I thank Special Envoy Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General Lowcock and Ms Al-Najar for their briefings.
I would like to express my appreciation to Mr Griffiths for his tireless efforts and dedication to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen. I wish him all the success in his new posting.
I also acknowledge the efforts of Mr Lowcock in support of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, as this is the last time for him to brief the Council on this item in his current role.
Although there has been a relative decrease in the intensity of fighting, it is deplorable that the hostilities with civilian casualties continue, especially when taking into account all the efforts made to establish a ceasefire, which several international and regional stakeholders have supported.
We repeat our call upon all parties to immediately put an end to hostilities, including the Houthis’ assault on Marib and the cross-border attacks on the territory of Saudi Arabia.
The parties must show willingness to compromise and agree to a sustainable and nationwide ceasefire in order to move forward with an inclusive political process. We look forward to the continuation of regional efforts in close cooperation with the new Special Envoy, whenever they take office.
We have taken good note of the points made by Ms Al-Najar. We consider the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, without fear of violence and reprisals, in the peace efforts, as well as the role of women in the humanitarian response, to be essential.
More attention should be paid to the vulnerability of women and children to the protection risks related to worsening economic and humanitarian conditions. It is also worrying that children continue to pay a particularly heavy price due to the hostilities, as over the past three years almost one in four civilian casualties in Yemen have been children.
We remind all parties of their duty to abide by their obligations under international law, human rights law and international humanitarian law. We also call for accountability for alleged violations. We call on the Government of Yemen and the Houthis to allow the Group of Eminent Experts access to Yemen.
We welcome the Third Senior Officials Meeting, which took place on 1 June, drawing attention to the increasing humanitarian challenges that Yemenis are facing. We fully support the calls for unimpeded access for humanitarian actors, as well as the need to find a long-term agreement on the import of fuel and commercial imports through the port of Hodeidah.