The situation in the Middle East - Security Council, 9858th meeting

As Tentative Reduction in Hostilities Opens Door for More De-escalation, Sustainable Resolution to Yemen Conflict ‘Still Possible’, Special Envoy Tells Security Council

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 01:28:56
• Production Date: 13 February 2025
• Asset Language: Arabic; English; French; Russian; Spanish; Chinese; Original
• Personal Subject: GENG SHUANG; HANS GRUNDBERG; ABDULLAH ALI FADHEL AL-SAADI; THOMAS FLETCHER
• Corporate Name: SECURITY COUNCIL; WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME - WFP
• Subject Topical: MIDDLE EAST SITUATION; UNITED NATIONS PERSONNEL; PERIODIC REPORTS; ABDUCTION; POLITICAL MOVEMENTS; ARMED GROUPS; HOSTAGES; DEATH; YEMEN SITUATION; DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS; LEGITIMACY OF GOVERNMENTS; ARMED CONFLICTS
• Geographic Subject: YEMEN
• MAMS Id: 3338960
• Parent Id: 3338522

Description

Briefer: Mr. Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen 

Briefer: Mr. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (via video-teleconference) 

Statements: All Council members, with Somalia speaking on behalf of: Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Somalia 

Statement: Yemen (Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi) 

“A sustainable resolution to this conflict is still possible,” said Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, highlighting a significant, albeit fragile, development in the Middle East with the ceasefire in Gaza. 

The tentative reduction in hostilities — a cessation of attacks by Ansar Allah on vessels in the Red Sea and targets in Israel — along with the release of the crew of the MV Galaxy Leader, offer a foundation for further de-escalation. “Yet, while we welcome this reprieve, we must also acknowledge the magnitude of challenges still facing Yemen,” he stressed, citing the fourth wave of arbitrary detentions of United Nations staff, conducted by Ansar Allah last month, as “a deeply troubling development”. He called for their immediate and unconditional release and an investigation of the death — while detained by Ansar Allah — of a UN colleague working for the World Food Programme (WFP). 

Painting a grim picture of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, with 19.5 million people in need of support, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that 64 per cent of the population are unable to meet their food needs, while 3.2 million children are out of school. Half of all children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, dying at a horrific rate mainly from preventable conditions. While humanitarian operations continue despite significant risks, he stressed that humanitarian partners cannot operate without guarantees of their safety. 

In the ensuing discussion, Council members echoed Mr. Grundberg’s call for a swift, transparent and thorough investigation into the death of a WFP staff member in Houthi detention earlier this week and the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained.

Related Sites and Documents

S/PV.9858

UN Press Coverage