Tag: Middle East

Ambassadors were briefed by UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg, who reported on his ongoing engagement with representatives from the internationally-recognized Government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and opposing Houthi rebels, as well as regional and international actors.

Mr. Grundberg said he was encouraged by the positive and detailed discussions, noting that all interlocutors displayed willingness to constructively engage on the way forward.

Hopes for an agreement

“There is clear determination on all sides to make progress towards a deal on humanitarian and economic measures, a permanent ceasefire and the resumption of a Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices,” he said.

“While progress is being made, there are still issues that require further discussion. With sustained determination from the Yemeni parties, supported by a coherent and coordinated regional and international community, I believe that the outstanding issues can be resolved and that the parties will be able to commit themselves to an agreement,” he added.

Expired truce still delivers

Meanwhile, the landmark April 2022 truce that expired seven months ago continues to deliver benefits for Yemen’s people, as evidenced by commercial flights to and from the capital, Sana’a, and the entry of fuel and other commercial ships via the Hudaydah port.

Mr. Grundberg said although sporadic military incidents continue to occur, hostility levels are significantly lower than before the truce.

“But the fragility of the military situation, the dire state of the economy and the daily challenges facing the Yemeni people, provide us with constant reminders of why a more comprehensive agreement between the parties is so vital,” he stressed.

Violence and economic woes

He said there are continuing reports of violence across frontlines, particularly in Al Jawf, Ta’iz, Ma’rib and Sa’ada governorates, which highlight the fragility, and underscore the need for a formal ceasefire.

The envoy also expressed concern over the deteriorating economic situation in Yemen and restrictions on freedom of movement.

He said the Government is straining to meet its obligations to its own citizens, due to an inability to export oil, which accounted for more than half of all revenues last year. Additionally, inconsistent financial and economic policies in different areas of the country have hit both citizens and businesses hard.

He warned that lack of cooperation between the parties on critical monetary and financial issues means these challenges will worsen and potentially become more entrenched.

‘Cautious optimism’

“Despite these profound challenges, there is room for cautious optimism,” Mr. Grundberg told the Council. He pointed to recent positive steps by the parties, such as the release of hundreds of conflicted-related detainees and urged the sides to continue these efforts.

The Special Envoy was adamant that Yemen’s myriad challenges cannot be addressed through partial or temporary solutions, underlining the importance of an inclusive Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices.

“Only an inclusive and comprehensive political process can sustainably forge a new political partnership and bring the promise of a secure and economically stable future, in which State institutions function effectively and Yemen returns to peaceful relations with its neighbours,” he said.

Hopes for peace

The Council also received an update on the humanitarian situation in the country, where millions lack access to basic services.

“There are many hopes hinging on what is happening in Yemen. Hope that, at long last, there could be an end to this terrible war, and for a sustainable peace agreement,” said Edem Wosornu, Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division at the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.

So far this year, aid workers have reached more than 11 people each month with food and other lifesaving assistance, she said. However, they continue to be hampered by access constraints and a lack of funding.

Women humanitarians affected

Ms. Wosornu reported that “chronic access impediments” primarily occur in areas controlled by the Houthi de facto authorities.

“In particular, the ongoing restrictions on the movement of Yemeni female aid workers have severely disrupted the ability of agencies to operate and to reach those in need, particularly women and girls,” she said.

Regarding funding, she warned that the shortfall is increasingly threatening the ability to provide lifesaving and livelihoods assistance.

Humanitarians are seeking $4.3 billion this year to reach more than 17 million in Yemen. Despite the generosity of many donors, around 80 per cent of the appeal remains unfunded.

“Economic times are hard, but we must once again urge donors to do what they can to fund the Yemen appeal,” she insisted.

Unless donors meet the gap, 60 per cent of the people the agency assists in the Occupied Palestinian Territories will no longer be receiving food assistance in June, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced, adding that by August, the agency will be forced to completely suspend operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Representative and Country Director in Palestine.

“We have no option but to stretch the limited resources we have to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable families are met. They will go hungry without food assistance.”

In May, the funding crunch forced WFP to reduce the value of its cash assistance by around 20 per cent, to $10.30 per person.

‘Difficult choices’

The agency urgently needs $51 million to maintain its life-saving assistance in occupied territories, until the end of the year.

“These are difficult choices, but we have already exhausted all options to stretch the funding that we have,” Mr. Abdeljaber said. “We are grateful for the constant support that we received from donors over the years, but needs are growing, and resources are not meeting these needs.”

‘Pushed to the limits’

Vulnerable families in Gaza and the West Bank have been “pushed to the limits” by the combined effects of growing insecurity, a deteriorating economy, and the rising cost of living that is driving food insecurity up, WFP said.

Due to the steep rise in food prices and the constant instability, even the most basic needs have become unattainable leaving 1.84 million Palestinians – 35 per cent of the population – food insecure.

The situation is particularly dire in Gaza, where unemployment rates stand at 45.3 per cent and two out of every three people “struggle to afford to put food on the table”, WFP said.

“This past year has been a nightmare for thousands of poorer Palestinian families who have been pushed to their absolute limit,” Mr. Abdeljaber said. “The average cost of a family’s food needs increased by 20 per cent. For Palestinians with low purchasing power, every percentage point increase in prices leaves them unable to meet the most basic food needs.”

WFP’s assistance accounts for an average of nearly half what people spend on food, with monthly assistance, including $3 million injected into the Palestinian economy through such programmes as electronic cash transfers that allow people to buy wheat flour, vegetable oil, and frozen meat.

The loss of assistance will also take its toll on the fragile local economy impacting a network of 300 local shops contracted by WFP across Palestine, the agency said.

“We urge government donors and the private sector to continue their support to WFP during this difficult time,” he said. “Continued donor support has allowed us to provide a lifeline to Palestinians as well as build sustainable food solutions in Palestine. We need now, more than ever, to ensure that work does not stop.”

Human rights at risk

The UN Human Right Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence raised the alarm on Thursday following the recent escalation of hostilities in Gaza this week, with Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) airstrikes killing at least 12 civilians, including women and children.

Since 9 May, a total of 25 Palestinians, including six children and four women, have been killed and dozens injured in Gaza, according to data verified by the UN. At least three senior members of the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were among those killed.

“Buildings that the IDF struck reportedly included residential apartments,” he said, further raising concerns about whether the attacks complied with the principles of distinction and proportionality and whether Israel took sufficient precautions to avoid the loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, and damage to civilian objects.

According to news reports, Palestinian militants in Gaza on Wednesday fired more than 460 rockets into Israel, in response to Tuesday’s airstrikes, prompting the UN Secretary-General to issue a call for maximum restraint, by all sides, and an end to civilian deaths.

Mr. Laurence of OHCHR, urged all parties to take measures to de-escalate, and conduct prompt and transparent investigation into all killings, especially of civilians,” he said.

Escalating security concerns

The Secretary-General continued to follow with grave concern the dangerous escalation in Gaza and Israel, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Thursday afternoon.

“The Secretary-General calls on all sides to avoid further escalation and to end the hostilities,” he said. “It’s clear that the continued escalation of hostilities in Gaza only deepens civilian suffering and increases the risk the number of casualties both in Gaza and Israel.”

The UN chief’s Special Coordinator, Tor Wennesland, remained on the ground, actively engaged with all concerned in an attempt to restore calm, Mr. Dujarric said.

He said the ongoing hostilities are also obviously having a negative impact on an already difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza, with Israeli crossings with Gaza now closed for the third consecutive day.

Fuel reserves are being quickly depleted, forcing the Gaza Power Plant, which relies on regular imports of fuel from Israel, to reduce its operations, and other vital items also need to enter Gaza immediately, including food and medical supplies, he added.

The UN relief agency that supports Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has continued essential activities, including food distribution and health and sanitation services, but agency-run schools remain closed, he said.

Learn more about what WFP is doing to help Palestinians here and how UNWRA is helping here.

“We are at a potentially important juncture, with renewed attention on Syria – particularly from the region – that could assist our efforts in advancing a political solution to this conflict”, he said.

“But for this renewed attention to help unlock progress, many actors will need to take concrete steps – not just one set of actors.”

Diplomatic engagement continues

Mr. Pedersen said since the February earthquakes, diplomacy has continued involving the Syrian Government and the “Astana players”- a reference to the December 2019 meeting between Russia, Türkiye and Iran in the Kazakh capital – as well as “new openings of engagement” between Syria and Arab countries.

The envoy also continues his engagement towards facilitating a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process. He stressed that “the UN cannot do this alone” and needs the support of all key players.

“No existing groups of players – not the Syrian parties, not the Astana players, not the Western players, not the Arab players – can alone bring about a political solution,” he said.

“Unlocking each of Syria’s myriad problems requires several keys – each held by a different stakeholder, who cannot be overlooked, and who can block if excluded.”

Seize the opportunity

Progress will require getting a wider group of players to work together, he said, who will all have to make contributions, in a coordinated, multilateral effort.

“I will continue to engage directly with the Syrian parties and to remind them, and in particular at this juncture the Government of Syria, that they should seize the opportunity with a readiness to move forward on substantive issues,” he said.

Mr. Pedersen also underlined his readiness to facilitate inter-Syrian dialogue, including reconvening the Constitutional Committee in Geneva, which has not met in nearly a year.

In the interim, he continues to convene a broad spectrum of Syrians in Geneva and the region, including women’s and civil society representatives. “These meetings show that Syrians still have much that they can agree upon, across many divides,” he said.

Violence on the rise

Mr. Pedersen also expressed concern that the brief calm that followed February’s deadly earthquakes has further eroded. Violent incidents have been increasing in the northwest involving pro-Government forces, armed opposition forces and the terrorist group HTS.

He said relative calm in the northeast has been punctuated by Turkish and armed opposition groups targeting positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led militia, reportedly in response to SDF shelling and rocket attacks, including on Turkish soldiers.

Israeli strikes are becoming increasingly more frequent, while southwest Syria remains turbulent. Sporadic ISIL attacks also appear to be on the rise in some areas, with increasing Government, Russian and US-led coalition strikes in response.

‘Unprecedented’ needs

The current scale of humanitarian need in Syria is “unprecedented, even in the long and brutal history of the Syria crisis”, said Lisa Doughten, Resource Mobilization Director for UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, speaking on behalf of relief chief Martin Griffiths.

Referring to the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria almost three months ago, she said the UN was continuing to support recovery in the battered northwest of Syria.

More than three million have received hot meals and rations, while 1.1 million have received some form of healthcare.

Rubble removal

Over 470,000 cubic metres of rubble have been removed, but although progress has been made, “so much more needs to be done”, she told ambassadors. She said the devastation underscored the “dire reality” facing millions of Syrians:

“That 12 years of armed conflict, growing macroeconomic pressures, dwindling public services and decaying critical infrastructure, have left the population of Syria acutely vulnerable to shocks and stresses, let alone those as devastating as the recent earthquakes.”

Nearly seven million are internally displaced nationwide, many multiple times, she reminded. Around 80 per cent have been displaced “for at least five years”.

“Durable solutions are needed for this crisis, starting with an end to the conflict.”

She said the three available border crossings in the northwest, on the Turkish border, continued to be an essential aid corridor, with “near daily” interagency convoys reaching millions each month.

She told ambassadors that sustained support from donors, authorities on the ground, Member States “and this Council”, was essential “to keep pace with the humanitarian needs of today, and even more so, those of tomorrow.”