Speech by H.E. President Al-Alimi Before 80th Session of UN General Assembly

  New York

“For Yemen… For the World”

Your Majesties, Excellencies, Highnesses,

Madam President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Secretary-General,

Distinguished Representatives of Member States,

At the outset, I extend my warmest congratulations to Madam President Annalena Baerbock, and through her to the friendly Federal Republic of Germany, on her election as President of the United Nations General Assembly. I wish her every success in leading the work of this session, which aspires under its theme to “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights”.

I also wish to commend and highly appreciate the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres. We look forward to working with these two distinguished leaderships at the helm of the Organization to uphold peace and human rights in Yemen, including the protection of humanitarian aid workers abducted by the Houthi militias backed by the Iranian regime.

I also seize this occasion to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the great people of Yemen. This evening marks the sixty-third anniversary of the overthrow of the racist Imamate regime. It also marks the birth of the Republic, founded on the principles of freedom, justice, equality, women’s participation, and the safeguarding of rights and liberties.

Excellencies,

This Organization was established from the ruins of a devastating war, founded on the pledge of humankind that no nation shall ever again be left alone in the face of tyranny, chaos, or famine, without the support of the international community.

Together, we pledged that this institution would stand as a guardian of human dignity, of peoples’ right to a decent life, to security, development, and peace.

Today, after eight decades, the people of Yemen bring before you the same existential question: are these values still alive?

If they are not, then what does it mean that our country has been left hostage to the expansionist project of the Iranian regime and its militias—who use hunger as a weapon, religion as a tool, and the world’s vital sea lanes as instruments of blackmail?

And what does it mean when our ancient land is turned into one of the most dangerous hubs of transnational terroris?

We are not here today to retell the epic story of Yemeni resilience in the face of one of the most violent and arrogant terrorist organizations of our time. We are here to build on what has been achieved, and to call upon the world—not for remembrance, but for action; not for promises, but for deliverance.

Excellencies,

Yemen today is not merely an internal crisis; it has become a test of the credibility of the international system. More than a decade after the Houthi militias—backed by Iran—overthrew national consensus, our people endure one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises, while confronting security threats that extend beyond our borders to the region and the wider world.

The Houthi militias are no longer a mere insurgent group in some remote corner of the country. They have become a global terrorist organization, equipped with an advanced Iranian arsenal—from ballistic missiles to drones, from explosive-laden boats to naval mines, cluster munitions, and other internationally prohibited weaponry.

Beyond this, they finance and facilitate networks of narcotics and Captagon smuggling, and are introducing new technologies of jamming, communications, and targeting, in a bid to turn Yemen into a laboratory for testing their patrons’ weapons.

These are not simply tools of war; they form part of a wider project to redraw the map of Iranian influence in the region. Those who tolerate this group today must imagine what tomorrow will bring when the Red Sea and vital waterways are held hostage permanently by this terrorism.

Excellencies,

The past years have proven that a policy of “managing the conflict” through further concessions has brought only more devastation, and that policies of containment have merely granted the militias time and resources to expand their arsenal. When the United Nations was unable to protect its own abducted personnel in Sana’a, or to safeguard oil facilities and shipping routes, it became clear that peace cannot be begged for—it must be imposed.

Excellencies,

It is imperative today that the world reassess its understanding of the Yemeni situation.

On one side stands a broad national front that believes in international legitimacy, embraces the values of partnership and democracy, preserves local diversity and popular participation, and works to build state institutions. This is the front I represent today, alongside my colleagues in the Presidential Leadership Council and the Government of Yemen—a member of this United Nations—on behalf of all Yemenis.

On the other side stands a sectarian, exclusionary, fascist organization that rejects the principles of international legitimacy, practices cross-border terrorism, and clings to a theocratic, authoritarian model hostile to human rights. This is what the Houthi militias and their backers represent.

Regrettably, the failure of many to recognize the essence of the Yemeni crisis has emboldened these militias to escalate their threats to regional peace, target energy supplies and shipping lanes, and even abduct and abuse United Nations personnel.

Excellencies,

I have addressed you from this podium before, affirming that the Government of the Republic of Yemen has always been ready to extend its hand for a comprehensive peace—even when compelled to make painful concessions—in the interest of our people. Yet after repeated failures of peace initiatives, it has become imperative to move collectively and decisively toward imposing peace.

Therefore, I call today for the establishment of an effective international coalition to restore Yemen’s security and stability. A coalition that rebuilds state institutions, and liberates our country from the grip of militias and terrorist organizations of every kind.

Excellencies,

The 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly must prove to its members that international law is not a myth, and that a rules-based international order is not a selective slogan.

Yemen, and the Gaza more broadly, stand as the moral test of this great institution, and as the stage upon which to demonstrate that the power of right still has the capacity to stand against the right of power.

At the heart of the Middle East lies the Palestinian cause—the bleeding wound in the conscience of humanity, and the central issue of the Arab world. It is witnessing today a historic transformation, through the overwhelming recognition of its independent statehood.

In this context, we express our deep appreciation to our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their commendable efforts, alongside their French partners, in securing these unprecedented political gains.

From this podium, we renew our full support for the Palestinian National Authority, and for the two-state solution in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. We urge all member states to recognize the State of Palestine and to stand by its people and their dignity.

At the same time, we reaffirm our rejection of the exploitation of this just cause by the rogue militias and their backers, which has brought to Palestine nothing but isolation and devastation.

Your Majesties, Excellencies, Highnesses,

Throughout these eleven years of suffering, our Yemeni people have not been left alone. At the forefront stand our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who not only safeguarded the Yemeni state from collapse, but also shielded the entire region from falling into the grip of the Iranian project. They have provided a practical model of strategic partnership built on development—one that the world should adopt, not merely observe.

Just last week, our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia once again announced additional economic support for Yemen’s public budget and essential services, at a time when our government faces severe fiscal constraints. We look forward to the international community joining this effort to keep millions of Yemenis alive.

Madam. President, Excellencies,

Our statement today is entitled “For Yemen… For the World.” For indeed, we do not appeal to you solely for Yemen’s sake, but for the sake of the entire world. To abandon Yemen to blackmail and terrorism is to open the door to countless new victims, striking at the very credibility of this Organization and its founding principles.

What we ask of this Assembly is not new declarations, but decisive international action in support of the legitimate government—a trusted partner on the ground.

The time has come to launch an international coalition that will liberate Yemen from terrorism, rebuild its national institutions, and secure the region and the world from an escalating cross-border threat. This is our renewed offer—an appeal to restore our sovereignty, and to close the chapter of militias once and for all, without delay.

Thank you