The United Nations shyly condemns the escalation and does not name anyone
English - Tuesday 15 December 2020 الساعة 08:23 am
Aden, NewsYemen:
The members of the United Nations Security Council condemned the military escalation in Yemen, including in Marib, Hodeidah and Taiz, and called for engagement with the joint implementation mechanisms of the United Nations mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement, and to meet the call for an international ceasefire detailed in Council Resolution 2532.
In a press release, the members strongly condemned the Houthi attack on oil facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the twenty-third of November. They affirmed their commitment to the inclusive political process, with Yemeni leadership and ownership, according to the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its implementation mechanism, and the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.
In their press release, members of the UN Security Council also highlighted the second anniversary of the signing of the Stockholm Agreement. Members expressed concern about the new assessment of the food security situation in Yemen, which showed that 16,500 people were living in conditions similar to famine and expected this number to triple by June 2021 even if current aid levels remain stable.
The assessment showed that 13.5 million people are already facing severe food insecurity and that the number will increase to at least 16 million over the next six months, expressing their concern about the warning issued by the humanitarian community about the possibility of stopping its programs due to a lack of funding.
Council members called on all donors in the international community, including in the region, to act urgently and save lives by disbursing unpaid pledges before the end of the year, and announcing early and generous contributions in 2021 to avoid the imminent closure of UN programs.
The members referred to the central role of the current conflict and economic collapse in increasing the risks of famine, and urged Yemen's partners to consider all possible measures to boost the economy, including by injecting foreign currency into the central bank.
The members of the Security Council noted the Council Resolution No. 2511 of 2020, which stresses the importance of facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance, and emphasized the need for continued donor support for the humanitarian response working environment in order to avoid heavy loss of life.
Members highlighted the current intervention in humanitarian aid operations, and the risks this poses to the lives of vulnerable people in need. While noting the initial steps taken by the Houthis to address these problems, the members stressed the imperative of achieving greater progress to enable humanitarian organizations to continue providing life-saving aid to millions of vulnerable people across Yemen.
The members called on all Yemeni parties to urgently facilitate full, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to the needy.
The members of the UN Security Council reaffirmed the need for all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international law, including with regard to humanitarian access, protection of civilians and civilian objects, and humanitarian and health workers and their installations.
They emphasized the need to protect children, and welcomed the conclusion of the work on Yemen by the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.
