UN Humanitarian chief: Access constraints widespread in Yemen
UN Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths' statement to the Security Council on Yemen
I want to start by echoing the Special Envoy’s warm words of welcome to the incoming members of this Council.
As we usher in a new year, I am hopeful that a decisive turn in this conflict remains possible. That under Hans’ skilled efforts, the parties can renew the truce and take steps to end this war. Hans’s presence in Sana’a today is a positive indication in this regard.
But at the same time, I fear that 2023 will be another extremely difficult year for Yemenis. Humanitarian needs remain alarmingly high, as the country’s economy continues to weaken and basic services hang by an ever-thinning thread.
Meanwhile, people’s access to humanitarian assistance is being impeded, as aid agencies are forced to contend with an increasingly challenging operating environment and funding landscape.
Mr. President,
In 2023, an estimated 21.6 million people across Yemen will need humanitarian assistance and protection services.
While staggering, this figure does not truly convey the reality or extent of people’s suffering.
It does not relay the impossible choices parents make as they struggle to feed their children. It does not tell us the story of those families whose hopes of returning home are fading with each passing year. And it does not reflect the fear and risk that people face – especially women and girls – while doing simple activities, like fetching water or walking to school.
In the coming weeks, the humanitarian community will release its plan for the coming year to respond to these needs.
However, we cannot do this important work alone.
In 2022, thanks to strong donor support, aid agencies delivered life-saving assistance to almost 11 million people every month. We did this despite an increasingly challenging operating environment and persistent funding gaps across a number of sectors.
I urge the international community to continue to stand with the Yemeni people this year by giving generously to the humanitarian appeal and helping to narrow funding gaps for life-saving programmes.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian community will continue to do its part to strengthen the aid operation.
This includes redoubling our engagement with all parties to the conflict to remove impediments, and strengthening monitoring and accountability mechanisms, in line with the recommendations of the inter-agency evaluation that came out last year.
Mr. President,
As we have briefed this Council before, access constraints remain a major obstacle in Yemen.
Last year, humanitarian partners reported more than 3,300 access incidents. That’s the equivalent of almost 10 a day. Collectively, these incidents affected the provision of assistance to more than 5 million people.
Bureaucratic impediments are the most frequently reported constraints, including restrictions on humanitarian movements, and delays in visa and work permit approvals. We have seen some progress in Houthi-controlled areas with approvals in project agreements during December. But this is not enough, as procedures remain extremely cumbersome.
We also have to cope with attempted interference, which is prevalent at every stage of aid delivery. This problem is particularly severe in Houthi-controlled areas, where authorities often try to compel the selection of certain contractors, restrict the travel of aid workers or otherwise seek to influence aid operations.
These constraints are delaying the delivery of urgent assistance and making the aid operation less effective and efficient.
Mr. President,
I am particularly concerned about the imposition of strict mahram requirements, primarily in areas under the control of the Houthi de facto authorities.
These restrictions have wide-ranging and unacceptable operational impacts.
They prevent Yemeni women aid workers from travelling without a male guardian, both inside and out of the country. They curb the work of our staff, and they limit the social and economic participation of female humanitarians.
They impede effective programme delivery by forcing delays or even suspensions of critical missions and programmes. And they are increasingly severing our access to Yemen’s most vulnerable people, especially women and girls, who are already so disproportionately affected by the crisis.
Despite our continued engagement with the Houthi de facto authorities, and despite the commitments made by those same authorities to find solutions, we have yet to see any tangible change. Instead, mahram restrictions have only become more prevalent and entrenched.
After many months of discussion, we are still trying to work with the authorities to find an acceptable path forward. But with every day that passes without a solution, this issue is becoming more acute and more urgent.
Mr. President,
The security situation in Yemen also remains extremely difficult for humanitarians. Last year, aid agencies reported almost 150 incidents of violence against their personnel, assets and facilities, the vast majority of them taking place in Government-controlled areas.
Just last month, the office of a humanitarian NGO was attacked in Aden. Thankfully there were no casualties, but some damage to the office’s facilities was reported.
Two UN staff also remain detained in Sana’a after 14 months, and another five are still missing after being kidnapped in Abyan almost a year ago.
Mr. President,
These trends that I am describing – of increasing interference, restrictions and violence – simply cannot continue.
Aid workers – including female Yemeni aid workers – must be able to carry out their work safely, independently, rapidly, and without hindrance or arbitrary restrictions. Anything else is an affront to the people we serve, forcing them to wait too long or even go without the assistance they need.
I appeal to all parties to the conflict to facilitate the safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief to all civilians in need, and to protect humanitarian personnel and assets, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Mr. President,
Over recent months, we have seen signs of increasing economic tension emerge between the parties, with potentially harmful consequences for the people of Yemen and the aid operation.
We know from experience that even a small deterioration in Yemen’s economy can have major ripple effects for millions of people.
Despite some appreciation last year, the Yemeni rial is now trading at 1,250 to the dollar in Government-held areas – the lowest point since the truce was announced in early April.
I urge the parties to do everything possible to avoid any actions that could further destabilize the economy or otherwise negatively impact humanitarian needs or the response.
And I call on the international community to redouble its efforts to boost Yemen’s economy and restore basic services, which will, of course, also serve to reduce humanitarian needs as well as the size and price tag of the aid operation in the long run.
Mr. President,
Every month we brief this Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen and advocate for the means to respond to people’s needs. And we will continue to do so for as long as it takes.
But ultimately what the people of Yemen really want is not year-on-year humanitarian appeals and perpetual descriptions of their suffering. They want a lasting end to this conflict and the chance to rebuild their communities and country.
So, I want to end my statement where I started it: This year brings a genuine opportunity to move the political process forward. The international community – and more importantly the parties to the conflict – must not let this chance go to waste.
Thank you, Mr. President.