News

UN envoy stresses need to ‘end conflict, not just manage it’ – Global Affairs

While continuing to rely on international support to implement, extend and extend the current ceasefire, Hans Grundberg stressed “the need to end the conflict, not merely manage it. “.

‘Building a lasting peace’

The UN envoy praised the sides for extending the ceasefire to October 2, continuing “the longest pause in fighting since the war began” more than seven years ago.

In addition to humanitarian and economic measures, the agreement has two months to negotiate to improve the lives of the Yemeni people and figure out next steps to end the conflict.

“We all need to remind ourselves that Failure to reach an agreement to extend the ceasefire will lead to new cycles of escalation and violencewith predictable and devastating consequences for Yemen’s population,” he said, calling on the parties to “build a lasting peace”.

The first UN-brokered armistice entered into force on 2 April and has been extended every two months since then.

Armistice is held militarily

Regarding the implementation of the current truce, Mr. Grundberg noted that over the next four and a half months, the agreement “continues to be widely maintained militarily”.

Neither major military operations nor confirmed airstrikes inside the country have occurred, nor have there been cross-border attacks originating from Yemen.

And while civilian casualties “reduced significantly”, he marked a “disturbing development” where child casualties are on the rise and currently account for about 40% of reported civilian casualties.

He detailed a “particularly horrifying incident” on July 23, when a mortar fire in Taiz on the Zaid al-Mushki neighborhood killed one child and wounded 10 others, condemning ” all such acts of violence”.

Incident management

Noting that the truce lacked an independent monitoring mechanism, he encouraged the parties to use its channels, such as the Military Coordination Committee (MCC), to manage these problems.

He updated that the MCC is scheduled to meet in Amman at the end of the month and that the parties will also set up a Joint Coordination Room to assist the MCC through de-escalation of operations.

A twelve-year-old Yemeni girl and her brother tutor math.

© UNICEF / Areej Alghabri

A twelve-year-old Yemeni girl and her brother tutor math.

Tangible elements

The envoy outlined key components of the truce, including the opening of Sana’a International Airport to commercial flights and the flow of fuel imports to the port of Hudaydah.

He reiterated the “key role of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM)” in facilitating fuel imports, warning that a funding shortfall could lead to to the closing.

Mr. Grundberg said that the parties continued to “emphasize the need to build on existing armistice“Including more economic and security priorities and lasting solutions to political problems.

Extended agreement

The senior UN official suggested that an expanded ceasefire should include a transparent disbursement mechanism to regularly pay civil servants and civilian pensions, paving the way in Taiz and other governments. other, regular fuel flows to the ports of Hadiyah and a “permanent ceasefire in preparation for the resumption of a Yemen-led political process under the auspices of the United Nations”.

He reminded that the latest extension allows the parties to work towards an extended armistice, under which he is “intensifying” his efforts to assist them in resolving outstanding issues.

“Due to the complexity of the issues being resolved and the time constraints we face, I urge the parties to show flexibility and respond positively if I ask them to convene to reached an agreement,” concluded the Special Representative.

Hans Grundberg (on screen), Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, briefs UN Security Council members on the situation in Yemen.

UN photo / Mark Garten

Hans Grundberg (on screen), Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, briefs UN Security Council members on the situation in Yemen.

Important Actions Needed

Ghada Mudawi, a senior official in the UN humanitarian office OCHAupdated the Council on the actions needed to strengthen the Yemeni economy, support UNVIM and increase funding.

On the economy, she emphasized that a worsening exchange rate is prohibiting people from buying food, nearly all of which must be imported.

Commercial imports are an essential lifeline‘ she reminded while noting that they fell in July for ‘fourth month in a row’.

Turning to UNVIM, she informed the ambassadors that although $3.5 million was needed for the UN team to support the private sector for Yemen’s imports until December, the mechanism would lapse if not approved. funding.

Presenting her final view, on the environment in which humanitarians operate, she asserts that “relief work is still more difficult and dangerous than it should be”, noting that the equivalent of about six crashes every day, mainly due to moving.

She pointed to detained and missing UN staff, emphasizing that all aid workers “should be released now”.

Safer Updates

Meanwhile, the UN is also rushing to raise funds for the Safer Tanker project.

The FSO Safer is a decomposing oil tanker moored off the Red Sea coast of Yemen. It was built in 1976 as an oil tanker and converted into a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) a decade later. Since the start of Yemen’s brutal civil war seven years ago, it has been virtually unmaintained.

“Several contributions, totaling $5.4 million, were announced in the last month, bringing the total amount pledged to about $63 million,” said Ms. Mudawi, however, the United Nations $144 million is needed to implement the full operational plan for the tanker, including $80. million to start urgent work to get the oil off the ship as soon as possible.

Click here to view the entire meeting.

Ghada Mudawi, Acting Director of Operations and Advocacy for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), speaking at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Yemen.

UN photo / Mark Garten

Ghada Mudawi, Acting Director of Operations and Advocacy for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), speaking at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Yemen.

Source link

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button