Thank you, President, and thank you for the briefings from Ms. Mudawi and Special Envoy Grundberg.
In the name of the United Kingdom, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Grundberg for his continuous leadership, which has been essential in achieving this ceasefire extension for a further two months.
For the Yemeni people, it means an extra two months of mostly peaceful conditions and the opportunity to continue enjoying the advantages of the confidence-boosting measures.
The 720 000 metric tonnes of oil that were delivered into Hodeidah Port during the previous four months have significantly reduced fuel costs for average Yemenis.
The commercial round-trip planes leaving from Sana’a have given Yemenis newfound mobility.
While we appreciate the truce’s prolongation, the difficulty of the next two months is something we are aware of and have heard about today.
We urge the parties to uphold their promises and to carry on their beneficial dialogue with the UN Special Envoy.
The interests of all parties and the Yemeni people are served by continued collaboration and an extension of the cease-fire.
The humanitarian situation can only be resolved via peace. Yemeni civilians have clearly benefited from the ceasefire, but the country’s people have continued to suffer as a result of increased global commodity prices and a lack of humanitarian support.
An research by the World Food Programme in June revealed that Yemen has among of the highest rates of insufficient food intake ever noted.
Due to a lack of finance, 3 million fewer Yemenis will get the necessary meals this cycle. Without further donations from donors, the situation will only worsen and negate the positive effects of the cease-fire.
The financing gap is hurting the humanitarian response. Indeed, no amount of funds can help people in need if there is no access for humanitarian organisations.
Yemenis ought to be able to live in peace without having to worry about starvation.
While we appreciate the improvements brought about by the cease-fire, the worry of a leak from the FSO SAFER still hangs over Yemen and the surrounding area.
Immediate action is required to prevent a humanitarian and environmental disaster.
The UK was happy to offer a fresh $2 million investment to the UN mission on July 18th, but we implore our partners to rapidly close the £20 million funding shortfall before it is too late.