Yemen Special Envoy Hans Grundberg informed the 15-member Council that despite the 2022 truce holding, the conflict remains unresolved, with Yemenis bearing the brunt of the uncertainty. “What we hear from Yemenis is that the front lines across the country are consuming resources, deepening fragmentation, militarizing society, and even forcing students and teachers to join armed groups to survive economically,” Grundberg stated. He added, “As long as the conflict in Yemen is not resolved, the risk of further instability continues, far beyond the potential for renewed regional tensions, both within the country and beyond.” Grundberg emphasized that parties must seize the current window of reduced regional tensions to make progress in reviving a political process that can sustainably end the conflict in Yemen.
Call for Release of Detained UN Personnel
The Special Envoy reiterated his call for the release of 73 UN personnel, most of whom have been arbitrarily detained by Houthi militias since 2024. “The Secretary-General’s recent statement highlighted that these detentions violate international law, inflict deep suffering on families, and impede the UN’s ability to assist millions of people in need,” Grundberg noted. He also mentioned that the Security Council condemned the detentions earlier this month and demanded the unconditional, safe, and immediate release of those detained. “The United Nations will continue to do everything it can to press for their release,” Grundberg asserted, urging the Security Council to sustain its efforts “until our colleagues are freed.”
UN Aid Chief: Every Funding Cut Has a Human Cost
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher echoed these calls, warning of the deteriorating humanitarian situation and stressing that without urgent action, acute hunger will continue to rise, leading to further loss of life. Earlier this month, new analysis from a leading UN-backed global food security platform revealed that nearly five million people—almost half the population in Yemen’s government-controlled areas—face high levels of acute food insecurity, a crisis that will deepen if international aid cuts persist. Fletcher stated, “The hunger crisis is not just about empty plates; it is about stolen lives and futures.” He highlighted that over 2.2 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, with many facing lifelong consequences without sustained support. Fletcher, who heads the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, observed, “As needs increase, support decreases.” He concluded, “Every funding cut has a human cost: a missed meal, untreated malnutrition, a community denied assistance.”
Three Demands for the Security Council
Fletcher reported that OCHA’s crisis response director is currently in Yemen, receiving direct accounts from communities grappling with repeated displacement, children out of school, spreading diseases, and women and girls facing violence and deprivation, with livelihoods destroyed by conflict, floods, and drought. “Local partners are stepping up, but they cannot do more without sustained funding,” Fletcher said. He presented three demands to the Council: securing the release of detained colleagues, providing funds for response (less than 15% of the humanitarian appeal is funded, forcing OCHA to reduce operations and leave people behind), and supporting peace efforts. “Humanitarian action can maintain the line, but only just. It cannot end this crisis. Aid can keep people alive. It cannot give Yemenis the future they deserve. Only a political solution, owned by the Yemeni people and supported by this Council, can do that,” he concluded.
