Delivered by H.E. Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative

UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION

Check against, delivery.

Mr. President,

I thank Mr. Hans Grundberg for his valuable briefing and fruitful efforts to secure the extension of the truce. I also thank Mrs. Ghada Madawi for her insightful briefing. We also thank Ms. Al-Salafi for her briefing.

As we have heard, the recent developments indicate that Yemen is at a critical juncture. Today represents a rare opportunity to achieve peace in Yemen and end the war that has exhausted its people. As the Special Representative noted, the two parties to the conflict are currently conducting negotiations aimed at deescalating violence and alleviating the suffering of civilians. My country welcomes these critical developments and calls for building upon them to reach a political solution to the conflict. The remarkable progress in the past two months brings hope that developments are proceeding in the right direction, as is reflected through the decreased levels of violence and improved movement of people and goods across Yemen.

We applaud the positive and constructive engagement of the Yemeni government in the consultation process co-facilitated by the UN, as well as the flexibility it has shown during the negotiations. Furthermore, we appreciate the efforts of the Council and the governments in the region in supporting the negotiation process. In particular, we appreciate the leading role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the efforts of the Sultanate of Oman. At this critical stage, we call for intensifying diplomatic endeavors at all levels to keep opportunities open. This also requires continued commitment from all sides and engagement in good faith.

We reiterate here the need to ensure meaningful and active participation of Yemeni women in the political process, especially considering their critical role in achieving comprehensive and sustainable peace. It is also imperative to ensure that youth are integrated so that their perspectives and aspirations are reflected in peace efforts. This will also empower them to assume a constructive role in their communities.

Mr. President,

We call on the Special Envoy to intensify his efforts during the negotiations to immediately open the main roads in Taiz – not only its secondary roads – in order to alleviate the suffering of more than three million Yemenis in the city. This step will also contribute to confidence-building between the parties, build on the current momentum, and advance the political process.

Despite the current truce, the Houthi group continues to mobilize and recruit across its areas of control. They continue to indoctrinate children with extremist ideology as part of extensive campaigns in so-called “summer camps”. They also subject children to military training in violation of the action plan that it recently signed with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Additionally, we stress the need to swiftly address the decaying Safer tanker to avoid a serious environmental catastrophe. In this regard, we commend the recent announcement by Saudi Arabia to contribute ten million dollars to alleviate this issue.

We are concerned over the continued deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which could be further exacerbated by the ongoing global food crisis. The UAE remains firm in its historical commitment to support Yemen and its people during these difficult times. Accordingly, my country, along with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recently pledged to provide a humanitarian and economic aid package amounting to more than 3 billion US dollars. However, we affirm that political solutions remain the only path to end the humanitarian crisis. As such, those who hinder the path to a solution must therefore stop such behavior that prolongs the suffering of the Yemeni people.

In conclusion, it has become clear that extremist projects pose serious threats to regional and international security when they are coupled with advanced and lethal weapons. Therefore, there is a need to firmly respond to these threats and to prevent Houthis from acquiring advanced weapons, such as drones and missiles. We also stress the need for the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in this regard.

Thank you, Mr. President.