Pakistan calls for 'decisive steps' to resolve multi-dimensional crisis in Yemen
Pakistan
'We reaffirm our full support for the UN-led peace process'
NEW YORK (APP) - Pakistan has underscored the need for reinvigorating political dialogue in Yemen and to take “decisive steps” to address the multidimensional crisis the impoverished Arab country is facing in a bid to usher in peace and stability in the region.
“The international community must act with urgency to prevent further deterioration of the crisis and to pave the way for a future of stability and hope for Yemen,” Ambassador Munir Akram, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
“We reaffirm our full support for the UN-led peace process and stress the need for an inclusive, comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the conflict,” he said in a debate on the situation in Yemen.
In this regard, regional initiatives, particularly those led by Saudi Arabia and Oman, remain critical in advancing these negotiations, the Pakistani envoy added.
The crisis in Yemen, which worsened in 2014 after Houthi rebels (known officially as Ansar-Allah) seized the capital, Sanaa, has been marked by complex political and military tensions. More than 17 million people – half the country’s population – remain dependent on humanitarian assistance and protection.
Describing the humanitarian situation in Yemen as “tragic”, Ambassador Akram, said, “As we observe the holy month of Ramzan, millions in Yemen continue to endure extreme hardship.”
Currently, he said, 19.5 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance, including 17.1 million facing acute food insecurity. 4.5 million individuals are internally displaced, and 12 million children lack access to basic necessities such as food, water, shelter and healthcare.
“In this situation,” the Pakistani envoy regretted “deeply” the sudden cutoff of funding for humanitarian operation in Yemen, and called for filling the gap by the international community and donor countries, hoping they would step up their contributions to the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen .
Pakistan, he said, denounced the Houthi attacks on commercial and merchant vessels, but noted from a UN report that no new incidents of attacks on shipping have been recorded in the past month. This development, he pointed out, coincided with the ceasefire in Gaza.
“This underscores the urgent need to fully implement and preserve the Gaza ceasefire agreement in all its phases — a permanent ceasefire will not only serve the cause of peace in Palestine with Israel, but also contribute to regional stability, including Yemen.”
Ambassador Akram also strongly condemned the arbitrary detention of UN personnel, staff of international and national NGOs, and members of diplomatic missions by the Houthis, saying their safety and security must be guaranteed.
“We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals. This will also ensure the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian assistance to those in need.”
In conclusion, the Pakistani envoy reaffirmed, Pakistan’s commitment to supporting a Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process, facilitated by the United Nations.
Briefing the 15-member Council, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned that after several years of fragile truce, there was a “palpable” fear of a return to all-out war in Yemen.
“The current trajectory is deeply concerning,” he told the Council, updating them on the latest political developments in the country, where Houthi rebels – formally known as Ansar Allah – have been battling Governernment forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition, for more than a decade.
He spoke alongside UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher who updated on the recent humanitarian constraints and emphasized the impact of the worsening situation facing women in the country.
While a resumption of large-scale ground operations in Yemen has not occurred since the UN-mediated truce of April 2022, military activity continues – and the cessation of hostilities is increasingly at risk.
“We have seen a rise in rhetoric from the parties to the conflict, pre-positioning themselves publicly for military confrontation,” Grundberg said.
“We must not allow this to happen. Words matter. Intent matters. Signals matter. Mixed messaging and escalatory discourse can have real impacts,” he underscored.
The Special Envoy described recent reports of shelling, drone attacks, infiltration attempts and mobilisation campaigns recently witnessed in Ma’rib as well as in other areas such as Al Jawf, Shabwa and Ta’iz.
He also deplored the Houthis’ arbitrary detention of UN personnel and workers from other organizations – some for years, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees.
“Some colleagues’ parents have passed away while they have been in detention, without knowing the fate of their children,” he gravely noted.
Tom Fletcher drew the Council’s attention to the recent funding cuts UN agencies have been facing, “which have been a body blow” to aid workers efforts to save lives.
“It is the pace at which so much vital work has been shut down that adds to the perfect storm that we face”, he said.
The Humanitarian Coordinator explained the implications of such cuts, which will put aid workers in impossible situations where they have to choose “which lives not to save”.
As the world readies itself to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, Fletcher emphasised the “deliberate pushback against equality” witnessed in Yemen.
The crisis has disproportionately and devastatingly impacted women and girls. In 2021, Yemen ranked second to last in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. And “there is no sign of progress for them,” Fletcher noted.
Yemen’s maternal mortality rate is the highest in the Middle East – more than ten times that of Saudi Arabia or Omaan.
Meanwhile, 1.5 million girls remain out of school, denying them their right to education and preventing them from breaking the cycles of discrimination and violence.
As funding for Yemen evaporates, “the numbers in my next briefings will be worse,” Fletcher put to the room. And yet, despite bearing the greatest burdens of war, displacement and deprivation, women remain on the frontlines of survival and recovery.
“We will do what we can to support them with the dwindling resources we have,” he said.
It is a tough time to be a humanitarian but “much tougher for the people we serve,” Fletcher added. “The decisions you take will determine whether it gets worse.”
The now unfolding US designation of Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization has complicated international cooperation in peace efforts.
Preserving “the mediation space for the Yemenis” under the auspices of the UN to reach a just and inclusive peace is crucial, Grundberg said.
Reiterating his office’s commitment to its role, Grundberg highlighted that it would convene “the parties at any opportunity to bring an end to this decade-long conflict,” emphasising that any political process needs to include a “broad spectrum of Yemenis”.
“While this is possible to achieve, the environment for this to happen must be conducive,” he said. “Positive developments must be put on a more permanent footing.”
“We owe it to the millions of Yemenis not to waver or falter in our determination on this,” he concluded.
