Yemen At Crucial Moment, Says UN Special Envoy, Stressing Political Settlement To End Conflict

Delivering impassioned pleas on behalf of 14 million civilians teetering on the edge of famine in Yemen, senior United Nations and civil society leaders emphasized that a new 'window of hope' has now opened in that country's devastating and overlooked war.

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Nov, 2018 ) :Delivering impassioned pleas on behalf of 14 million civilians teetering on the edge of famine in Yemen, senior United Nations and civil society leaders emphasized that a new 'window of hope' has now opened in that country's devastating and overlooked war.

"Never has so much international attention and energy been given to this crisis, and rightly so, Martin Griffiths, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, told the UN Security Council on Friday.

Welcoming the light recently shed on the situation, he reminded 15-member Council that the situation nevertheless remains the world's largest humanitarian disaster with an ongoing fight against famine, civilians dying from preventable diseases and an economy on the verge of collapse.

"This is a crucial moment," he said, noting that he has spent the last two months seeking support from the warring parties for an updated version of a framework for negotiations.

Outlining the contents of that newly-emerged framework including the establishment of principles and parameters for United Nations-led, inclusive Yemeni political negotiations, a set of interim security and political arrangements to end fighting, the return of Sana'a's friendly relations with neighbouring countries and a restoration of State institutions he said he plans to visit Yemen next week to draw attention to the continued need for a pause in fighting.

Welcoming the recent announcement by Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi of plans to move swiftly towards a political solution, he urged Council members to seize the current momentum and pursue a comprehensive and inclusive settlement to the conflict.

Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, recalled his October warning to the Council that a grave economic crisis and escalating conflict had pushed Yemen closer to famine than ever before.

Shortly afterwards, an alert was issued that the world's largest food security emergency faces catastrophic deterioration.

In that regard, he reiterated the five priority requests he previously delivered to the Council, namely: A cessation of hostilities in and around infrastructure on which aid operations and commercial importers rely; the protection of food and essential goods; a larger and faster injection of foreign exchange into the economy; an increase in funding and support for the humanitarian operation; and the parties' full and open engagement with the Special Envoy.

The World Food Programme's (WFP) Executive Director, David Beasley, emphasized that the words heart breaking and tragic do not do the conflict in Yemen justice.

Describing his recent trip to the country, he said soft words cannot properly illustrate what is happening to civilians there, the stuff of nightmares, horror, deprivation and misery.

Beasley said that he had witnessed a country on the brink of catastrophe: "What I have seen in Yemen this week is the stuff of nightmares, of horror, of deprivation, of misery. And we - all of humanity -- have only ourselves to blame." Noting that the value of the Yemeni rial has dropped by 235 per cent since January 2015, he said the price of basic food staples has doubled in the last eight months while household incomes are declining. Meanwhile, Yemen unlike other conflict-affected countries cannot grow its own food, and there are 3.6 million more hungry people in the country than three months ago.

Rasha Jarhum, Founder and Director of the Peace Track Initiative Yemen, said children's cries in Yemen go unnoticed as the conflict parties continue to use weapons in populated areas.

Underlining the severe impacts on Yemeni women and girls, she said rapes and child marriages are soaring. Women have been assaulted by Houthi gangs and have had family members abducted.

Calling for an immediate ceasefire, she also called for a ban on the arms and mines flowing into Yemen as well as on the recruitment of child soldiers.

Peacekeepers from totally neutral States should be deployed to Yemen and the results of the National Dialogue should guide a transition to peace, she said.

As Council members took the floor, many underscored that while delegations are often divided on issues before them, today they stand largely united on the situation in Yemen.

Speakers around the table agreed on the need for urgent political progress, while also voicing support for the Special Envoy's political plans and the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator's five priority requests.

Some welcomed the initiative to relaunch political negotiations in Stockholm, Sweden, at the end of November, while others urged their fellow Council members to use their individual and collective leverage to bring the parties to the table.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to convene a high-level conference on Yemen with a focus on the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan, in February.