Alarmed by Civilian Casualties, Secretary-General Accepts Proposed Joint Review of Yemeni Cases Cited in Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General has stated repeatedly his alarm at the civilian casualties caused by all parties to the fighting in Yemen.  He has reminded all parties of the need to avoid civilian casualties and move immediately towards a lasting ceasefire.  On the CAAC [Children and Armed Conflict] report, he accepts a proposal by Saudi Arabia that the United Nations and the Saudi-led Coalition review jointly the cases and numbers cited in the text.  The Secretary-General shares the objective that the report reflects the highest standards of accuracy possible.

In this regard, the Secretary-General invites the Coalition to send a team to New York as soon as possible for detailed discussions, ahead of the Security Council’s discussion of the report currently scheduled for August.  Pending the conclusions of the joint review, the Secretary-General removes the listing of the Coalition in the report’s annex.