Acting UN relief chief underlines the need for aid workers' safety in Yemen

Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen by Joyce Msuya, acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

As delivered

Thank you, Mr. President.

And allow me once again to thank Special Envoy [Hans] Grundberg for his update. I take particular note of progress in de-escalating measures on the banking front, and on re-initiating work towards a roadmap under United Nations auspices. This comes at a critical time.

Mr. President,

We are very concerned about other events that have unfolded over recent days, including Houthi attacks on Tel Aviv and the subsequent Israeli strikes on Hodeidah. These developments further increase risks of a regional spillover and a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.

We reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure.

Following the strikes on Hodeidah on Saturday, the Houthi de facto Ministry of Health reported nine deaths and 83 people with injuries, including some with severe burns. No humanitarian workers were among the casualties.

As Council Members heard yesterday, the full impacts on the functioning of Hodeidah port are not yet clear. We are however aware of reports of damage to port infrastructure.

The port is a lifeline for millions of people across Yemen. Much of Yemen’s basic items are imported, including up to 85 per cent of its food supplies.

The majority of these imports arrive through Hodeidah. There are no viable alternatives to receive commercial imports at scale – Hodeidah port must remain open and operating.

Infrastructure that plays such an indispensable role must be spared.

Mr. President,

I would like to address broader threats to the safety and security of humanitarian workers in Yemen – an issue with serious implications for the humanitarian response.

It has now been nearly two months since the arbitrary detention by the Houthis of 13 United Nations and five international NGO personnel, alongside scores of others from local and national NGOs, civil society and the private sector. All of them are Yemenis.

To date, no charges have been laid against any of our UN and NGO colleagues detained.

No access or contact has been provided to their organizations, the United Nations or legal representation.

And we have no information on the whereabouts of the detainees or their condition.

While the Houthis have offered assurances of their wellbeing, no opportunity has been granted for independent or direct corroboration of this.

These events have taken a terrible toll on our colleagues in Yemen. We are doing everything we can to support them. But many of our staff, and of course the families of those detained, are terrified.

Concerted efforts continue at all levels to secure the release of those arbitrarily held. The United Nations is undertaking constant and determined advocacy with the Houthis, with Member States, and with all those with influence.

This includes in relation to the four United Nations personnel previously detained in 2021 and 2023.

As the Secretary-General has underscored, our colleagues who have been detained were dedicated to alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.

I reiterate our demand for their immediate, and unconditional, release.

And we urge Council members to stand with us and provide all necessary support to secure the liberty of our colleagues.

Mr. President,

These events are undermining humanitarian access and programming, and our ability to assist millions of people in need across Yemen.

Alongside rapidly spreading misinformation and disinformation targeting the international community, the detentions have caused widespread fear and anxiety among humanitarian workers.

And without the necessary guarantees for the safety and security of our staff, and respect for principled humanitarian action, we cannot operate at the scale required.

This is particularly serious as levels of food insecurity and malnutrition continue to surge across the country.

A staggering one in every two children under the age of five are now estimated to be experiencing chronic malnutrition or stunting.

Food deprivation levels have increased by 14 per cent since the start of the year – from 51 per cent to 58 per cent of the population. In Houthi-controlled areas, nearly one in 10 households rely on alms to obtain food.

This deterioration in food security and rates of hunger has been fueled by the prolonged pause in World Food Programme food distributions in Houthi-controlled areas, coupled with ongoing economic deterioration across the country.

Where food has been distributed, we have seen marked improvements.

In May, the World Food Programme rolled out an emergency distribution to more than 600,000 people in Hajjah and Hodeidah governorates. Interviews with around 200 households who have received this assistance confirm an 84 per cent improvement in food consumption.

If we are to prevent food and nutrition insecurity from worsening further in the coming months, it is critical that food distribution resumes across Houthi-controlled areas.

Mr. President,

Alongside improved access and the security of staff, adequate funding for all humanitarian programming is a key requirement.

Yet low funding levels continue to hamper our work.

In the first four months of this year, lack of funds meant that humanitarian partners providing nutrition assistance reached only 315,000 people out of the 2 million that were targeted.

And an average of just [2.9 million] people each month received food assistance out of the 12.8 million targeted.

Even those that we are able to reach are being affected by underfunding. Many are having to make do with reduced rations – around 40 per cent of what they need.

As a matter of urgency, I once again urge donors to step forward with additional funding for these critical programmes.

Mr. President,

Ultimately, the stabilization of food insecurity and malnutrition rates in Yemen – and an improvement in humanitarian conditions across the board – depend on a manifest improvement in the economic situation.

Over the course of the conflict, Yemen’s GDP has shrunk by more than half.

And recent analysis by the World Bank has found that GDP contracted even further in the last year.

The value of the rial in Government-held areas has continued to fall to record lows, recently reaching more than 1,800 rials to the US dollar.

This has driven already sky-high food prices even further out of reach for millions of people. The cost of the minimum food basket in Government-controlled areas is the highest it has ever been.

It is in this context that today’s announcement by the Special Envoy – of measures to bring the parties together on economic and other issues – is even more important.

I urge the parties to seize this opportunity to find sustainable solutions to these challenges. Millions of people across the country depend on it.

Mr. President,

The humanitarian community is committed to staying and delivering in Yemen – as best it can, for as long as it takes.

But amid growing hostilities, an escalating threat environment, and shrinking humanitarian operating space, this work is becoming much more difficult.

I urge this Council to do everything in its power to maintain unity, de-escalate rising tensions, and support the humanitarian response in Yemen.

Thank you.