October 15, 2024
Thank you, Madam President. And thank you, Special Envoy Grundberg, Acting Under-Secretary-General Msuya, and Ms. Jumaan for your briefings.
Last week, we marked a solemn milestone: one year since Hamas’ brutal October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
This week, we mark yet another grim anniversary: one year since the Houthis, seeking to exploit this devastation, launched cruise missiles and drones at Israel.
Much has changed in the months since. And yet, the Houthis continue to sow chaos and disruption, threatening international peace and security.
Over the last year, the Houthis have taken the lives of innocent seafarers and disrupted essential imports to regional populations.
They have boasted about their increasingly sophisticated weapons, which not only cause significant damage to passing ships, but threaten environmental disaster.
And a few weeks ago, just hours after Israel eliminated the leader of Hizballah, the Houthis fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at civilian infrastructure in Israel – including Ben Gurion International Airport.
The Houthis are not acting alone. There is verifiable evidence they have been receiving weapons and military supplies from Iran, in violation of the UN arms embargo.
And there are alarming public reports a permanent member of this Council considered providing the Houthis with supersonic anti-ship ballistic missiles and may be negotiating to give them small arms.
And so, it has never been more important to enforce the arms embargo established under Resolution 2216. Put simply: violators should know there will be costs to supplying arms to the Houthis.
In addition, this Council should take steps to strengthen the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism. This mechanism is critical to stanching the flow of weapons to the Houthis. And yet, right now, it is hamstrung by funding gaps and personnel shortfalls.
For our part, the United States has provided a million dollars to UNVIM in 2024, and we have approached many capitals to request additional contribution to its 2025 budget with no restrictions.
Now is the time for everyone to step up, and provide the funds needed for UNVIM to hire additional monitors and fulfill its mission. Because frankly, it needs to fulfill its mission.
This mechanism isn’t perfect, but it is a way to ensure arms and related materiel are not illicitly smuggled to the Houthis by Iran, or any other malign actor.
Of course, the instability is hardly restricted to the Red Sea.
Inside Yemen, we continue to see rampant injustice.
Humanitarians, along with UN and embassy personnel, have been abducted. And we are extremely concerned the Houthis have reportedly started referring detainees to their so-called “State Security Court” – known for its use of video-recorded forced confessions, among other abuses.
Let me be clear: no “judicial process” in the Houthis’ hands has a shred of legitimacy. And we repeat our demand for the immediate release of those being held.
Given these developments, the United States stands firm in our belief that the UN and international community cannot continue “business as usual.”
The time has come for the UN to adjust its non-lifesaving, non-life-sustaining programming and operations in Yemen to ensure the safety and security of all personnel.
We were glad to see Acting Under-Secretary-General Msuya call for this recalibration last month. Now, the UN country team and its agencies in the field must take immediate action to implement it.
Colleagues, the Yemeni people aspire for a freer, fairer, more prosperous future. For a country that respects their human rights and upholds their fundamental freedoms.
Let us stand for a Yemeni-Yemeni political process that leads to a durable end to this conflict. And let us stand by the Yemeni people as they call for justice, accountability, and peace.
Thank you, Madam President.