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.

I also want to thank Special Envoy Grundberg and Director Doughten for their briefings. I also want to welcome the Yemeni Ambassador to our meeting.

President,

What we witnessed last month with the Houthi-claimed drone attack in Tel Aviv and subsequent Israeli strikes on Hodeidah was an extremely alarming development for Yemen and for the region. Although Red Sea attacks have regrettably continued since our last discussion on Yemen, we are relieved that there has not been further serious escalation between the parties.

We reiterate that the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international law, and we continue to call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint.

We know that the exacerbation of a new front between Israel and Yemen would only lead to more human suffering. All actors in Yemen should prioritise the Yemeni people, or as Special Envoy said today, they should shift the focus back to Yemen and Yemeni problems, and work to prevent Yemen being engulfed in a broader regional flare-up.

Colleagues,

We welcome the agreement between the Yemeni parties on banking and transport issues, which the Special Envoy announced last month. This agreement is proof that in spite of the very difficult internal and regional dynamics, compromises can be reached. We hope that it will be implemented in full and produce tangible benefits for the Yemeni people, alleviating the daily struggles which they have faced for years as a result of the declining economy.

We urge the parties to build on the momentum achieved through this agreement to refocus efforts on reaching long-term peace in Yemen, and to prioritise the Special Envoy’s Roadmap and an inclusive Yemeni-led and owned political process under UN auspices. This must remain our overarching goal.

President,

While welcoming this progress, it is deeply regrettable that there has been no progress on the release of individuals, including UN staff, who have been arbitrarily detained by the Houthis since June, and earlier. We once again find ourselves calling for their immediate, safe and unconditional release.

This detention confirms a pattern of the increasing erosion of respect for the protection that the staff of international, humanitarian and medical organisations enjoy according to international humanitarian law.

Slovenia also expresses its deep concern at the recent Houthi order closing the OHCHR office in Sana’a and condemns the storming of the office by the Houthis earlier this month. We stress the continued importance of independent and impartial human rights monitoring in Yemen and the inviolability of UN premises.

We commend the indispensable work of the UN, civil society and NGOs on the ground and totally reject this weaponisation of the humanitarian and civic space, which only further entrenches the conflict and complicates the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance for the Yemeni people.  

Indeed, Yemenis have faced devastating flash flooding in recent weeks, as well as a deadly cholera outbreak, affecting tens of thousands of families. And with extreme weather events directly impacting an already precarious food security situation, now is the time to scale up humanitarian aid, not to mount additional burdens on humanitarian actors. We therefore take this opportunity to call for safe, unrestricted humanitarian access across all areas of Yemen.  

Finally President,

To summarize: we caution against reckless unilateral actions that will drag Yemen back into war, we call for a refocusing of efforts on long-term peace and the work of the Special Envoy, and we stress the necessity of adhering to humanitarian principles and upholding international humanitarian law. As in all conflicts, this is non-negotiable.

And it is our sincere hope that the discussions happening elsewhere today will finally bring much-needed calm to the region.

Thank you.

Recent Statements