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UN / YEMEN HUMANITARIAN
STORY: UN / YEMEN HUMANITARIAN
TRT: 3:06
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 NOVEMBER 2019, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1.Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
22 NOVEMBER 2019, NEW YORK CITY
2.Wide shot, Security Council
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Ursula Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“We continue to call on the parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to take constant care to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ursula Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Ansar Allah authorities continue to enforce a growing number of restrictive regulations on humanitarian action. These restrictions regularly hinder assistance for millions of people. Although partners are still able to deliver aid, doing so requires constant engagement at all levels, often resulting in unacceptable delays for people who need help.”
6. Various shots, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Yemen:
“The United Nations continues to uphold its responsibility to bring the parties closer to ending the conflict. What is taking place at the moment, both in the south and in the north lays the necessary, indeed vital groundwork for that process.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Yemen:
“UNMHA, the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement, has been playing vital role in supporting the parties with the implementation of that agreement. I therefore would like to express some concerns here about increasing restrictions imposed on the movement of the Mission’s personnel in Hudaydah. These restrictions not only hamper the mission’s day-to-day operations, but also threaten the implementation of the Mission’s mandate. I hope that the relevant authorities will take all necessary measures to ensure the freedom of movement necessary for UNMHA to carry out its mandate.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11.SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission for the Republic of Yemen to the United Nations:
“The Yemeni Government calls once again on the international community and your Council to assert further pressure on the Yemeni militias to allow access for the UN technical team to the SAFER oil tanker so that it can conduct an assessment. This is necessary to avoid an environmental disaster for which the Houthi militia will be morally and legally responsible.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission for the Republic of Yemen to the United Nations:
“The Yemeni Government stresses once again its commitment to implementing the Stockholm Agreement fully. The Hodeida Agreement as well as the release of prisoners and detainees, these steps will be taken for humanitarian reasons and we also call for lifting the siege on Taizz.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council
Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ursula Mueller told the Security Council that the UN continues to call on “the parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to take constant care to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Briefing the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen today (22 Nov), Mueller noted that despites some incidents, there are some signs of progress in the country. She mentioned that in October, there were fewer civilian casualties than any other month this year, while September was the year’s deadliest month for civilians.
Hoping the violence will continue to decrease, Mueller said, “we continue to call on the parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to take constant care for spare civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
However, the humanitarian official noted that there have been some limited improvements, for example, Ansar Allah authorities have allowed more NGO projects to start over the last few weeks.
She stressed that despite the assurances, “Ansar Allah authorities continue to enforce a growing number of restrictive regulations on humanitarian action.”
Mueller continued, “these restrictions regularly hinder assistance for millions of people. Although partners are still able to deliver aid, doing so requires constant engagement at all levels, often resulting in unacceptable delays for people who need help.”
She also noted that the UN continue to seek a faster and more streamlined approach to Government processes to approve humanitarian projects, as well as to expedite humanitarian cargo arriving at Aden Port.
Also briefing the Council, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths said that the United Nations “continues to uphold its responsibility to bring the parties closer to ending the conflict. What is taking place at the moment, both in the south and in the north lays the necessary, indeed vital groundwork for that process.”
The Special Envoy reiterated the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) has been playing a “vital role in supporting the parties with the implementation of that agreement.”
He expressed some concerns about “increasing restrictions imposed on the movement of the Mission’s personnel in Hudaydah”, explaining that “these restrictions not only hamper the mission’s day-to-dayoperations, but also threaten the implementation of the Mission’s mandate.”
Griffith said, “I hope that the relevant authorities will take all necessary measures to ensure the freedom of movement necessary for UNMHA to carry out its mandate.”
Yemeni Ambassador Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi said his Government once again calling on the international community and the Council to “assert further pressure on the Yemeni militias to allow access for the UN technical team to the SAFER oil tanker so that it can conduct an assessment.”
He reiterated “this is necessary to avoid an environmental disaster for which the Houthi militia will be morally and legally responsible.”
The Ambassador also said, “the Yemeni Government stresses once again its commitment to implementing the Stockholm Agreement fully. The Hodeida Agreement as well as the release of prisoners and detainees, these steps will be taken for humanitarian reasons and we also call for lifting the siege on Taizz.”
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