UN Security Council session on Yemen

Today, the UN Security Council (UNSC) held a session to discuss the situation in Yemen, with the participation of the Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and the representative for the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

In his briefing, during the session’s opening, Grundberg expressed concern about the recent developments in Yemen regarding the peace efforts he is leading. He warned that other priorities and concerns of the relevant parties were overshadowing efforts to reach an agreement in Yemen.

Grundberg stressed that the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and the US and UK’s response to them, have affected the political course of the Yemeni crisis.

UN Special Envoy for #Yemen, Hans Grundberg briefed the Security Council #UNSC on the current situation in Yemen in an open session today 14 February 2024. To read the briefing:https://t.co/oIJdBtd5gh

— @OSE_Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) February 14, 2024

“Efforts have been made to protect the peace process in Yemen from regional interactions, but mediation efforts in Yemen cannot be completely isolated from recent developments and the broader regional context,” Grundberg said, referring to the Israel-Hamas war and the strong reverberations it has had in the Middle East. 

He added, “Mediation efforts in Yemen cannot be neatly cordoned off. What happens regionally impacts Yemen, and what happens in Yemen can impact the region.”

The UN Envoy said that he was concerned about reports of clashes in Yemen’s Shabwa, Marib, Al-Jawf, Saada, and Taiz governorates. He called on the parties to refrain from military opportunism inside Yemen.

Grundberg touched on his recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman, the UAE, and his internal tour in Yemen, and assured council members that he received positive guarantees regarding parties assuming the path of peace and dialogue.

He explained the economic benefits that the UN roadmap will bring to the Yemenis, foremost of which are the resumption of oil and gas exports and the end of double taxes on goods imposed by internal parties.

Grundberg revealed efforts to form a UN economic committee to support the implementation of economic measures within the roadmap, that would operate similarly to their military coordination team.

The OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy, Edem Wosornu, delivered a briefing to the Security Council outlining this year’s UN humanitarian response plan for Yemen and the need for $2.7 billion to finance it.

Representatives of France, the UK, China, Russia, the US, and other countries all delivered speeches during the session.

The UK representative, Barbara Woodward, warned that the Houthi maritime attacks would lead to further widespread regional escalation. The French representative called on the Houthis to release the hijacked ship ‘Galaxy Leader’, along with its crew.

The Chinese representative said that his country condemns the attacks on commercial ships and international shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, but at the same time  condemns the US-UK strikes in Yemen.

Russia’s representative said that the US-UK strikes on the Houthis violate international law, but emphasized Moscow's position of rejecting the targeting of commercial ships, adding that they had directly communicated this to the Houthis.

The representative for the US said that the strikes carried out against the Houthis, by US forces in partnership with the UK, are consistent with self-defense. He pointed to Iran's role in financing the Houthi attacks.