Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d'Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Yemen.
First, I would like to start by reaffirming this Council's strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Yemen, as well as to the Presidential Leadership Council and the Government of Yemen, as outlined in our statement of 23 December.
Disunity in Southern Yemen is in no one's interests and only undermines efforts towards lasting peace and prosperity for the Yemeni people.
Given recent events, our priority must now be stabilisation. After eleven years of conflict and insecurity, we must renew efforts towards dialogue and a comprehensive political settlement to provide the Yemeni people the future they deserve.
In this regard, we welcome the Southern Dialogue Conference announced by the Yemen Government and hosted by Saudi Arabia.
Second, we reiterate this Council's call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained by the Houthis. The UK strongly condemns the recent death sentences issued by the Houthi authorities and continued detention of aid workers. These actions flagrantly violate fundamental rights and due process.
Finally, we must not lose sight of the fact that Yemen remains one of the most acute humanitarian crises in the world. The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan projects 21 million people will be in need of assistance, an increase of 1.5 million since last year.
Levels of food insecurity remain worryingly high, with pockets of famine in parts of the country and growing rates of malnutrition amongst children.
With less funding available, the UN is rightly focussed on a global humanitarian reset to pursue greater localisation and prioritisation of humanitarian responses. If we act now, together with the UN, INGOs and Yemeni NGOs, we can reach the most vulnerable and limit already severe levels of suffering.
President, we have heard from Special Envoy Grundberg that, despite the many challenges, there remains hope for Yemen. The UK is steadfast in its support to the role of the Special Envoy and an intra-Yemeni peace process under UN auspices, to help build that more hopeful future.
