UNSC Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East (Yemen)

(December 14, 2021 - 1000 hrs EST)

Statement by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

Thank you, Mr. President. I thank Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and ASG Ramesh Rajasingham for their briefings. I welcome the Permanent Representative of Yemen to this meeting.

2. We are deeply concerned by the ongoing escalation of hostilities in Yemen. The military campaign of Ansarallah and the consequent intensification of fighting in Ma’rib Governorate and surrounding areas have caused large scale displacement and restricted the movement of civilians and humanitarian access to people in need in the Governorate. 

3. Another development of concern is the shift in the frontlines in Hudaydah because of redeployment of Government of Yemen-aligned forces away from the Hudaydah port city. The move has resulted in Ansarallah taking up key positions in these territories. This has altered the political-security dynamics in Hudaydah. The civilian population has been displaced as well. We encourage the parties to coordinate all future redeployments with United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA). We also condemn cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia. 

4. Yemenis continue to bear the brunt of this protracted conflict in their day-to-day life. While the Yemeni government, international and national aid organizations have exerted considerable efforts to alleviate their plight, the underlying causes of the humanitarian crisis have not been addressed. The considerable economic decline and the COVID-19 pandemic have only compounded the dire situation for the Yemeni people, children in particular. 

5. We support UNOCHA’s call for concrete short-term and long-term measures that could help improve the economic situation in Yemen and welcome their efforts towards the establishment of an economic framework to address the issue. Measures such as regular payment of salaries of government employees, removing restrictions on essential commodities and humanitarian goods and, Foreign exchange injections through the Central Bank can bring about quick and transformative impact. International support – political and financial – is an essential requirement for the framework to be successful. 

6. I also underscore the urgent need to address the issue of the SAFER oil tanker, which represents a serious threat that could cause an unprecedented environmental, economic, maritime and humanitarian crisis in the region. Ansarallah should prioritize a solution for repair and maintenance of FSO SAFER with a sense of urgency. 

Mr. President, 

7. As a long-standing friend of Yemen, India reiterates its call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire across Yemen followed by a robust and inclusive political process with full respect for Yemen’s unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. 

8. I call upon all parties to the conflict to end the fighting and engage unconditionally with Special Envoy Hans in his efforts to seek a political solution to the conflict. We support his inclusive approach to get all the parties in Yemen to the negotiating table. Such an inclusive approach must not only extend across parties, but within them as well through full and meaningful participation of women. We encourage him to continue his coordination with the countries in the region, as their cooperation would be critical to reach a long-lasting solution to the Yemeni conflict. We also call on countries in the region with influence on Yemeni parties to exert sincere efforts to restore peace and order in Yemen as it is in the shared interests of everyone.

I thank you. 

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