On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi, a member of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, stated that the internationally recognized Yemeni government faces a wave of challenges, including fulfilling essential commitments to citizens and defending their dignity and freedom against the projects of the Houthis and other collaborating terrorist organizations.

In his speech at the opening of the COP29 Climate Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Al-Alimi emphasized that the Yemeni government is also committed to leading national strategies to address the negative impacts of climate change, according to the official Yemeni News Agency Saba.

He outlined these strategies as "enhancing institutional capacities, adopting sustainable policies aimed at adapting to climate changes and mitigating their effects, improving natural resource management, and developing local communities' abilities to face disasters, especially in rural and coastal areas."

In his address, Al-Alimi stated, "Preserving our planet is not an option; it is a duty for all of us. The Earth is our home and the legacy we will leave for future generations. We believe that facing these challenges requires broad and serious international cooperation. Addressing these challenges is not just an investment in the present but an investment in our shared future."

He highlighted that Yemen is beset by deep crises—political, security, economic, and humanitarian—that intersect with a global climate crisis characterized by droughts, accelerated desertification, rising temperatures, sea levels, and destructive cyclones.

"For example, the cyclones and sudden floods that hit my country this year caused dozens of casualties, displaced over 100,000 people, and resulted in infrastructure and agricultural losses estimated at around $350 million," Al-Alimi said.

He noted that "all these factors have been exacerbated by complex climate changes, increasing the fragility of our humanitarian and economic situation, which has been further strained by a war lasting more than ten years, ignited by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia."

Al-Alimi pointed out the destruction caused by the Houthi war, including the devastation of infrastructure, the displacement of millions of Yemenis, and significant loss of life and property, including the planting of millions of landmines by the militias.

He also addressed the Houthi threat to the marine environment through their terrorist attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean, stating, "The world still vividly remembers the severe environmental threat posed by the Safer oil tanker and the oil tanker 'Sunion'."

Al-Alimi emphasized that "discussing the state of our planet cannot overlook the impacts of wars and gross violations on the future of human life, as exemplified by the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon, which constitutes a crime against humanity and nature alike—a crime against life."

On Monday, Al-Alimi arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan, to lead Yemen's delegation at the COP29 Climate Summit, one of the prominent international events addressing global climate challenges.

According to the Yemeni News Agency Saba, Al-Alimi was received at Azerbaijan International Airport by Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov and several officials.