For more than a decade, the country has been ravaged by conflict between Houthi rebels and government forces. According to UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg, millions of lives remain at risk, and the prospect of peace remains elusive. “The appetite for a military escalation remains,” Grundberg warned.
While conflict continues to threaten lives, he noted that the economy has become the most active battleground. With the national currency in free fall and purchasing power severely diminished, poverty has become a constant companion for many Yemenis. “The little money people do have in their pockets is either falling in value or literally falling apart,” Grundberg said.
Seventeen million people currently face food insecurity, a number that could rise to 18 million by September without urgent humanitarian assistance. More than one million children under five are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition, putting them at risk of irreversible physical and cognitive damage, said Tom Fletcher, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
UN officials also raised alarm over regional developments, particularly attacks by Houthi-aligned forces, known as Ansar Allah, on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and retaliatory Israeli strikes on critical Yemeni infrastructure. “Yemen must not be drawn deeper into the regional crisis that threatens to unravel the already extremely fragile situation,” said Grundberg.
Despite these challenges, there are signs of incremental progress. In Taiz governorate, rival parties have agreed to jointly manage local water supplies, a move that will benefit more than 600 000 residents. Grundberg described the agreement as a promising example of how negotiations can support sustainable development and reduce dependence on aid.
He urged the Security Council to keep Yemen high on the international agenda and called for greater financial support from donors. “Yemen’s future depends on our collective resolve to shield it from further suffering and to give its people the hope and dignity they so deeply deserve,” he concluded.
--UN/ChannelAfrica--
