Co-chairs’ Statement on Ministerial Yemen Meeting, Monday 28 September 2015

Statement issued on behalf of:

• The Rt Hon Justine Greening, UK Secretary of State for International Development

• H.E. Ambassador Hesham Youssef, Assistant Secretary-General, Organization of Islamic Cooperation

• Mr Stephen O’Brien, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

On 28 September we hosted an international meeting on the appalling humanitarian situation in Yemen. Civilian suffering has reached unprecedented levels. Thousands of civilians have been killed since the conflict intensified and thousands more have been injured. Eighty per cent of the population urgently needs humanitarian assistance. Social services have collapsed and the situation will only worsen if imports and humanitarian access do not improve.

We agree to do more to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen and that immediate action is needed:

All parties to the conflict should facilitate unimpeded and immediate humanitarian access to all people in need in Yemen. Commercial and humanitarian shipping, including of fuel for civilian use, must enjoy unfettered access to Yemeni ports. We ask all parties to lift any such restrictions and to give public assurances to this effect.

All parties to the conflict must uphold their responsibilities and obligations under international humanitarian and human rights laws, and take all necessary measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including airports, sea ports, markets, schools and medical facilities.

We agree the urgent need to bridge critical gaps in funding for the humanitarian response and improve the effectiveness of the international response, including support to the UN to scale up its operations. The Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is 44 per cent funded. We commend the generosity that Member States have shown so far and urge everyone to commit more resources to the humanitarian response in Yemen.

We agree to encourage as many as possible within the international community to advocate for all the people of Yemen and pledge to collectively alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. We call upon all parties in the conflict to engage with the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen to a lasting ceasefire and reach a durable political solution. We also call upon all parties to respect all relevant Security Council resolutions in this regard.