United Nations Officials Urge Unified Action to End Yemen Conflict amid Escalating Regional Tensions, Growing Humanitarian Crisis

Despite escalating tensions in the region and continued fighting in Yemen, a political solution for peace in the country is still possible but requires the Security Council's unity and decisive action, a senior United Nations official told the 15-member organ today.

Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, via videoconference, noted a persistently fragile situation, with ongoing flare-ups in areas such as Al-Dhale'e, Hudaydah, Lahj, Ma'rib, Sa'adah, Shabwah and Ta'iz. "Ending the war is a choice - one that remains within reach of the parties," he said, urging them to actively engage with his efforts on the road map, which would deliver a ceasefire, economic measures and preparations for an inclusive political process.

Noting the persistent insecurity also in the Red Sea, with the actions of Ansar Allah's (Houthis) attacks on Israel, and the United States' and United Kingdom's air strikes in response, he called on all involved to take the necessary steps to create a conducive environment for the conflict's resolution. "A peaceful resolution in Yemen is possible," he added.

However, "the unified support of this Council is paramount", he said, emphasizing: "Only through a shared commitment and decisive action can we create and maintain an environment conducive to effective mediation and realize the sustainable, inclusive and just peace that the Yemeni people have yearned for and rightly deserve."

Briefing the Council for the first time since his October appointment, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said: "Attacks from and on Yemen have risked damage to vital seaport infrastructure; endangered the flow of essential food, fuel and other imports on which millions of Yemenis depend; and threatened an unprecedented oil spill."

Citing a liquidity crisis, a cholera outbreak and floods which have displaced more than half a million people, he reported that the total number of people in need has increased since the beginning of the year from 18.2 million to 19.5 million. "Families have less money in their pockets - increasingly turning to alternative ways to survive, including child marriage," he underscored.

The Houthi de facto authorities' continued detention of more than 50 people working for the UN, non-governmental organizations, civil society and diplomatic missions is unacceptable and has significantly hindered humanitarian operations, he added.

Nonetheless, humanitarians delivered a large-scale response to an estimated 7.8 million people in 2024. He urged the Council's sustained influence to secure full respect for international humanitarian law, including ensuring that critical infrastructure is spared. He also urged the Council's support for full humanitarian funding, highlighting that an estimated $2.5 billion is needed to reach 10.5 million people across Yemen. "Finally, Special Envoy Grundberg must be backed to secure a lasting resolution to the conflict in Yemen," he emphasized.

Detailing his harrowing experience with the Houthis was Hisham Al-Omeisy, Senior Yemen Advisor, the European Institute of Peace, who said he was kidnapped and forcibly disappeared for over five months. "Taken from the street at gunpoint in broad daylight, blindfolded and shoved into a car, I was whisked away into the unknown," he said, recalling his solitary confinement, the ruthless guards who beat him and vicious interrogation sessions.

"It was the magnitude of the unrelenting campaign, applying sustained pressure on the Houthis, that eventually forced them to let me go." Pointing to Houthi-produced videos, including of his colleagues "forced to confess wild and scripted claims", he said the Council must "call out Houthi proceedings and theatrical trials, for what they are - a sham". The Council must also demand that the Houthis immediately release all detainees and end the practice of kidnapping and holding hostages for political gains. "We need a concerted effort to promote dialogue and an inclusive agreement that works for all parts of Yemeni society, including the Houthis," he underscored, stressing that: "The time to act is now."

In the ensuing debate, Council members echoed the briefers' calls for an urgent political settlement to resolve the crisis in Yemen. Among them was Ecuador's representative who said that the warring parties' commitments to the road map must be preserved and that a peace agreement would be the most effective mechanism for that country's economic recovery.

"The Yemeni settlement needs to be moved forward without looking over the shoulder of the situation in the Red Sea and regional developments," underscored the Russian Federation's representative, noting that Moscow "sees no reason" why ongoing regional conflicts should impede inter-Yemeni negotiations. Calling for intensified UN mediation efforts and an inclusive dialogue with all political forces, he said that normalization can be achieved by major regional actors - Yemen's neighbours - coming together. He opposed using the language of pressure and threat against Ansar Allah and called for "painstaking work on the ground" to create conditions for the release of detainees.

However, the United States' representative said that the Russian Federation "has its own political interest with the Houthis", pointing to the "disturbing evidence" that Moscow is discussing weapons transfers with the Houthi movement and has recruited "hundreds of Yemenis to fight their unjustified war in Ukraine". However, despite "Russia and Iran's nefarious meddling", the inclusive political solution is the only way to resolve Yemen's crisis.

Voicing concern about the impact of the region's escalating conflict on Yemen was China's delegate, who warned that "Yemen may suffer new shocks" because of the recent dramatic development in Syria. Pointing to the ongoing exchange of fire between Israel and the Houthis, as well as Israel's recent contemplation of a new larger-scale strike on Yemen, he called on all parties to exercise restraint, and urged the Council to promote a permanent ceasefire and gradual de-escalation in the region, he emphasized.

"It is imperative for the Houthis to immediately cease their reckless provocations," said the Republic of Korea's delegate. The representatives of the United Kingdom and Japan joined other speakers in calling on the Houthis to release detained UN staff and personnel of non-governmental organizations, with the latter rejecting any so-called "criminal prosecution" against the detainees. France's delegate also urged the Houthis to enable the vaccination of the most vulnerable and to put an end to the disinformation campaign against humanitarian actors. He further called on Iran to end its support for destabilizing the Middle East.

Council members also highlighted the dire humanitarian situation facing women and girls. Malta's delegate said the restrictions that limit women's freedom of movement and access to healthcare and education must be lifted. Yemeni children - accounting for more than half of the people in need - suffer disproportionally, she noted, urging all parties to the conflict to ensure their protection under international law. Sierra Leone's delegate, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Mozambique, noted that the 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs predicts that half of Yemen's 17 million people would face food insecurity. He called on donor countries to significantly increase their contributions to the Humanitarian Response Plan for that country for 2025.

The representative of Yemen said the Houthis refused all international efforts to resolve the crisis, adding that the group does not want to achieve peace and has escalated on all fronts, including "a systematic economic war" against the Yemeni people. The international community continued to ignore his country's warnings about the group, allowing it to escalate its attacks in the Red Sea, he added.

"The Iranian regime continues to provide the Houthis with experts, training and weapons, including ballistic missiles and drones" in violation of Council resolutions, he pointed out, urging the UN and the Council to take a firm position against Houthi crimes and intensify efforts for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees. He welcomed the United Kingdom's efforts to support Yemeni coastguards to combat piracy and lauded the efforts of Saudi Arabia and Oman to achieve a political process in Yemen. Amid regional turbulence, the Council must focus on the civilian population, emphasized Switzerland's representative. Echoing the Special Envoy's steadfast hope for Yemen, she said: "There is no such thing as fate; where there is political will, there is hope for change." Adding to it, Slovenia's representative said there can be no military solution to the conflict, emphasizing: "A return to war in Yemen is unimaginable. Diplomacy must prevail. Dialogue must prevail."

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