Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d'Affaires to
the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Yemen.
"First, I would like to start by reaffirming this Council's
strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and
territorial integrity of Yemen, as well as to the Presidential
Leadership Council and the Government of Yemen, as outlined in
our statement of 23 December.
Disunity in Southern Yemen is in no one's interests and only
undermines efforts towards lasting peace and prosperity for the
Yemeni people.
Given recent events, our priority must now be stabilisation.
After eleven years of conflict and insecurity, we must renew
efforts towards dialogue and a comprehensive political settlement
to provide the Yemeni people the future they deserve.
In this regard, we welcome the Southern Dialogue Conference
announced by the Yemen Government and hosted by Saudi Arabia.
Second, we reiterate this Council's call for the immediate and
unconditional release of all those detained by the Houthis. The
UK strongly condemns the recent death sentences issued by the
Houthi authorities and continued detention of aid workers. These
actions flagrantly violate fundamental rights and due process.
Finally, we must not lose sight of the fact that Yemen remains
one of the most acute humanitarian crises in the world. The 2026
Humanitarian Response Plan projects 21 million people will be in
need of assistance, an increase of 1.5 million since last
year.
Levels of food insecurity remain worryingly high, with pockets of
famine in parts of the country and growing rates of malnutrition
amongst children.
With less funding available, the UN is rightly focussed on a
global humanitarian reset to pursue greater localisation and
prioritisation of humanitarian responses. If we act now, together
with the UN, INGOs and Yemeni NGOs, we can reach the most
vulnerable and limit already severe levels of suffering.
President, we have heard from Special Envoy Grundberg that,
despite the many challenges, there remains hope for Yemen. The UK
is steadfast in its support to the role of the Special Envoy and
an intra-Yemeni peace process under UN auspices, to help build
that more hopeful future."
