UN envoy says Yemen's future 'should not be held hostage to regional turmoil'

UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said Tuesday that Yemen's future "should not be held hostage to regional turmoil" amid hostilities in the Middle East continuing to threaten peace efforts.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Grundberg hailed the Iran ceasefire, and said it had begun lifting "the long shadow of uncertainty and fear it has cast over the region," warning that "the stakes for the people of the region, including in Yemen, could not be higher."

He said that "Yemen has not been spared the gravitational pull of this war," noting that the "concerns about maritime security now gripping the world have been live issues in Yemen, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since 2023."

"I reiterate the need for upholding freedom of navigation and international maritime law," he added.

Saying that "Yemen remains highly exposed to the economic repercussions of the regional escalation," he warned that Yemenis, who have "long contended with inadequate public services, delayed salaries, and rising prices," will now face "import disruptions and higher fuel and food prices triggered by wider conflict in the Middle East."

He also said that Yemen is "very dependent on remittances from GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, which are at risk of declining."

Despite the challenges, Grundberg pointed to two milestones he said "deserve particular note: the approval of the 2026 state budget, the first in seven years, and the conclusion of Article IV consultations between the government and the International Monetary Fund, the first in 11 years."

He also cautioned about the security situation and said the broad de-escalation holding inside Yemen since the 2022 truce "cannot be taken for granted, particularly in a moment of regional turmoil."

Grundberg renewed his call on Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, "to immediately and unconditionally release all detainees, and to halt all criminal proceedings, which lack due process."

Affirming that "every escalation in the region deepens the trust deficit between the parties," he stressed that "Yemenis need a solution for Yemen; their future should not be held hostage to regional turmoil."

"An inclusive political process remains the only viable path to durably resolving the conflict, delivering a secure and prosperous future for Yemenis, and providing the guarantees that the region and the international community need," he said.

- Over 22 million people in Yemen need humanitarian aid

Edem Wosornu, director of the crisis response division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned that "more than 22 million people, nearly half of the population, across Yemen need humanitarian aid, and that number is rising," emphasizing that the crisis is "hitting the most vulnerable first and hardest."

With hunger "tightening its grip" and "the health system collapsing," she urged the Council to "fund the response now," warning that without it, "this cycle of death, disease and deprivation will continue."