YouSaid · the spoken record

Wosornu

lines on the record: 92
first: 2023-05-17
most recent: 2023-11-28
sittings or episodes: 9
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 highest number of incidents — more than 30 per cent, or 288 incidents — have been recorded in and around Khartoum, where humanitarian access continues to deteriorate. Since late June, humanitarian organizations have been able to reach Khartoum with only two convoys of 22 trucks, out of a total of close to 100 trucks that have moved more than 4,800 metric tons of relief supplies since mid-May. That is a drop in the bucket, a drop in the ocean. Food security organizations have reached fewer than 280,000 people with relief — a very low 11 per cent of the 2.5 million targeted, 280,000 of the 2.5 million targeted.”
2023-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9417 (2023) · source
“That response, however, is not at scale to meet the enormous needs of the people of the Sudan. Accordingly, on 29 August, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee activated a system-wide scale-up for the Sudan aimed at addressing the rapidly growing number of people in need of assistance in the country. However, we can only do that if we have unhindered and unfettered access, if bureaucratic impediments are removed and if we have sufficient resources. Rampant insecurity — again, as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General outlined — is a significant obstacle to humanitarian action. More than 900 access incidents have been reported since mid-April — around six incidents a day on average. More than 70 per cent of those incidents have involved hostilities or violence directed against humanitarian personnel and assets.”
2023-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9417 (2023) · source
“As I reported in my previous briefing, following intensive negotiations with the armed groups controlling the routes, we made some progress in restoring the flow of humanitarian supplies to the states of Darfur, with the movement of the first 10 trucks during the first week of August carrying 500 metric tons of supplies. We have now moved a total of 3,100 metric tons of aid to the Darfur region. Those operations included four cross-border deliveries of humanitarian supplies from Chad to West Darfur, carrying 390 metric tons of food, non-food items and medicines. Severe access challenges continue to hamper the delivery of aid. Currently, it takes huge amounts of time and effort to run the humanitarian operations. For example, on average, it takes two to six weeks, or 16 to 42 days, to move supplies from Port Sudan to the Darfur states.”
2023-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9417 (2023) · source
“We are seeing a substantial rise in malnutrition rates, and more than 6 million Sudanese are now just one step away from famine. With these enormous challenges, the humanitarian community is struggling to scale up operations and meet the growing needs; the needs are enormous. Thus far, we have coordinated the delivery of more than 2,400 trucks of relief supplies, carrying over 110,000 metric tons of aid to various parts of the Sudan. More than 3.2 million people have received some form of humanitarian assistance in the past four months — approximately 300,000 more since my last briefing. However, that, unfortunately, is only close to 18 per cent of the 18 million people we are trying to reach.”
2023-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9417 (2023) · source
“It is not only direct hostilities that are killing the people of the Sudan. Civilians are also dying due to an almost complete breakdown of the health system, with the vast majority of people having no access to health services. This lack of health care and the fighting are making it almost impossible to control increasing outbreaks of diseases, including measles, acute watery diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever. More than 4,300 suspected cases of measles have been reported in 12 of the 18 states. Just to compare, by September 2022, that number stood at 963 measles cases across three states. Let me again stress that almost half the population of the Sudan — more than 20 million people — are experiencing high levels of food insecurity, in a country with a very healthy bread basket.”
2023-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9417 (2023) · source
“Those who are able to escape the fighting continue to do so, with the number of civilians displaced now standing at more than 5 million. That equates to 1 million newly displaced persons every month, with 4.1 million displaced within the Sudan, while more than 1 million have crossed the border into neighbouring countries, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. That displacement and insecurity have driven cases, as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, again, said, of sexual violence to absolutely distressing levels. Alarming reports of ethnic-based violence in Darfur continue to emerge. As I am sure Council members and we all can agree, this could be a harbinger of a return to horrors we hoped we had left in the past.”
2023-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9417 (2023) · source
“Ms. Wosornu: I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to brief the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in the Sudan. It is no hyperbole to say that after five months of brutal and merciless war, as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General just noted, the people of the Sudan are facing a crisis of epic and tragic proportions. Since I briefed the Council last month (see S/PV.9394), the conflict has continued to intensify again around Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan and is unfortunately expanding into more areas, including Al-Jazirah state, the Sudan’s bread basket. Fierce and relentless fighting is trapping civilians in Khartoum and other epicentres, including Nyala in South Darfur, increasing yet again the death toll and the numbers of injured.”
2023-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9417 (2023) · source
“The United Nations country teams in both Armenia and Azerbaijan also maintain open channels with the authorities in those countries and are fully ready to do everything they can to ensure a response to the humanitarian needs.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“In that regard, I would like to reference the Secretary-General’s statement from 2 August (SG/SM/21896), in which he expressed particular concern about the reports of the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground and called for urgent steps to facilitate access. It is incumbent on the parties not to impede or politicize any principled humanitarian effort. Responding to humanitarian needs is not an act of legitimization or recognition. It does not take sides or yield to political influence. OCHA will continue to engage with the parties on humanitarian access aimed at meeting the essential needs of civilians in the area.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“The parties to conflicts must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for all civilians in need. They must ensure that humanitarian relief personnel have the freedom of movement required for their functions. What matters is that passage for that relief is as rapid as possible in the circumstances. It is therefore critical for the ICRC’s delivery of humanitarian relief that it be allowed to resume through any available routes. The ICRC is doing everything it can, but as a single organization, it can only cover the most urgent needs. Other impartial humanitarian relief must also be allowed to reach civilians who need it, and a sustainable solution for the safe and regular transit of people and goods must be found.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is in regular contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which remains the only international humanitarian body that has access to the area. As the ICRC reported in a statement on 25 July, it has been unable to transport humanitarian assistance through the Lachin corridor to the civilian population in the area, or by any other route, including Aghdam, for several weeks. Although medical evacuations continue, the ICRC has not been able to bring medical items into the area since 7 July, and its food deliveries stopped on 14 June. The ICRC has highlighted worrying shortages of essential food items and life-saving medical supplies. The international humanitarian law is very clear.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Ms. Wosornu: I thank the members of the Security Council for giving me the opportunity to brief them today. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is not currently in a position to independently verify information regarding the movement of people or goods through routes that include the Lachin corridor, or on the well-being of civilians in the areas where Russian peacekeepers have been deployed. We are aware, however, of ongoing reports on those issues, including with regard to shortages of food and medicines and disruptions to energy supplies that are required to maintain critical infrastructure and services, such as health and water facilities. We are also aware of reports that some essential health-care interventions, including surgeries, may have had to be suspended.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“In the light of donor projections that there will be much less humanitarian funding available next year, collective action is needed to address those drivers now — or we may see needs increase at a time when we will not be able to respond to them. The humanitarian community stands ready to play its part in that work. In the meantime, we will continue to do everything we can to support those most in need in Yemen — no matter who, no matter where, no matter what.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently announced $1.2 billion in budget support for the Government of Yemen, which will help to keep the power supply on and salaries paid. The disbursement of that generous support cannot come too soon. That alone, however, will not be enough to bring Yemen’s economy back from the brink of collapse. It is vital to make progress on a political resolution of this conflict, as the Special Envoy has said, but let me be clear also: a political resolution alone will not solve the humanitarian crisis. Only when such progress is pursued together with improved economic conditions and the re-establishment of essential services will we see humanitarian needs begin to decrease.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“Of particular concern is the country’s failing economy. Public services remain fractured and unreliable. Protests in Aden and surrounding governorates over recent weeks have intensified in the wake of extensive power outages and a currency that continues to decline. Economic hostilities continue to have devastating consequences for millions of people across Yemen already struggling to make ends meet. In the absence of a resumption of oil exports, blocked owing to threats by the de facto authorities, government revenue will continue to dwindle, and service provision will falter. Ongoing trade obstructions will continue to drive the cost of basic goods even farther out of reach. We condemn those actions by the de facto authorities, which serve to compound the misery of so many people in Yemen.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“The World Food Programme recently announced the suspension of its malnutrition prevention activities across Yemen, starting from August, with more cuts expected in the coming months if funds are not urgently received. In July, we received reports from humanitarian partners that only one in five children targeted for severe acute malnutrition support in Al-Jawf governorate were getting the assistance they needed. The cost of inaction for those children, and for many other people across the country, is steep. I urge the international community not to lose sight of the progress made in improving humanitarian outcomes across Yemen and how easily that could be reversed. While access and funding are necessary areas of focus in the short term, we must also work to address the long-term drivers of humanitarian needs.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“I renew our call to the parties to fulfil their obligations to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief efforts for all people in need. In 2023, humanitarians aim to provide support to more than 17 million people in need across the country. However, that important work is being severely hampered by critical funding shortages. Nearly eight months into the year, Yemen’s humanitarian response plan has received $1.34 billion out of the $4.34 billion — it has received only 31 per cent of what is needed. While we are grateful for the generosity of our donors, major shortfalls across all sectors in Yemen mean programmes and services are having to be cut or scaled back.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“However, I am sorry to report that the broader access picture remains bleak. Misinformation and disinformation against humanitarians are on the rise across Yemen, making our work more dangerous and more difficult than it already is. And despite the collective and concerted efforts of the humanitarian community, we have seen limited progress in efforts to expand our operating space this year. Aid workers continue to experience attempted interference in all stages of humanitarian activities and extensive movement restrictions, which have a particular impact on our women national staff and all those they serve. We continue to engage with both the de facto authorities and the Government of Yemen to chart a path forward to resolve those issues.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“In another piece of good news, we are delighted to have finally seen the release last week of five United Nations staff members who were kidnapped in Abyan governorate 18 months ago. Our colleagues are receiving support. We are very grateful to all Member States and other interlocutors who were engaged in those efforts, including some who are in this Chamber, such as the Government of Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. However, other United Nations staff remain in detention in Sana’a, and we demand their immediate release. Over the course of this year, the humanitarian community has pushed to increase its presence in previously underserved areas across the country. Just this month, the United Nations undertook an assessment mission to Raymah governorate with a view to increasing our operational capacity in that area.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“On 1 August, the SMIT Salvage team completed the ship- to-ship transfer of more than one million barrels of oil from the FSO SAFER to the replacement vessel, the Yemen. That is the culmination of years of tireless advocacy, collaboration and innovative problem- solving. It is a significant milestone, and again, I also commend the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, David Gressly, and the United Nations Development Programme for stepping up and taking on this colossal task. However, the work does not stop there. We must now complete the second phase of the operation, in accordance with our agreements with the relevant authorities. To do so, the United Nations urgently needs to close the $22 million funding gap. I encourage the international community to help us to complete that important work.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“Hameidi’s dedication to his work and to the communities he served in Yemen and many other countries — a dedication espoused by so many humanitarians around the world. The attack and others like it show just how real the threats to the safety and security of aid workers are, from violence to kidnapping, harassment and mis- and disinformation. Humanitarians stand with people in need in their darkest hour. They are not and should never be a target. I want to take the opportunity today to discuss two of the most critical components of our humanitarian response — access and funding. I will turn to those momentarily. First, one issue on which we have seen extraordinary progress recently, as the Special Envoy said, is the United Nations efforts to address the catastrophic environmental threat posed by the FSO SAFER.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“Ms. Wosornu: I welcome the update from Mr. Grundberg on recent political developments in Yemen. Before I proceed, I also want to express my deep sadness at the terrible loss of one of our World Food Programme colleagues, Mr. Moayad Hameidi, who was brutally killed in an attack in Turbah, in Taiz governorate, on 21 July. Another colleague was injured in the attack. Mr. Hameidi’s death is an immense tragedy for his family, friends and colleagues and the entire humanitarian community. We send our sincerest condolences to all who knew him and call for a comprehensive investigation into the attack and for those behind it to be held accountable. Mere days from World Humanitarian Day, we pay tribute to Mr.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“In that regard, and as Assistant Secretary- General Pobee said earlier, the ongoing political mediation efforts aimed at achieving a resolution to the conflict are critical and must continue unabated if the people of the Sudan are to have any chance of living in enduring peace and security. Until then, we demand that all the parties respect international humanitarian law and minimize human suffering. The parties to the conflict in the Sudan must ensure the safe passage of civilians fleeing violence in Khartoum, Darfur and other areas where there are active hostilities. We also urge the international community to support the humanitarian effort on which so many people in the Sudan increasingly depend.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“It is therefore deeply concerning that the $2.6 billion humanitarian response plan for this year is only 25 per cent funded, in the amount of approximately $680 million, which is what we have so far received to enable us to assist the people who need us. I am grateful for the generosity of Member States and donors for their contributions so far, but we need more funding. I am appealing to all Member States and donors to come forward and help us fund the plan as soon as possible. During my visit to the Sudan, one message that I heard very clearly is that the people of the Sudan want and need peace.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“It is urgent that we re-establish a platform for direct and regular contact on humanitarian issues with the parties at a senior level in order to negotiate access and protect the humanitarian operations in the Sudan. We need the strong support of Member States to facilitate that. We can provide assistance at the required speed and scale only if we have the relevant travel permits to move within the country and visas to enter it. While we have already received some visas, for which we are grateful to the authorities, we have asked them to continue to ease procedures and expedite approvals. Even with improved access, we will be unable to prevent a further slide into a humanitarian catastrophe without the required resources.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“Humanitarian organizations are ready and willing to do everything it takes to provide the assistance that the people of the Sudan so desperately need. But they cannot do so without the regular facilitation of access by the parties and the easing of bureaucratic and administrative impediments. The international humanitarian law is clear. All the parties to the conflict must facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need. So far, the limited deliveries of assistance we have been able to make have been possible only through intensive negotiations with the parties, much of it supported through the Jeddah process. Those negotiations are becoming increasingly complex.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“Nationwide, since the conflict started, more than 2.9 million people have received some minimum form of humanitarian assistance, including cash or in-kind food assistance, minimal health services or access to basic water services. Unfortunately, that represents only a fraction of the 18 million whom we are trying to reach, and we need unhindered and unfettered humanitarian access to those who need us most. In Khartoum, where access to people in need remains enormously challenging, some assistance is being provided with the dwindling resources that are still available locally, but we have been unable to guarantee passage for a humanitarian convoy to the capital to replenish the supplies since late June.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“As Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths has said, ensuring cross-border access into the Darfur region represents a key milestone, as the United Nations is seeking to access all the areas in the Sudan that are hard to reach and to provide critical humanitarian assistance to people in need, wherever they are. We continue to depend on the generosity, understanding and negotiations of the Sudanese authorities, as well as those of the Sudan’s neighbours, to facilitate the critical efforts to reach those most in need. Meanwhile, assistance is also being provided in Adré, in Chad, which I also visited, in support of the more than 350,000 people who have fled across its border, as well as the Chadian communities generously hosting them.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“On 3 August, following intensive negotiations with the parties, a convoy of 10 trucks was able to deliver 500 metric tons of improved seeds to 70,000 families in Ed Daein in East Darfur, the first convoy we have been able to facilitate to Darfur from the eastern part of Sudan — just in time for the planting season, which will be vital to ensuring food security in the coming months. The Darfur states also have some of the highest levels of food insecurity in the Sudan. Additional trucks are en route to North and South Darfur to respond to health, nutrition and food security needs, and we expect the parties to live up to their commitments and allow the trucks to reach their destinations. Last week also saw the first delivery of food assistance into West Darfur from Chad. Additional assistance is expected to follow in the coming weeks.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“The intense fighting and difficult operating environment are limiting our ability to deliver urgently required humanitarian assistance, and that is only deepening the people’s suffering. Nevertheless, since we last briefed the Council, humanitarian and civil-society organizations, the United Nations and its partners have spared no effort to restore the flow of humanitarian supplies, particularly to the Darfur states, where access was most restricted. We have seen some progress, but it has been limited.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“The conflict is disrupting livelihoods and physical access to markets and fuelling steep increases in commodity prices. The banking system has been seriously disrupted, as have public and civil institutions, leading to the severe disruption of public services and less and less money circulating within the economy. Electricity blackouts are extensive, and education services, which previously functioned very well, have been interrupted. This is the story of a country and a people being driven to the point of collapse. As Assistant Secretary-General Pobee has highlighted, the situation is particularly alarming in areas where the conflict is most intense, notably Khartoum, as well as in Darfur and the Kordofan states. The reports of ethnic-based violence in West Darfur are extremely alarming, with numerous civilians killed or wounded.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“More than 4 million have fled their homes, with 3.2 million internally displaced and close to 900,000 who have crossed the border into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other countries. The alarming accounts of sexual violence that I heard from people who have fled to Port Sudan are just a fraction of what is being repeated on a sickening scale in conflict hotspots across the country. People are finding it more and more difficult to access urgent medical assistance, with 80 per cent of hospitals across the country unable to function. Half of all the children in the Sudan, 14 million, need humanitarian support. More than 40 per cent of the population, that is, more than 20 million people, are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“They told me stories of sexual violence, harassment and physical assault; of husbands disappearing never to be seen again; of education interrupted; careers ruined and livelihoods lost. Teachers and nurses who had fled their homes have also not received the salaries that they were once used to. Everyone had a story of parents, children, colleagues and friends who had perished in this devastating conflict, with fears of more to come as the conflicting parties push on regardless of the consequences. Thanks to the lack of coverage of the Sudan in the global media, it is impossible to understand what is happening there. Nearly four months into the conflict, millions of people remain trapped in a humanitarian calamity that continues to grow.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“Ms. Wosornu: I thank you, Madam President, for the opportunity to brief the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in the Sudan. Since we last briefed the Council on 23 June, the Sudan’s descent into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe has only deepened. During these six weeks alone, more than 1.4 million people have fled their homes. I visited the Sudan two weeks ago. I was deeply alarmed by the level of suffering I saw and the stories I heard. The women and girls I spoke to shared accounts of being forced to flee far from their homes. They moved from place to place, seeking safety in a constantly shifting security environment. Many live in fear of the fighting catching up with them.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“The engagement and support of donors are needed if they are to succeed. I began my statement speaking about hope. Hope is important. It holds the promise of a better future and inspires us to continue to pursue the path leading towards it. But hope dies in the absence of action. Now is the time for the parties, with the full support of the international community, to drive resolutely towards peace and an end to the conflict. Meanwhile, the humanitarian community will continue to deliver aid to as many people in need as our resources and access allow. At the same time, we will also continue driving for progress on the economy, including by scaling up mine action and support for displacement- affected communities.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source
“Mines and explosive remnants of war continue to kill and maim civilians, including women and children — and they will do so as long as they remain where they are. They prevent people from returning safely to their homes and earning a living, and they obstruct the re-establishment of essential services. Scaling up mine action programming is critical, including for economic and community recovery. Support is also needed for displaced communities to resettle or return to their homes and reintegrate. People cannot continue to live, year in and year out, in fear of eviction or discrimination or being forced to flee once again. They and the communities that host them need sustainable solutions that allow them to restart their lives. The humanitarian community is devoting senior capacity to advance such efforts.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source
“The salvage vessel, Ndeavor, is expected in Djibouti around 22 May, and the operation is expected to begin before the end of the month, which is good news. But while the humanitarian community is doing everything possible to save lives and end the acute forms of suffering, we cannot stop there. As we tentatively look towards a future in which urgent humanitarian needs reduce, we must bolster Yemen’s ability to recover. That is why the United Nations is working on a revised economic framework that addresses the broader economic drivers of humanitarian need in Yemen. We hope that will promote increased focus and momentum around development programming. This year, the humanitarian community is supporting such efforts through investment in two major areas, namely, mine action and sustainable outcomes for displaced communities and returnees.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source
“The shortfall is increasingly threatening our ability to provide life-saving and livelihood assistance. Certain elements of the Yemen appeal are being hit particularly hard. Support for migrants and refugees, for example, has received very limited funding so far in 2023, although the needs of those communities are severe. Economic times are hard, but we must once again urge donors to do what they can to fund the Yemen appeal. More funding is also needed for the United Nations-coordinated FSO SAFER oil tanker operation. I welcome the pledging event hosted by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands on 4 May, at which an additional $8 million was raised. I hope that further pledges will be forthcoming to bridge the remaining gap and ensure that the operation is fully funded. The replacement vessel arrived in Djibouti on 7 May.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source
“Improving the operational environment was a primary objective of the recent mission to Yemen by the Emergency Directors’ Group — a team of senior United Nations and NGO leaders — which concluded earlier this month. The group held frank but constructive and productive discussions on access with both the de facto authorities and the Government of Yemen. We hope that will be the beginning of a positive shift on access. We once again remind all the parties of their obligation to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. The second factor limiting our ability to reach people in need is funding. Five months into the year, despite the generosity of many donors, around 80 per cent of the Yemen humanitarian appeal remains unfunded.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source
“Humanitarian workers continue to face chronic access impediments, primarily in areas controlled by the Houthi de facto authorities. In particular, the ongoing restrictions on the movement of Yemeni women aid workers have severely disrupted the ability of aid agencies to operate and reach those in need, particularly women and girls. Likewise, obstacles to our ability to conduct independent assessments of humanitarian needs and contract services have caused prolonged delays and risk jeopardizing the quality of our response. That comes on top of ongoing bureaucratic and administrative constraints, which have slowed and hampered our operations both in Houthi- and Government-controlled areas. The humanitarian community has remained in constant contact with the parties in Yemen to resolve those issues and find ways to facilitate access.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source
“For millions of people, access to basic services and to safety and security is still devastatingly out of reach. But the humanitarian community remains absolutely committed to doing all it can to address those and other humanitarian needs in Yemen. So far this year, aid agencies, in collaboration with hundreds of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local Yemeni organizations, have reached more than 11 million people every month with humanitarian assistance. In the first quarter of 2023, that has included, for example, the provision of food aid to nearly 10 million people per month, while almost 1 million have benefited from better access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene support. Two critical factors, however, continue to limit our ability to reach the people we are trying to help. The first is access.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source
“Ms. Wosornu: This is my first briefing to the Council in my role as Director of Operations and Advocacy of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. I look forward to engaging closely with all members. There are many hopes hinging on what is happening in Yemen. There is hope that at long last there could be an end to a terrible war, as well as hope for a sustainable peace agreement. On behalf of Under-Secretary-General Griffiths, I want to commend the Special Envoy for the tireless work he is doing to make those hopes a reality. I join him in urging the parties to seize that important opportunity. In the meantime, Yemenis across the country are also hoping for other things — food on the table, a roof over their heads and their children’s ability to go to school or play outside without fear of injury from landmines.”
2023-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9323 (2023) · source