Thank you very much for being here.

We are living the beginning of the end of one of the biggest tragedies of the 21st century -- the conflict in Yemen, the worst humanitarian situation that we face.

We need, first of all, to pay tribute to the courage and determination of the two delegations that were able to overcome many difficulties, many different positions, many obstacles, and to really start a serious process to build a common future.

Today’s agreement is particularly important because it includes Hodeidah. And it is my deep belief that the question of Hodeidah was the “make it or break it” [one], in relation to making sure that this could be the first step of a process that, we hope, will lead to the end of the conflict – or if it would just be a meeting between two delegations with some positive aspects but without a structural change in the situation that we face.

I strongly believe that the fact that it was possible to come to an agreement on Hodeidah will have a huge impact, both for the security situation of the area and for the life of the people of the area, but [also] a huge impact in the humanitarian situation of the country. The fact that we came to an agreement on Hodeidah – that many would consider the most difficult of the problems on the table – gives us the hope that this process will now be moving step by step and that we will be able overcome all the obstacles that we face, knowing that only a politic solution can solve the problem. There is no military solution in Yemen. I think all parties have understood that. And the agreement of today is a demonstration that they are serious in moving with all the obstacles, with all the difficulties. This will be a complex and lengthy process, but the parties want to move towards a solution and that is for me the most important signal of today’s meeting.

I want once again to thank our host. I want to pay tribute to the team that Martin Griffiths has led. I followed these negotiations closely and I have never seen someone shuttling so much, from capital to capital, speaking to so many people, so many times, to make sure it would be possible to come to where we are. And I pay tribute once again to the two delegations that were able to come to the understandings of today.

But allow me to repeat what I said in the session. I worked a lot with Yemen as High Commissioner for Refugees and I can tell you, the generosity, the solidarity, the hospitality of the people of Yemen is absolutely outstanding. I have seen Yemenis sharing the very little they had with Somalis coming to the coast, risking their lives to support those that were seeking protection in Yemen. Yemen which had problems, including already during the civil war, still receiving Somalis with their doors, their hearts and their borders open. It is a lesson for the world when unfortunately, so many borders, so many doors and so many hearts are closed today.

The Yemenis deserve all the efforts that the international community can make. And I felt also during this process that all the key regional actors and all the members of the international community, the permanent five members of the Security Council, all the elected members of the Security Council, all other countries that have direct or indirect contact with Yemen--they were all committed to make sure that peace would prevail and that we would really have a meaningful first step in the direction of peace.

There is a long way to go. There are lots of issues to discuss. There are lots of agreements still needed. This is just a beginning. But at least, it’s the beginning of a process in which there is a clear will to come to an end result that is peace in Yemen and the future that the Yemeni people deserve.