Thank you, President, and let me start by thanking Special Envoy Grundberg and Director Worsornu for their timely briefings.
We are very grateful to the Special Envoy for his timely visit to Yemen, including Aden and other cities, and also to other areas in the region. And we are cautiously encouraged to hear the support of parties for peace and very much welcome the flexibility set out in your approach.
We therefore encourage the Council to continue to provide unwavering support to the UN Special Envoy during this process. We should work together to safeguard the gains that have been made, and support further progress. And we emphasise the importance of the Yemeni parties continuing to engage constructively with the UN.
As Hans said, the Yemeni people deserve nothing less than recovery and sustainable peace in Yemen. There is no military solution to this conflict.
As Director Wosornu set out, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating, and the needs for this year remain high, with 18.2 million people in need of assistance, and with women and girls especially vulnerable. Yemen continues to be one of the most food insecure countries in the world.
As we heard, the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 is a stark reminder of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen. The plan aims to reach 11.2 million Yemenis most in need.
The UK has committed over $110 million in humanitarian aid during this financial year and we echo Director Wosornu’s call to the international community to consider providing further funding towards the humanitarian response plan for Yemen.
President, despite repeated calls to de-escalate, the Houthis have continued illegal and destabilising attacks in the Red Sea, disrupting maritime shipping and freedom of navigation in the region, and risking further regional escalation.
The disruption to shipping in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks are, as we heard from Director Worsornu, driving up the costs of global shipping, including the costs of food supplies and humanitarian aid in the region. And these illegal and unjustified attacks risk exacerbating the humanitarian suffering in Yemen.
And that is why we have taken necessary, proportionate, and legal action in self-defence, alongside the United States with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand against targets tied to the Houthis attacks.
In closing, President, let me underscore our commitment to the peace process in Yemen, and to the Special Envoy’s personal efforts to bring sustainable peace to the people of Yemen.
