Delivered by H.E. Mohamed Abushahab, Deputy Permanent Representative

UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION

Check against delivery.

Madam President,

I thank Mr. Hans Grundberg for his briefing and for his efforts to reach a political solution to the Yemeni crisis. I also thank Ms. Joyce Msuya for her thorough briefing.

We welcome the maintenance of the truce and reaching an agreement to consolidate it over Eid Al-Adha. We hope to build on this progress to make the truce a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire.

At this stage, it is also essential to focus on moving forward with consultations on the security and economic tracks to maintain calm and build confidence while simultaneously removing all obstacles hindering the launch of comprehensive consultations on a political solution to end the Yemeni crisis.

Despite the maintenance of the truce, we condemn the continued collective punishment imposed on Taiz for over seven years as the Houthis continue to block the main roads leading to the city. This has forced civilians and cargo trucks to take longer and dangerous paths.

We had hoped that the Special Envoy’s briefing would include positive news for over four million residents of this besieged city. We deplore the Houthis rejection of United Nations’ proposals so far. This is despite several rounds of consultations in Amman, as well as the visit of the Special Envoy to Sana’a and Muscat to meet with the negotiators of the Houthi militia. The Houthi intransigence is a cause for real concern as it undermines the prospects of a sustainable peace and pushes us back to the first step. Therefore, we demand the Houthi militia to immediately lift restrictions on the movement in Taiz, while also demonstrating flexibility in all UN-led consultations.

We look forward to the renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement. We hope that the legitimate concerns of the Yemeni government regarding the provisions of the resolution and the numerous reports of the militarization of ports are taken into account.

In this context, we stress that the Houthis must stop their escalation, including launching drones and missiles at civilian areas. The Houthi militias must realize that there is no military solution to the Yemeni crisis and that only a peaceful solution is the way forward.

Furthermore, it is important to prioritize measures regarding the protection of civilians, including by stopping all violations of the truce, and clearing mines and their remnants. According to UN reports, mines unfortunately continue to cause a large number of injured and those killed since the beginning of the truce. In this vein, we commend the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center for removing nearly 350,000 explosive remnants of the war so far through the “Masam” project. Such humanitarian efforts help save countless lives at a time when the Houthi militias are ignoring the safety of the population and causing immense destruction throughout the country. We also stress the urgent need to address the situation of the Safer oil reservoir to avoid a serious environmental catastrophe.

In light of the challenges facing Yemen, we welcome the announcement of a financial package for development projects valued at USD 400 million by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is in addition to the USD 200 million to provide oil derivatives for power stations. This announcement falls under the USD 3 billion support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including USD 2 billion as a Saudi-Emirati deposit in the Central Bank of Yemen in Aden.

In conclusion, we renew our support for the efforts aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people and to bring security, peace, and stability throughout Yemen.

Thank you, Madam President.