Yemen
Yemen
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
The situation in Yemen continues to worsen with multiple crises, including climate change, the alarming increase in cholera cases, the “pause” of the General Food Assistance program—which will adversely impact nearly 9.5 million people already experiencing food insecurity, especially women—and violation of human rights, including the right to water. Any forthcoming discussions about the situation in Yemen should be based on gender-sensitive conflict analysis. Security Council members should articulate their unwavering support for an inclusive Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process with the full, equal and meaningful participation of diverse women, youth and civil society of all political backgrounds from all regions of Yemen, including in the truce and ceasefire negotiations, as well as broader political and peace processes. Relatedly, Council members should demand that all UN-supported peace committees include women, including the Prisoners’ Exchange, the Taiz Committee, and the Security and Military Committees, as well as any committees formed in the future. Council members should demand all parties to the conflict, and their allies, uphold international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, and emphasize that women’s human rights should be non-negotiable in any peace and political process. Women and girls face restrictions on their freedom of movement, resulting from the requirement that women be accompanied by a mahram (male guardian), lack of access to basic services, including higher education and sexual and reproductive health services, and threats and risks, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, hate speech and even targeted killings, particularly for women human rights defenders and journalists. Ongoing restrictions on the operations of women-led and civil society organizations have created a shrinking space for women’s social and political participation. Council members should reinforce the unacceptability of the increase in cyber-attacks and violence targeting women, which is threatening their safety and preventing their participation in public life. Military action, such as airstrikes on Yemen’s port facilities, is likely to have a disproportionate impact on women and girls and can prevent aid from reaching those most in need. Council members should prioritize diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and reiterate their full support for the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen to secure a sustainable settlement to Yemen’s protracted conflict.