UNITED NATIONS :The UN\u2019s envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has urged the country\u2019s warring parties to \u201cseize the opportunity\u201d presented by the recent China-facilitated agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to end the decade-long conflict that has made Yemen the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIntense diplomatic efforts are continuing at different levels to bring the conflict in Yemen to an end,\u201d he told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe parties must seize the opportunity presented by this regional and international momentum to take decisive steps towards a more peaceful future,\u201d the UN envoy said while briefing the 15-member Council on the situation in strife-torn country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are currently witnessing renewed regional diplomatic momentum, as well as a step change in the scope and depth of the discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nearly decade-long conflict in Yemen \u2013 and the resulting massive, protracted humanitarian emergency \u2013 began in 2014 when Houthi insurgent militias first took control of the country\u2019s capital and largest city, Sana\u2019a.<\/p>\n
Years of diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have followed, with the April 2022 UN-mediated truce agreement representing a major breakthrough, and yielding one of the longest lulls in fighting since the war began.<\/p>\n
Though the truce officially lapsed in October, after being renewed several times, Grundberg told the Council today that some of its most important elements are still in place.<\/p>\n
For example, commercial flights continue to operate three times a week between Sana\u2019a and Amman, Jordan, and fuel ships continue to enter ports in the city of Hudaydah, along with other vital goods.<\/p>\n
Major steps have also been seen in recent days in UN-led efforts to prevent a catastrophic oil spill from the moored FSO Safer, with the announcement of a deal to purchase the decaying oil tanker.<\/p>\n
The Special Envoy cited a \u201cstep change\u201d in both the scope and depth of diplomatic discussions on the crisis, praising regional efforts by Saudi Arabia and Oman in particular, and calling on all sides to provide time and space for those efforts to bear fruit.<\/p>\n
\u201cImpatience at this juncture risks a return to a cycle of violence and risks unravelling what has been achieved so far,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n
While the overall military situation in Yemen is relatively stable, it remains highly fragile, and reports of an uptick in the number and intensity of clashes in several frontline areas \u2013 particularly Ma\u2019rib and Ta\u2019iz \u2013 is cause for concern.<\/p>\n
Calling on the parties to exercise maximum restraint at this critical time, Grundberg emphasized that any understanding reached as part of the ongoing discussions must be urgently translated into a \u201cYemeni-Yemeni agreement\u201d under UN auspices.<\/p>\n
Also briefing the Security Council was Joyce Msuya, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, who agreed that the 2022 truce, and the fact that many of its key provisions have been maintained, have brought about a number of positive developments.<\/p>\n
The number of people going hungry in Yemen fell by almost 2 million people in the last year.<\/p>\n
However, she warned that Yemen remains a \u201cstaggering\u201d emergency, with more than 17 million people counting on aid agencies for assistance and protection in 2023.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, aid workers continue to face access restrictions, and in Houthi-controlled areas, Yemeni female aid workers are still unable to travel without male guardians \u2013 both within and out of the country \u2013 which is causing serious disruptions in the ability of agencies to assist women and girls safely and reliably, it ewas pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know donor funds are tight, and other crises are competing for their support,\u201d said Msuya.<\/p>\n
She nevertheless called on countries to urgently honour all pledges made at a recent Yemen funding conference in Geneva, and to fully fund the UN\u2019s $4.3 billion humanitarian response plan for the war-ravaged nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS :The UN\u2019s envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has urged the country\u2019s warring parties to \u201cseize the opportunity\u201d presented by the recent China-facilitated agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to end the decade-long conflict that has made Yemen the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crisis. \u201cIntense diplomatic efforts are continuing at different levels to bring the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-319851","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n