UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION

Check against delivery.

We thank the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Mr. Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Griffiths for their briefings.

Over the past several years of the Yemen crisis, there have been many genuine regional and international efforts to support reaching a comprehensive political solution that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people. The UAE has worked to support all UN mediation efforts and peace initiatives based on our firm conviction that this is the only way to end the Yemeni crisis.

Unfortunately, the Houthis have not acted on these opportunities to reach a peaceful solution. Instead, they have exploited them to continue their hostilities, undermine stability, and expand their military presence on the ground. By continuing to choose violence over peace and imposing their control over millions of Yemenis by force, the Houthis have repeatedly demonstrated that they do not wish for this war to end.

In addition to their continued rejection of calls for a ceasefire and their grave violations against civilians, the Houthis’ leadership in Sana’a still refuses to engage positively with the United Nations and the proposed initiatives to end the war. Their escalatory actions have reached the level of launching terrorist attacks on neighboring countries and threatening maritime navigation. These actions reflect the future that will befall the region if the Houthis continue these blatant violations without deterrence.

In the face of their intransigence and escalation, my country welcomes the adoption of resolution 2624 and calls on all member states to follow the Security Council’s framework on this matter. We would like to affirm here that the end goal is not imposing sanctions, but rather it is to end the crisis through a political solution. This in turn requires the international community to use all of the means at its disposal to pressure the Houthis to stop their violations and hostilities, return to the negotiating table, and seriously engage in the political process.

Previous initiatives and negotiation frameworks, especially the Saudi initiative to end the war, provide a solid basis for the resumption of the political process. What is lacking, however, is the need for renewed diplomacy and the genuine political will of the Houthis to engage in these initiatives. We urge here to proactively ensure the meaningful and active participation of women in the political processes.

The UAE condemns the continued attacks launched by the Houthi terrorist group, including the recent drone attack on a refinery in Riyadh, as well as their repeated attacks on Abha airport and the missile launched towards the Red Sea. Such violations confirm once again the urgent need for Member States to strictly implement their obligations as outlined in the targeted arms embargo imposed by resolutions 2216 and 2624. This requires redoubling efforts to combat the smuggling of weapons and their components to Houthis via land and sea routes. We affirm that the continued imposition of sanctions on the Houthis is necessary until they realize that there is no alternative to a political solution that is chosen by the Yemeni people.

We reiterate our deep concern about the seriousness of the humanitarian situation in Yemen and the suffering of millions of Yemenis, especially women and children, who lack basic services. Furthermore, the health system is collapsing amid the worsening economic situation in Yemen. The exacerbation of these conditions is closely related to the Houthis’ continued military escalation and their continuation of heinous acts of violence against civilians in Yemen. The Houthis’ obstruction of humanitarian aid shipments and the confiscation of food supplies confirm the extent to which the Houthis ignore and exacerbate the needs of the Yemeni people.

Regarding the SAFER oil tanker, we commend the tireless efforts of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to reach the latest agreement, and we appreciate the role of the Kingdom of Netherlands. We hope that this agreement will prevent a disaster of this magnitude from occurring. To succeed, we must exert all efforts to pressure the Houthis to honor their commitments on this matter and stop their procrastination tactics. We note that any agreement with the Houthis on the issue take into account their pattern of behavior. As we have seen over the past four years, the Houthis have made insincere promises as a negotiation tactic, all while ignoring the warnings of an imminent environmental disaster if urgent maintenance work is not completed.

In conclusion, the UAE will continue working with the members of the Security Council to support a Yemeni-led Yemeni-owned peaceful solution that will achieve security, stability, and prosperity for the Yemeni people.