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Situation in Yemen 'Deeply Fragile' amid Ongoing Regional Turmoil, Special Envoy Warns, Urging Security Council to Support De-Escalation Efforts towards National Ceasefire

Meetings Coverage
Security Council

9978th Meeting (AM)

SC/16143
12 August 2025

The United Nations mediator for Yemen urged the Security Council today to support efforts to de-escalate fighting towards a nationwide ceasefire, advance political talks and economic stabilization, and work with regional and international partners to prevent the country from being drawn deeper into the Middle East conflict.

"The regional turmoil continues to erode prospects for peace and stability in Yemen, where the situation remains deeply fragile," said Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, stressing the urgent need for proactive and pragmatic measures that can pave the way for peace in the country.

Yemen remains gripped by a protracted conflict that erupted in 2014 when Ansar Allah — the Houthis — forces seized the capital, Sana'a, prompting a military intervention in 2015 by an external coalition in support of the internationally recognized Government. Clashes between Government-aligned forces and the Houthis have continued despite intermittent ceasefires, economic collapse, humanitarian crises, and recent cross-border and maritime attacks linked to the wider regional tensions following the escalation of hostilities in Gaza have compounded the conflict.

Envisioning a country that is at peace with itself and the region, Mr. Grundberg reiterated the three priorities he outlined in his July briefing to lay the groundwork for lasting solutions in Yemen.

He first called for supporting de-escalation on the frontlines and working with parties toward an active ceasefire. On 25 July, a major assault in Sa'adah Governorate caused heavy casualties, while Ansar Allah fortified positions around Hudaydah City. He noted recent meetings under the UN-facilitated Military Coordination Committee as crucial for de-escalation and maritime security planning.

His second priority is to establish a path for talks in line with the December 2023 Roadmap — UN-facilitated framework agreed upon by key Yemeni parties — including reopening key roads and facilitating trade. Welcoming recent currency stabilization measures by the Central Bank of Yemen, he warned against unilateral actions, citing "the issuance of new 50 Riyal coins and 200 Riyal notes by Ansar Allah", which "are steps in the wrong direction".

The third priority is to work with regional and international partners for stability, including Red Sea security and compliance with the UN arms embargo. "For Yemen to have a real chance for peace, it must be protected from being further drawn into the ongoing regional turmoil emanating out of the war in Gaza," he said, urging an end to Red Sea ship attacks, missile strikes, and port damage that is slowing vital food imports.

In particular, he cautioned against the announcement of Ansar Allah on 27 July expanding the scope of vessels that it would target. "A de-escalation in violence and a renewed focus on diplomacy are urgently needed to protect both the people of Yemen and provide broader regional stability," he said.

Yemen among World's Most Food-Insecure Countries

"Yemen is now one of the most food insecure countries in the world," reported Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of the Coordination Division and Head and Representative of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva. More than 17 million people are going hungry — which could rise to over 18 million by February 2026 — with women and children bearing the brunt. While it is "all too easy to reduce Yemen's crisis to numbers", food insecurity means "developmental delays and infections, and a risk of death from common illnesses 9 to 12 times higher than the average," he said, adding that this is a "life-or-death gamble for children" in a context where healthcare is "desperately inadequate" and support services are unavailable to many. "In some locations, hunger and malnutrition are extreme," he stressed — for example, a needs assessment in July found children dying of starvation in camps for internally displaced persons in Hajjah Governorate. He underscored: "This is the human face of food insecurity."

He said that the humanitarian system has prioritized the food response to 8.8 million of the most at-risk people, and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund will be releasing $20 million to address the negative impacts of food insecurity. "It can help prevent a parent feeling that they have no option but to sell a daughter into early marriage, it can help protect a displaced family from relinquishing the last of their assets and it can help ensure that the most vulnerable — including displaced people, refugees and migrants — have access to urgent nutrition, healthcare and clean water," he emphasized.

Urging financial support for these efforts, he added: "Humanitarian assistance can work to keep people alive, but only a political solution can make them safe."

Yemen's Delegate Outlines Government Efforts

"Yemen today is at the threshold of a difficult era after 11 years of a war waged by the terrorist Houthi militia against the State and its constitutional bodies," declared that country's representative. While the Government works towards peace, the Houthis continue to obstruct these efforts — "they aim to drown Yemen in an unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis", he said. Recalling his July briefing to the Council on the "flagrant interference by the Iranian regime in Yemeni affairs", he pointed to the recent seizure of materiel shipments intended for Houthi militias. "This confirms that the financing and the arming of these militias continues," he stated.

He therefore called on the international community to guarantee the implementation of relevant Council texts — namely resolutions 2140 (2014) and 2216 (2015) — and to deter Iran's "blatant interference". For its part, the Government is conducting financial, economic, administrative and institutional reforms despite the Houthis' "use of the economy as a tool of war". These include measures to stabilize the national currency, improve local revenue and protect the most vulnerable. Noting the "positive changes" in the exchange rate, he said that "this is the direct result of the integrated financial and fiscal policies adopted by the Government". He therefore called for urgent support "so that we can lock down these gains and guarantee the continued recovery of our economy".

Council members, while expressing divergent views, pressed for de-escalation towards a political settlement, with many voicing grave concern about the vicious cycle of Houthis' attacks and retaliatory responses to them.

"We stand with Israel and its right to self-defense against the Houthis," said the representative of the United States, commending the recent seizure by Yemen's Government-allied forces of at least 750 tons of Iranian weapons bound for the Houthis. She urged financial support for the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM). "The fact that the Houthis asked the UN Secretary-General to abolish UNVIM points to its effectiveness in preventing illicit shipments of weapons to the Houthis," she said. Her counterpart from France also condemned Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and those targeting Israel, urging the Council to do the same "without ambiguity".

Houthis' Support of Palestinian Cause Resonates with Many

However, the Russian Federation's representative linked Israel's continued military operations in Gaza and its de facto humanitarian blockade of the enclave to the Israeli-Houthi conflict. "The position of Ansar Allah to protect and support the Palestinian cause has found sympathy among many of those who care about the suffering of inhabitants of Gaza," he said, underscoring that "without a ceasefire in Gaza, it is futile to hope for resolving the situation" in Yemen. "This is the prism" that should be used to view the raging confrontation, he said. In that regard, China's delegate called on the international community to "take all actions necessary" to immediately end the fighting in Gaza.

Calls for Release of Detained Crew Members

Greece's representative recalled that the Houthis attacked and sunk two Greek-owned vessels in early July, demanding the immediate release of detained crew from the MV Eternity C. Further, he underlined the importance of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandeb strait. He also emphasized the continued importance of Operation Aspides — a European Union naval mission — "of which Greece is a principal member and contributor, and whose defensive mandate is pivotal for safeguarding international shipping in the region".

"Strategic maritime routes must remain spaces of safe, free and open navigation," said Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama — Council President for August — who spoke in his national capacity to urge the organ to "maintain a clear and firm stance". Such routes must not become instruments of pressure, coercion or confrontation, as their stability is an essential pillar for international peace and security and the functioning of supply chains. Houthi attacks against commercial and merchant vessels in the Red Sea must "cease immediately", he appealed.

On that, the United Kingdom's delegate spotlighted the Yemen Maritime Security Partnership as "an essential mechanism for international cooperation" in protecting the country's waters, safeguarding maritime trade, combating illicit activities, and rebuilding the capabilities of the Yemen Coastguard. He announced that his country and Saudi Arabia will co-host the mechanism's inaugural conference on 16 September in Riyadh.

Invest in Agriculture

Slovenia's representative, speaking also for Guyana in their capacity as informal co-focal points on conflict and hunger, highlighted thatYemen's fragile, import-dependent food system sources up to 90 per cent of its supply from abroad and described how conflict disrupts such supplies. Stressing that "new approaches are essential", she said that investing in agriculture — "a sector that nearly 70 per cent of Yemenis rely on" — is a "lifesaving" measure that tackles food insecurity, builds resilience and supports long-term stability.

Pledges of Humanitarian Aid

"We are alarmed by the unprecedented food insecurity and worsening humanitarian situation for internally displaced persons," said the speaker for the Republic of Korea, pledging to provide 23,000 metric tons of rice in 2025 through World Food Programme (WFP) to help alleviate nutritional deficiencies among refugees and internally displaced communities. Agreeing, Denmark's delegate said that "more must be done to meet the rising humanitarian needs". His country has donated more than $215 million in humanitarian response since the beginning of the conflict, he added.

However, "such assistance alone cannot resolve the country's multifaceted crisis", said the representative of Guyana, also speaking for Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia. She therefore emphasized the importance of implementing sustainable economic recovery mechanisms to promote long-term stability in Yemen, also underscoring that "any further delay in resuming comprehensive political dialogue will only deepen divisions and prolong the suffering of the Yemeni people".

Pakistan's delegate added that the implementation of the December 2023 road map has been "painfully slow", highlighting the urgency of breaking the current stalemate through renewed political will and concrete steps towards an inclusive peace process and political settlement.