We thank the High Commissioner for his report. Unfortunately, the report says very little about the escalating human rights situation in Yemen, because the Council did not give the High Commissioner a mandate to report on that.
In the past year we have seen:
- The Houthis’ continued arbitrary arrest and disappearance of UN and civil society staff, and continued arbitrary detention of dozens of others;
- Increasing arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders, journalists, and others by all authorities across the country;
- Increasing restrictions on freedom of speech and information by all authorities across the country.
Furthermore, there is still no accountability for warring parties’ widespread violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law throughout the conflict. As a new front to the conflict has begun over the last two years, it is imperative that warring parties are still held to account for past violations so that these cycles of civilian harm do not continue to repeat.
Today, over half of the Yemeni population needs humanitarian assistance, including because of the destruction of civilian energy and water infrastructure by the warring parties.
Civil society organisations, including Yemeni NGOs, continue to call for the Council to establish an investigation and accountability mechanism as a step towards ending impunity for the years of rights violations. That lack of accountability is linked to the continuing abuses.
Whilst the technical assistance requested in the draft resolution, is welcome, a much more robust response is required from this Council. The HRC must not abandon the Yemeni people.
