UN: Yemen's 'fragmentation' is becoming 'pressing threat' - UN envoy

W/S UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting, UN headquarters, New York City
SOT, Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen: "As we have seen in Aden and Abyan, questions regarding Yemen's future are being posed more forcefully than before. The fragmentation of Yemen is becoming a stronger and more pressing threat. And this, of course, makes our efforts in the Yemeni peace process more urgent than ever, and there is no time to lose. The stakes are becoming too high for the future of Yemen, the Yemeni people and indeed the wider region."
M/S Yemeni Permanent Representative to UN Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen: "Simply stated, a continuation of this current situation is simply untenable. Functioning of state institutions will almost certainly may break down further and daily life for the people will become even more difficult than it is already the case. There is indeed a grave and present risk of further damage to Yemen's social fabric and the spread of violence to other southern governorates. At this time, Madam President, it is frankly difficult to know where events will lead us."
W/S UNSC meeting *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Ursula Mueller, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Relief Emergency Coordinator: "The images from these and similar incidents are the stuff of nightmares. We urgently need de-escalation across Yemen - ideally through a nationwide ceasefire that will end all violence. But ceasefire or not, all parties must uphold international humanitarian law."
M/S Delegates *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Ursula Mueller, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Relief Emergency Coordinator: "Since the pledging conference six months ago, nearly all donors have paid most or all of their 2019 pledges. Some have paid even more. But the largest donors - Yemen's neighbours in the coalition - have so far paid only a modest share of what they promised. Essentially, programmes are now closing down. You heard last month about vaccination campaigns, supplies for health facilities and cholera prevention programmes that had been cancelled. These cuts are now much deeper."
M/S Delegates *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, Yemeni Permanent Representative to UN (Arabic): "What the temporary capital Aden and government institutions witnessed in the past few days was an armed rebellion against the legitimate government by what is called the Sothern Transitional Council and its Security Belt Forces with financial, logistic, and media support by the United Arab Emirates."
W/S Delegates
SCRIPT
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths warned that Yemen faced the risk of "fragmentation," which he said "is becoming a stronger and more pressing threat." He made the statement when addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC) via video-link from Jordan, during a UNSC meeting at the UN headquarters in New York City on Tuesday.
"As we have seen in Aden and Abyan, questions regarding Yemen's future are being posed more forcefully than before. The fragmentation of Yemen is becoming a stronger and more pressing threat," stressed Griffiths.
The UN special envoy noted that peace efforts in Yemen are "more urgent than ever," adding that "there is no time to lose."
Griffiths also argued that a continuation of the current situation in Yemen "is simply untenable," as it poses "a grave and present risk of further damage to Yemen's social fabric and the spread of violence to other southern governorates."
Mandatory credit: UNIFEED pool