Press release

Joint statement on 4th anniversary of Saudi intervention in Yemen

The Foreign Secretary and the International Development Secretary have released a joint statement on the fourth anniversary of the intervention by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition into the Yemen conflict.

From:
Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development, The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP and The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt
Published
26 March 2019
This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

The Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, and the International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said:

Today, on the fourth anniversary of the intervention by the Saudi-led Coalition into the conflict in Yemen at the invitation of the Government of Yemen, we call on both sides to urgently implement the agreements made at the Stockholm peace talks and end this dire conflict.

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, the largest in the world, has continued to worsen. The UK will continue to show leadership as part of international efforts to end the appalling suffering millions are facing.

This year we have committed an additional £200 million of UK aid, bringing our total commitment to over £770 million since the conflict began. This support will save lives by meeting the immediate food needs of more than 1 million Yemenis each month over the year, treating 30,000 children for malnutrition and providing more than 1 million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation.

We have been at the forefront of work towards a political solution to the conflict, leading on two UN Security Council Resolutions and bolstering international support for UN efforts to secure peace. Talks in Stockholm in December were a landmark point – the first time that the parties had come to the negotiating table in over two years. But there remains a serious risk that this window of opportunity to make progress towards lasting peace slips away. The UK urges both sides to act in good faith, cooperate with the UN Special Envoy and General Lollesgaard and rapidly implement the Stockholm Agreements.

We have been clear that a political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis. We will continue to make every effort to support the UN-led process to get to that solution.

BACKGROUND

  • In December 2018 the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to adopt Security Council Resolution 2451, a UK-led resolution to bolster the UN Yemen peace process.
  • The Foreign Secretary visited Yemen earlier this month, becoming the first Western Foreign Minister to do so since the start of the conflict, and saw the reality of the situation on the ground.
  • The UK has also been at the forefront of efforts to stabilise Yemen’s struggling economy. The UK helped temporarily stabilise the currency to support importers bringing in key food supplies. We are also working with the international community to ensure the Government of Yemen resumes the payment of public-sector salaries across the country; vital in boosting the livelihoods of millions of Yemenis.
  • UK funding has also supported the Yemeni Women Pact for Peace and Security to increase women’s leadership and inclusion in the official peace processes. Thanks to the combination of UK funding and our diplomatic engagement with the UN and Yemeni conflict parties, the group now has the official status as a consultative body for the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy.

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Published 26 March 2019