The United States continues to support an inclusive political resolution to the war in Yemen that includes substantive input from women, civil society leaders, and other marginalized groups while providing much needed humanitarian aid to the people. “We welcome the launch of inclusive consultations by UN Special Envoy Hans Grunberg, and we call on all parties to participate fully in these consultations, which will inform a new, comprehensive UN framework for the peace process,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted that for a peace process to be successful, it must “incorporate the perspectives and the grievances of Yemenis across the country, including calls for justice and accountability.”
The United States welcomes the Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2624, which reminded Member States of their obligations concerning the targeted arms embargo on Yemen, and renews the travel ban and asset freeze against those threatening peace in that country. Stopping the illegal flow of weapons from Iran to the Houthis is a top priority. These weapons are only fueling the war, destabilizing the region, and exacerbating the suffering of Yemenis, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
Finally, Yemen remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, as evidenced by the latest highly concerning food insecurity data. To help meet the dire need for humanitarian assistance, the United States announced on March 16 it would provide nearly $585 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Yemen, the single largest U.S. contribution to date. With this funding, the United States has provided a total of nearly $4.5 billion since the crisis in Yemen began more than seven years ago.
With just 30 percent of the needed funding for Yemen’s humanitarian response raised on March 16, the United States calls on donors – particularly regional donors – to contribute funds to help address humanitarian suffering in Yemen.
This assistance is vital to saving lives and reducing suffering, but it must be able to reach the people who need it most, said Secretary Blinken. “We again call on all parties to cease interference in aid operations to ensure assistance is reaching its intended recipients.”
Humanitarian assistance alone cannot address the roots of this crisis; all parties to the conflict must halt hostilities to make way for a durable, inclusive political solution to this conflict for the sake of the people of Yemen.
