Security Council Press Statement on Yemen
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Raimonda Murmokaitė (Lithuania):
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, and its commitment to stand by the people of Yemen.
The members of the Security Council expressed their grave concern that the demands in resolution 2216 (2015) are unmet, and demanded the full implementation of it.
The members of the Security Council welcomed the appointment of Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as Special Envoy for Yemen, reiterated their full support for the efforts of the United Nations and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Yemen, and further reiterated their request of the Secretary-General to intensify his good offices role in order to enable a resumption of a peaceful, inclusive, orderly, and Yemeni-led political transition process that meets the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Yemeni people.
The members of the Security Council called on the Secretary-General to convene a conference of all Yemeni stakeholders, with the intention of brokering a consensus-based political solution to Yemen’s crisis in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and relevant Security Council resolutions. The members of the Security Council emphasized that the UN-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process.
The members of the Security Council called on all Yemeni parties to attend these talks under the auspices of the United Nations and engage without preconditions and in good faith, including by resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation, rejecting acts of violence to achieve political goals and refraining from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition.
The members of the Security Council welcomed any efforts aimed at supporting the political transition in Yemen and that complemented and supported the UN-brokered negotiations and, in this context, noted the announced conference in Riyadh on 17 May 2015.
The members of the Security Council expressed their grave concern about the severe humanitarian consequences of the continued violence in Yemen. In this regard, they welcomed the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Yemen to implement a five-day humanitarian pause, and they called on all parties to respect a humanitarian pause. The members of the Security Council emphasized that for the humanitarian pause to be successful; all parties will need to transparently and reliably suspend military operations. During a humanitarian pause, the members of the Security Council also urged all parties to allow for the entry and delivery of essential relief items to the civilian population, including urgently needed food, medicine and fuel, and to facilitate the field activities of humanitarian agencies, in coordination with the Government of Yemen. The members of the Security Council urged all parties to facilitate the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as rapid, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to reach people in need of humanitarian assistance, including medical assistance.
The members of the Security Council called upon all sides to comply with international humanitarian law, including taking all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians, and to urgently work with the United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations to get assistance to those in need.