Barran Press
The UN Security Council will hold its regular monthly open briefing and closed consultations on Yemen on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
According to a statement from the UN's website, monitored by "Barran Press," the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, are expected to brief the Council during the public session. The Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), Major General Michael Beary, will also brief the Council during the consultations.
While the meeting will focus on internal developments related to Yemen, it is also likely to address the impact of regional tensions on the country.
Council members are expected to reiterate key messages conveyed in Monday's meeting, including calls for the Houthis and Israel to avoid a cycle of retaliation; prioritizing dialogue; and respecting international humanitarian law, including the prohibition of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
During Monday's meeting, the three permanent members (France, the United Kingdom, and the United States) criticized the Houthis' destabilizing actions. Meanwhile, Council members like Algeria, China, and Russia emphasized that ending the conflict in Gaza is crucial to resolving the crisis in the Red Sea region and preventing further regional escalation.
The United States stated that it believes “the time may soon be ripe for this Council to consider additional actions in response to the growing threats from the Houthis.”
Several Council members urged member states to comply with Council resolutions on Yemen, including Resolution 2216 of April 14, 2015, which imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis.
Ambassador Jun-kook Hwang (Republic of Korea), who chairs the Yemen Sanctions Committee under Resolution 2140, highlighted the crucial role played by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) in ensuring compliance with the arms embargo. He also expressed concern about the increase in recent months of vessels entering the port of Hodeidah without being inspected by UNVIM.
Other key topics expected to be discussed at today's meeting include the Houthis' detention of 13 Yemeni national staff members from various UN agencies and offices, as well as staff from other aid organizations and civil society, since June.
Prior to the last Council meeting on Yemen, held on June 13, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Barbara Woodward, read a statement on behalf of 11 Council members, Yemen, 27 other member states, and the European Union, condemning the recent arrests and calling for the release of those detained.
The UK (penholder on Yemen) proposed a press statement on this issue but was unable to secure consensus due to opposition from China and Russia, who argued that further information was needed, among other reasons. (For more information, see the Yemen briefing in our July 2024 monthly outlook).
Several Council members are expected to call for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained Yemeni national staff held by the Houthis at today's meeting. They are also likely to request an update from the briefers on UN efforts to secure the release of the staff.
Strong expressions of concern are expected regarding the intensification of economic measures being employed by the Houthis and the Yemeni government.
During the meeting, Grundberg will update Council members on the latest meeting of the Supervisory Committee for the Implementation of the Prisoner Agreement, held on July 6 in Muscat.
Yesterday (July 22), the Council held an open briefing under the agenda item entitled "Threats to international peace and security" to discuss developments related to the drone attack that targeted Tel Aviv on July 19 and the subsequent Israeli response on the port of Hodeidah.