President Al-Alimi Meets UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs

  New York

His Excellency Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council, along with Council Members Major General Aidarous Al-Zubaidi and Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi, met today, Friday, with Mr. Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

The meeting focused on humanitarian interventions and emergency relief operations led by UN agencies in Yemen. It also addressed their coordinated efforts with the international community to mobilize funding for the Humanitarian Response Plan. This comes amid rising levels of food insecurity, driven by declining international contributions and the practices of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.

Discussions also addressed the Houthis’ systematic campaign of abductions targeting dozens of civil society leaders, diplomatic staff, and UN personnel. The talks highlighted raids on UN offices and the seizure of their assets. They also reviewed the continuing threats against the humanitarian, relief, and development community in areas controlled by the terrorist militias.

President Al-Alimi reiterated the Yemeni government’s appreciation for the United Nations’ efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering, exacerbated by Houthi terrorist attacks on oil facilities and international shipping lanes.

His Excellency underscored the need to intensify and coordinate international efforts. He also called for exerting maximum pressure on the Houthi militias to vacate UN premises, return seized assets, and release all detainees immediately and unconditionally.

The President further renewed his call for relocating the main offices of UN agencies and international NGOs operating in Yemen to the interim capital, Aden. He stressed that this move would ensure a safe and stable environment for their operations. It would also guarantee the continued delivery of humanitarian and development assistance to those in need across all governorates without discrimination or restrictions.

In this context, President Al-Alimi expressed the Council’s and the government’s appreciation for the United Nations’ decision to transfer the office of the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator from Sana’a to Aden. His Excellency voiced his hope for further similar measures in the future.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Shaya’ Mohsen Al-Zindani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi, Yemen’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Major General Saleh Al-Maqaleh, Director of the Office of the President of the Leadership Council.