Attachments
New York, 22 November 2022
As delivered
Thank you, Madam President,
As the Special Envoy already mentioned, many of the truce’s provisions continue to hold despite its expiration on 2 October.
This is providing a continued and much needed reprieve for the people of Yemen. However, the humanitarian dividends of the truce need much more than six months to take hold and the people affected by this conflict need a sustained guarantee of peace before they decide to return home to rebuild their lives, for some after having been displaced multiple times.
They also need to see improvements in their everyday lives beyond reductions in fighting. Many people, particularly those in the southern parts of the frontlines, have told us that they have yet to see the positive impacts of the truce on their livelihoods and economic situations.
Madam President,
Localized clashes continue to impact civilians in some parts of the country. We remain concerned by the possibility that large scale hostilities may again resurge in Yemen.
In the last week of October, according to verified figures, shelling and sniper fire killed two civilians and wounded eight more – many of them children – in Ta’iz. Earlier this month, in Ma’rib, four displaced civilians were killed and at least five more injured when a weapons storage facility exploded due to fighting.
Vulnerable groups bear some of the heaviest costs of the clashes. According to open-source reporting, child casualties surged by 43 per cent between September and October.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to account for the largest share of civilian casualties. As we have said in previous briefings, the reduction in fighting since April has allowed civilians to move more freely. But this has increased their exposure to landmines and unexploded ordnance, killing and injuring more than 164 people, including 74 children, between July and September.
People too often fall victim to these horrific devices, risking injury and even death while working, trying to access health facilities, schools and other essential services.
The parties to the conflict must take all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population under their control against the dangers resulting from military operations, including by identifying, marking, and decontaminating dangerous areas. As mentioned in our briefing last month, we also underline the need for increased funding for mine action activities and the facilitation of importing equipment.
Madam President,
Threats to civilians in Yemen extend far beyond the immediate impact of hostilities, as mentioned, especially for vulnerable groups facing severe protection risks.
Migrants and refugees also experience significant dangers. So far this year, more than 50,000 migrants have taken the sea route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in search of a better life. Just last month, another migrant raft sank, leaving three people dead and 28 others missing.
Hunger continues to haunt more than half the population in Yemen, preying on the most vulnerable.
As mentioned in our briefing last month, new estimates indicate that the number of people facing acute food insecurity between October and December is slightly lower than our initial projections in early 2022. This is very good news. But it does not eclipse the fact that 17 million people still do not know where they will get their next meal.
In this context, we welcome the recent arrival of a shipment carrying 14,000 metric tons of wheat flour under the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 15 October, as well as three further grain shipments that left Ukraine on 23 October, 13 and 17 November respectively.
Madam President,
We have been briefing on the humanitarian operating environment on a regular basis, which is becoming more and more difficult every month.
Humanitarian access is still largely constrained by bureaucratic impediments, movement restrictions and an unacceptable level of interference. And again, the civilian population is bearing the brunt of these restrictions, not receiving the life-saving services and supplies they need in a timely manner. Over 70 per cent, or nearly 500 out of 673 reported access incidents between July and September of this year, were due to bureaucratic impediments - the vast majority of these taking place in Houthi-controlled areas.
Despite all our efforts, restrictions have become more widespread and entrenched. Over recent months, movement restrictions imposed by the Houthi de facto authorities, which especially impact female staff and beneficiaries, are leaving us less room to operate. We are struggling to maintain the space we need to provide principled humanitarian aid, especially at a moment of uncertainty when we actually need to scale up services.
We recently conducted an evaluation that looked systematically at all aspects of the aid operation. In following up on this, the humanitarian community is working to further address access constraints and advocate for humanitarian space, while also undertaking efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency and oversight in the aid operation.
Additionally, a deteriorating security situation is leaving humanitarians increasingly exposed to carjackings, kidnappings and other incidents. This is obstructing safe access in Abyan and Shabwah governorates in particular, where we urgently need to scale up our operations.
More than 30 carjacking incidents have occurred in Government-held areas so far this year.
Five UN staff are still missing after being abducted in February in Abyan. Two additional UN colleagues in Sana’a remain detained after more than a year. We continue our repeated calls for all staff to be released immediately.
We also take this opportunity to remind all parties to the conflict that they must, under international humanitarian law, facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, and respect and protect humanitarian staff and assets.
Madam President,
As we have previously briefed this Council, Yemen’s continuing economic instability and collapse of basic services remain key drivers of humanitarian needs and leave much of the Yemeni population dependent on aid. This dependency is exacerbated by the longstanding gap in development funding that is impeding investment in long term solutions.
We are also concerned that continued attacks and fighting on and around ports, could have an adverse impact on the economy – as mentioned – and subsequently may lead to further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
Madam President,
With just over a month left in the year, the Humanitarian Response Plan is now 55 per cent funded. Despite all the challenges, aid agencies are reaching 10.5 million people on average every month.
We would like to express our appreciation to all donors for their support, especially in these times of global economic uncertainty, while also calling for further support to maintain the life-saving humanitarian services.
Madam President,
Let me conclude by reiterating the concern with which I opened my statement: any escalation of fighting will have devastating consequences for the people of Yemen and will send us back to square one.
Madam President, people in Yemen need a return to normalcy so they can rebuild their fractured lives. The time to deliver that is now.
Thank you, Madam President.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.