New York: Security Council holds its last session on Yemen this year without achieving any progress on the roadmap

The UN Security Council is holding its last session on Yemen in 2024 today, Wednesday, amid fears of the return of the specter of war following the suspension of work on the road map due to Houthi attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf, and in light of the continued state of instability and increasing tensions in the Middle East.

The UN envoy's office said that Hans Grundberg will brief the Security Council on the latest developments in Yemen, at 6:00 pm today.

UN Special Envoy for #Yemen , Hans Grundberg briefs the Security Council on the situation in Yemen today, Wednesday 11 December 2024 at 18:00/Yemen time, 10:00/New York time. Watch live here: https://t.co/8ORESEZFD8 pic.twitter.com/D6aTtadJWo

- @OSE_Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) December 11, 2024

This is the last Security Council session on Yemen this year, and comes nearly a year after the envoy announced on 23 December 2023 that the Yemeni government and the Houthi group had committed to a set of measures to implement a nationwide ceasefire, improve living conditions in Yemen, and engage in preparations to resume a comprehensive political process under UN auspices.

At that time, the Special Envoy expressed his intention to develop a UN roadmap for a political process between Yemenis that would activate the commitments, but that map did not see the light of day, due to the escalation led by the Houthi militia in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden against cargo ships under the pretext of supporting Gaza, which has been subjected to a war of extermination by the Israeli entity since October 7, 2023.

Earlier this week, the UN envoy expressed pessimism about the possibility of moving forward with a political solution in Yemen, saying that the warring parties and the besieged people in Yemen cannot wait indefinitely for a roadmap for peace before the country slides back into the cycle of war.

Grundberg explained in an interview with France on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue Forum in Bahrain that the road map was actually suspended due to the escalation of regional crises resulting from the ongoing war in Gaza.

“It is not possible to move forward with the roadmap now, because I do not think that the implementation of that map will be possible,” the UN envoy said, but he added: “I still believe that the basis for the roadmap in Yemen is there because the conflict between Yemenis is solvable. However, the complicating factor now is the regional destabilization, as Yemen has become an integral part through the attacks in the Red Sea.”

Grundberg warned against the renewal of war and internal fighting, noting that the consequences of this would not be in the interest of any party.

Many Council members are expected to express regret at the lack of progress towards implementing these commitments. They call for support for the UN envoy to move forward with this roadmap to reach a solution that ends the long-standing conflict in Yemen, as well as funding humanitarian operations in Yemen.

According to the Council's agenda, the new Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Thomas Fletcher, who was appointed on October 9, is expected to give his first briefing to the Council, on the humanitarian situation in the country, and highlight the obstacles and violations facing humanitarian work in Yemen.

Fletcher may also renew his call for the Houthis to release the employees of UN agencies and international organizations working in the humanitarian field, whom they have been kidnapping for more than six months.