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Humanitarian situation in Yemen “desperate,” Secretary-General António Guterres (Media Stakeout)

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Remarks to the press by H.E. Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, on Yemen.
Calling the humanitarian situation in Yemen “desperate,” Secretary-General António Guterres said all efforts must be made “to prevent the already dire conditions from deteriorating into the worst famine we have seen in decades.” On the political side, he added, “there are signs of hope” and stressed that the international community “has a real opportunity to halt the senseless cycle of violence and to prevent an imminent catastrophe.”
Speaking today (2 Nov) to reporters in New York, the Secretary-General said it was “essential that the Yemeni parties engage in good faith and without pre-conditions with my Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, to reach a negotiated political settlement to end the conflict.”
The urgency of the humanitarian crisis, he said, “leaves no room for complacency,” and welcomed “recent announcements by Yemeni parties expressing readiness to resume consultations.”
Guterres said “more and more countries” are “helping to create the conditions, for the parties to understand the need not only of a cessation of hostilities, but to engage in serious political discussions.”
The Secretary-General called for several steps to be taken urgently: an immediate cessation of hostilities, especially in densely populated areas; clearance without restrictions for essential imports such as food and fuel; and ensuring humanitarian access to civilians. He said efforts to kick-start the economy by stabilising the exchange rate of the Yemeni Rial; and paying the salaries and pensions of public servants were also essential; alongside additional funding from the international community for the humanitarian response.
He said it was “very important that no missiles or other forms of aggression are sent against Saudi Arabia, and it's very important to stop bombing in urban areas, and it's very important to preserve basic infrastructure, and obviously, Hodeidah is part of that basic infrastructure.”
Guterres stressed that “the consequences of going on with this war will be terrible for the Yemeni people,” but added that he was “hopeful that the voice of reason will prevail.”
According to humanitarian agencies working on the ground, the massive scale of humanitarian need has turned Yemen into the world’s worst crisis in decades. Cholera is endemic, and famine is looming.
Conflict in the country has its roots in 2011, but the situation escalated dramatically in 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition was invited by the internationally-recognized Government to intervene, uprooting millions and destroying civilian infrastructure across the country.
Since 2015, access to basic services and sources of income has become increasingly challenging and, today, three quarters of the entire Yemeni population – 22 million women, children and men – find themselves dependent on some form of humanitarian assistance to survive.
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