 million women and children with essential health care and assist more than 33 million refugees, internally displaced people and asylum seekers affected by the pandemic. But it has become harder to reach people. More must be done to improve access to the most vulnerable and to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian and health workers. While the humanitarian community has managed to sustain and scale up assistance to an unprecedented level, that effort has been outpaced by the growing scale of the crisis. I seek the Security Council’s help in three areas.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“They are the first to miss meals and they represent 70 per cent of the world’s hungry. Gender-based violence continues to proliferate, causing a deadly shadow pandemic of violence resulting from the behaviour of men. The picture for the world’s most vulnerable people is therefore bleak. I want to say a few words about how the humanitarian system has responded to COVID-19. In 2020, humanitarian agencies provided life-saving assistance to almost 100 million people. Through the Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19, we raised almost $4 billion thanks to generous contributions from 160 donors.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“The worst global economic contraction in 90 years is worst of all in the poorest and most fragile countries. Many countries may lose a decade or more of per-capita income growth. Sovereign debt defaults loom. Extreme poverty is rising for the first time in 20 years. With all that comes a steep increase in food insecurity. Multiple famines are on the horizon. Public services are disappearing. In more than 20 countries in which my Office is present, disruption in routine immunization campaigns leaves millions of children vulnerable to killer diseases such as measles and cholera. School closures leave children more likely to be married off or recruited into armed groups. The number of out-of-school children is set to increase by 24 million owing to the pandemic. Women and girls are being hit the hardest.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“Twenty-four million, that is, almost a quarter, live in countries facing humanitarian or refugee crises. That is the tip of the iceberg. Most cases are still not in the figures. It is clear that many poor countries are in the midst of a dangerous further wave. New and more infectious variants will make that worse. Remarkable progress with vaccines shows the way out, but no one will be safe until everyone is safe, and the risk that the most fragile countries are at the end of a long, slow moving queue for the vaccine imperils us all. The secondary consequences of the virus are still even more lethal. This year, we estimate that 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection — 40 per cent more than last year and almost entirely due to COVID-19.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“When I last briefed the Security Council on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), together with Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo and Under-Secretary- General Lacroix, in September (see S/2020/897), I warned members that the virus and its secondary effects would hit the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected countries hardest. That is still the case. As Ms. DiCarlo and Mr. Lacroix said, the pandemic is hampering our ability to resolve and end conflicts. That, in turn, has major humanitarian consequences, as most of the people who need our assistance live in conflict settings. Ten days ago, the world passed the grim milestone of 2 million deaths from COVID-19. Almost 98 million people are confirmed to have contracted the virus across the world.”
2021-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/90 (2021) · source
“That will require adequate funding, improved access and an end to the violence that has tormented Syrians for nearly a decade.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“Appropriate internal oversight mechanisms and other frameworks remain in place, including the parameters and principles of United Nations assistance in Syria, and we continue to work in compliance with the resolutions adopted by the Council and other relevant decisions, including General Assembly resolution 46/182. The United Nations country team in Syria continues to engage in discussions with the Syrian Government and with Member States in the region regarding its work on resilience and early recovery and the new strategic framework for 2021-2023. Given the importance of further engagement, the United Nations in Syria is working on a six-month extension of the strategic framework to ensure that critical operational activities continue. We will continue to use every opportunity that we have to deliver aid to those most in need.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“A total of $10 billion is being requested, including $4.2 billion for needs inside Syria, to respond in 2021. Let me also update Council members on how the United Nations is organizing itself to provide assistance in Syria. The United Nations assistance continues to be guided by the humanitarian principles, and United Nations leadership remains attentive to the necessary oversight of the Organization’s work on the ground through our established internal coordination mechanisms and regular engagement with Member States, both in the form of dialogue and through the governing bodies of United Nations entities.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“That brings me to my final point, which concerns the humanitarian assistance being provided to people in need across Syria. The United Nations-coordinated humanitarian operation assisted an average of 7.6 million people a month across the country in 2020. That is an increase of approximately 20 per cent as compared to 2019. On 1 December I released an overview of global humanitarian needs for 2021, including for Syria. The overview highlights that there are 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country and another 10.1 million in need, including 5.5 million Syrian refugees, in the region. The needs are calculated on the basis of our independent assessments and are the basis for our response, which focuses on life-saving humanitarian needs and repairs to critical humanitarian facilities.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“It is critical that technical teams continue to be provided safe access to the water and electricity installations at Allouk. That brings me to my next point, humanitarian access. The United Nations has been unable to proceed with a planned first cross-line mission from Damascus into Idlib, as parties on either side remain unable to agree on the composition of the mission. The United Nations will continue to engage with all relevant parties to work towards a solution that will allow the mission to go forward. I hope to have more to say on this topic next month. In the meantime, cross-border operations into north- west Syria dispatched an average of 1,000 trucks of aid a month in 2020, reaching 2.4 million people each month throughout the year.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“In Al-Hol, in the north-east, we are monitoring with concern the security situation in the camp following a surge in violent incidents, which also reduce the ability of humanitarian organizations to operate safely. The responsibility for security inside the camp rests with local authorities. Security must be provided in a manner that does not endanger residents, violate their rights or restricts humanitarian access. Let me highlight again that most of the 62,000 people who remain at Al-Hol are young children, under the age of 12 years, who are growing up in unacceptable circumstances. Infrastructure that is indispensable to the survival of civilians must also be protected. The Allouk water station, on which almost half a million people in Al-Hassakeh continue to rely as their primary water source, resumed operations on 20 December.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“While testing remains too limited to convey the true extent of the outbreak, there are indications that Syria may be experiencing a renewed wave of infections. Cases reported in Government areas increased by 64 per cent between November and December. More than 50 per cent of tests are coming back positive in Sweida and Tartous; in Homs it is 60 per cent. Survey data in December revealed 45 per cent of households as having lost one or more sources of income over the previous month because of restrictions related to COVID-19. As to the protection of civilians, so far this year at least 13 children have been killed in incidents involving explosive weapons and unexploded ordnance across Syria. At least 14 more have been injured.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“We have previously informed the Security Council of our concern that many vulnerable families would not be sufficiently prepared for winter this year. Unfortunately, those concerns are proving to be justified. As a result of heavy rainfall affecting thousands of people in the north-west this week, people are telling us that they, their children and their elderly parents are spending nights standing upright in their tents because they have been inundated with so much water. There are similar problems in other parts of the country. Heavy rains in Tartous have caused flooding in at least one internally displaced persons camp. Rural Damascus faces particularly harsh weather owing to its high elevation, and many people there are vulnerable. Compounding the economic crisis is the impact of COVID-19.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“Domestic wheat production cannot meet demand, and most of what is produced is grown in areas outside Government control. In Government areas, production fell significantly last year. As a result of decreased purchasing power, over 80 per cent of households report relying on negative coping mechanisms to afford food, perhaps the most worrisome of which is a growing reliance on child labour. One in 10 families say they have to rely on their children to contribute to the family income. Fuel shortages and power cuts in the middle of winter are another manifestation of the deep economic crisis. Black market prices for heating fuel are up to 10 times the subsidized rate. There are shortages of fuel for transportation and long queues at fuel stations.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“I will address five main topics in my briefing to the Security Council today: the economic crisis, the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the protection of civilians, humanitarian access and how humanitarian organizations are providing assistance across Syria. Syrians are starting 2021 with a currency whose value has drastically declined and with food prices at historically high levels, partly because subsidies for such key commodities as bread have been cut. In December, monitoring by the World Food Programme showed food prices had increased again — by 13 per cent since November and by 236 per cent since December 2019. Nearly one in five households reported poor food consumption in December, which is double the level recorded last year. Bread shortages continue in many areas.”
2021-01-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/75 (2021) · source
“The answer is a large-scale famine the likes of which we have not seen for nearly 40 years. Secondly, would licences and exemptions for aid agencies prevent that result? The answer is no. Thirdly, what, then, would prevent such a result? The answer is a reversal of the decision, as well as, of course, action on all the other issues on which we brief the Security Council every month.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“The 2021 response plan will be released next month. It will be similar to the 2020 plan — probably around $3.4 billion. We call on donors to pledge generously and to disburse funds quickly. On the economy, beyond what I have said, let me just repeat that Yemen needs regular foreign-exchange injections to stabilize the currency, finance critical import flows and lower prices in local markets. This worked well in the past, and it could work again. On progress towards peace, I have nothing to add to what Mr. Griffiths has already said. Let me, to clear any doubt, summarize my main message today. I am not questioning the intent of the United States invocation of the foreign terrorist organization designation. I am answering three questions. First, what is the likely humanitarian impact?”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“Neither do I have good news on funding for the aid operation either. Humanitarian crises need continuous funding until the emergency is over. Past contributions to the aid operation in Yemen saved millions of lives. But those past contributions will not save a single life tomorrow or the next day. That money has already been spent. In 2020, we received $1.7 billion for the United Nations response plan, which represents about half of what we needed; that amount was less than half of what we got the year before. As Council members know, most of the reduction was because Gulf donors gave much less last year. The aid operation used to help 13.5 million people every month. Now we are helping just over 9 million. Less money means stopping key programmes, including food aid. Mr. Beasley will tell Council members what is going to happen next.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“The Security Council has heard me explain many times what is needed to prevent famine in Yemen: protection of civilians, access for aid workers, funding for the aid operation, support for the economy and peace. Let us start with the protection of civilians. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on Aden airport that Mr. Griffiths just described. More than 20 people died, including three humanitarian workers. Dozens more people were injured. Humanitarian access problems in Government-held areas have become worse in the last few months. Recent incidents include warehouse break-ins, detention of aid workers, seizure of relief items and attacks on humanitarian premises. The trend is worrisome. But the most severe challenges to rapid and unimpeded access remain in the north. I have no good news on that to report this month.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“And in any case, hardly anyone in Yemen could afford to buy food brought in at those prices. The United States has said it will introduce licences so that some humanitarian aid and imports can continue. Would that help? Well, first, those licences do not yet exist. Aid agencies have no confirmed details on how they will work or what activities will be eligible. The details apparently will not be ready until the day that the designation takes force, on 19 January. But secondly, licences and exemptions for humanitarian agencies will not solve the problem. As I have said, it is not humanitarian agencies that are importing most of the food. This is not the only problem we face.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“For years, these companies have been moving mountains to sustain their very risk-averse global supply chains — including the suppliers, banks, insurers and shipping lines. Some suppliers, banks, shippers and insurers are ringing up their Yemeni partners and saying they now plan to walk away from Yemen altogether. They say the risks are too high. They fear being accidentally or otherwise caught up in United States regulatory action that would put them out of business or into jail. Some of the Yemeni traders’ suppliers, bankers, shippers and insurers are saying they are hoping they can keep going. If they can, they say, their best-case estimate is that costs could go up by 400 per cent. That will make it too expensive for many importers to keep doing business.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“They thought the suppliers, bankers, shippers and insurers they do business with could decline to do business with them if the designation proceeded. Council members and I may think that the suppliers, bankers, insurers and shippers should behave differently. That does not matter. What matters is what they decide to do. Accordingly, we went back to the commercial traders over the last few days to ask what they now think, given that the designation has happened. Already, Yemenis are crowding into markets and shops to stockpile whatever they can afford. Families are terrified that no more food or other supplies will make it into the country. The Yemeni companies that bring in most of the food are using words like “disaster”, “havoc” and “unimaginable” when they describe to us what they fear is coming.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“Security Council members will recall that I told them last month that Yemen imports 90 per cent of its food. Nearly all that food is brought in through commercial channels. Aid agencies give people vouchers or cash to buy commercially imported food in the market. Aid agencies cannot — they simply cannot — replace the commercial import system. What this means is that what the commercial importers do is the single-biggest determinant of life and death in Yemen. I also told the Council last month that we had been talking to the commercial traders and asking them what impact the then-mooted United States designation would have on them. They told us — and I told the Council — that they were not sure they would be able to continue importing food into Yemen in those circumstances.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source
“The most urgent priority in Yemen right now is to prevent a massive famine. The data show that 16 million people will go hungry this year. Already, about 50,000 people are essentially starving to death in what is essentially a small famine. Another 5 million are just one step behind them. Every decision the world makes right now must take this into account. On Sunday, the United States announced it will designate Ansar Allah as a specially designated terrorist entity and foreign terrorist organization under United States domestic law. For months, aid agencies have unanimously opposed this designation. They believe it will accelerate Yemen’s slide into a large-scale famine. The reasons agencies hold that belief are not well enough understood in some quarters, so I am going to use most of my time today to explain them.”
2021-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/56 (2021) · source