The Security Council today adopted a resolution extending the Secretary-General's monthly reporting on Houthi attacks in the Red Sea for six additional months, citing its many previous condemnations of the group's attacks on merchant and commercial vessels.
The 15-member Council adopted resolution 2812 (2026) (to be issued as document S/RES/2812(2026) ) by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation).
By its terms, members recalled all relevant Council resolutions on the situation in Yemen and the Red Sea, including resolution 2722 (2024) and extending its reporting request to the Secretary-General to provide written monthly reports to the Council on any further Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, until 15 July 2026.
The representative of the United States, one of two lead negotiators on the text, welcomed the adoption of the resolution, adding: "It reaffirms the Council's responsibility for continued vigilance against the Houthi terrorist threat to the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the surrounding waterways."
Global Impact of Red Sea Insecurity
The Houthi threat reverberates well beyond the region, creates risks for commerce and supply chains and endangers the safety of seafarers, she said. All Member States are obligated to implement UN sanctions against the Houthis, including by preventing the transfer of arms and dual-use items that advance Houthi weapons programmes.
Greece's representative, the other lead negotiator, agreed that the security environment in the Red Sea remains extremely volatile, as recent developments in southern Yemen and Somalia have shown. The Houthis have the means to continue their attacks, despite any temporary pauses. "Shipping companies are increasingly forced to divert vessels towards safer yet significantly more costly and longer alternative routes", she said, warning that restoring trust along critical international maritime routes remains essential.
"Challenges in the Red Sea have consequences far beyond its shores", agreed Somalia's representative, Council President for January, in his national capacity. The waterway's stability is closely linked to global peace and prosperity. He stressed the need to fully respect the sovereignty of Red Sea coastal States and neighbouring countries and rejected Israel's recent decision to recognize a breakaway faction in Somalia, which could set a dangerous precedent in the region.
China, Russian Federation Abstain, Question Value of Continued Monitoring
However, the two abstaining members struck a different tone, stressing that the Council's time and resources could be better spent elsewhere.
"We cannot support this document", said the representative of the Russian Federation. The technical rollover before the Council today has no added value. While Moscow will not block its adoption, at the request of its regional partners, she emphasized that - given the current reality - the Council would do better to monitor shipping vessels in the Caribbean, not in the Red Sea.
She pointed out that no incidents have been recorded in the Red Sea since September 2025, indicating that attacks in recent years were closely linked to the conflict in Gaza. As such, the Council's efforts should now be focused on advancing stability and lasting normalization in Yemen.
China's representative said his abstention reflects China's consistent position that safeguarding the Red Sea, a major global trade navigation route, is the responsibility of all countries. Voicing regret that, following the adoption of resolution 2722 (2024), one State took military action against Yemen and thereby escalated tensions in the Red Sea, he agreed with the Russian Federation's delegate that recent incidents were linked to the Gaza war and the Council can turn its attention to other matters of peace and security.
