The Secretary-General met today in Paris with H.E. Mr. Khaled Bahah, Vice President of Yemen. He reiterated his deep concern regarding the continuing conflict in Yemen and the desperate humanitarian crisis in the country as a result, despite strong calls in the international community for an end to hostilities.
The Secretary-General noted that the conflict was causing a high number of civilian casualties, and all sides were committing violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.  With 80% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance in the country, he stressed the importance of all sides ensuring unhindered access for humanitarian workers.
He urged the Government of Yemen and the Houthis to engage as soon as possible in dialogue, without preconditions, through talks in Geneva organized by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, his Special Envoy for Yemen.
The two leaders also discussed the UN Climate Change Conference opening tomorrow in Paris, noting that Yemen was affected by climate change, including recently with two tropical storms.