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Statement on the situation in Yemen

Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the briefing on the situation in the Middle East, Yemen

Thank you very much, Mr President and also thanks to our briefers this morning: Special Envoy Grundberg and Under Secretary General Griffiths. I also welcome the Yemeni Ambassador to the discussion today.

I want to thank Under Secretary General Griffiths for his dedicated and tireless work for the United Nations. With each and every situation on the Security Council Agenda you demonstrated your dedication and your commitment to those in need of protection and aid. Or to put it simply – you showed us that you care. Your briefings significantly influenced our work in the Council and we thank you for that.

President, Slovenia remains steadfast in its commitment to peace in Yemen and for the Yemeni people as we approach a decade of deadly conflict. We fully support UN efforts to achieve this through an inclusive intra–Yemeni process.

The end of 2023 presented clear moments of opportunity and positivity on this trajectory for peace. However we acknowledge that so far in 2024 efforts have been stymied by a complicated regional dynamic, as we face a dangerous moment for the Middle East. We regret that Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have continued, and we call once again for their cessation.

It is clear that what is needed now for Yemen is an environment conducive for dialogue between the parties – an environment to advance discussions on the UN roadmap and its key elements. For this reason we call for de-escalation from all parties, both in action and in rhetoric.

We welcome the continued efforts by the Special Envoy and his ongoing engagements with Yemeni and regional actors to push forward. We urge everyone to work with the Envoy in good faith, and to exercise maximum restraint.    

President, the humanitarian imperative in Yemen continues to be our guiding light in approaching this devastating conflict, which drives so many needs on the ground.

The recent cholera outbreak, mentioned also by Under Secretary General Griffiths, is particularly alarming. Lack of access to clean water and healthcare services make facing this outbreak all the more challenging. And continued restrictions on the movement of women, limiting their access to humanitarian aid and impeding the work of women humanitarian workers, are simply unacceptable. We call for these measures to be lifted immediately.   

With over half of the population in need of humanitarian assistance, the international community has a responsibility to continue supporting critical humanitarian efforts. We welcome all pledges made last week in Brussels on the occasion of the sixth ‘Yemen Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting’. This includes a package of 125 million euro in new humanitarian funding from the European Union to address the most pressing needs of the Yemeni population. We encourage all donors to come forward with much-needed funding.

In our endeavours we must insist on principled humanitarian action, reinforce the emergency response with a focus on long-term resilience, and importantly, support locally-led efforts. We appreciate the important role of Yemeni NGOs and humanitarian workers in that regard. 

We also recall the critical work being undertaken by UNVIM and the need for its capacity to be strengthened.

President, our final point today is that we very much welcome the convening of the ‘Women, Peace and Security Yemen Forum’ held in Madrid last month. We commend Spain for their role in co-organising this event and bringing together grassroots peacemakers, gender experts, and representatives from NGOs across the world.

We can’t lose sight of the ultimate aim: an inclusive intra–Yemeni process leading to sustainable peace. This requires the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of diverse Yemeni women in all stages of the peace process. In this respect we strongly support women’s voices from the field, including at the Security Council.

We recall the minimum 30 % quota for women’s representation agreed to in the National Dialogue Conference. And we stress that any future peace agreement should include provisions on the prevention of and response to gross violations of women’s rights, including sexual and gender-based violence.

Thank you.

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