Policy paper

Yemen Quint meeting, July 2022: joint communiqué

Published 18 July 2022

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

1. Senior representatives of the Governments of Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, met virtually on 18 July 2022 to discuss the situation in Yemen. The UN Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg, was warmly welcomed as a guest to the meeting, as was David Gressly, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, for the discussion on SAFER.

2. The Quint reaffirmed its strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Yemen, and its commitment to stand by the people of Yemen.

3. The Quint welcomed the fact that the truce continues to hold, which has led to tangible benefits for the Yemeni people since it commenced on 02 April. They emphasised the need to sustain and build on this progress, which requires compromise by all parties.

4. The Quint fully supported the UN Special Envoy’s efforts to extend and expand the truce on 02 August, in addition to the full implementation of all terms of the truce. The Quint agreed that a permanent ceasefire and a durable political settlement must be the ultimate objectives of the UN-led process, and that such a settlement should build on past agreements and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

5. They welcomed the continuing implementation of agreed confidence building measures by the Government of Yemen, including facilitating the flow of fuel into Hodeidah Port and the resumption of certain commercial flights in and out of Sana’a airport.

6. The Quint highlighted the importance of all parties using revenues, including from Hodeidah port, to pay salaries.

7. They expressed concern about the grave humanitarian impact of the continued road closures around Taiz and called upon the Houthis to act with flexibility in negotiations and immediately open the main roads. The Quint emphasised the need to improve the free movement of civilians throughout Yemen, highlighting that constructive engagement with the UN is essential for a sustainable resolution to road openings.

8. The Quint reaffirmed support for the UN Special Envoy and his multi-track approach. They welcomed the progress this has allowed for discussions on economic and military matters, including the establishment of the Military Coordination Committee and the Joint Coordination Room at the operational level, and the start of dialogue on salaries.

9. They underlined the importance of continued leadership and unity from the Presidential Leadership Council, as an important step towards an inclusive Yemeni-led and owned political settlement under UN auspices.

10. They underlined the need for the political process to be inclusive, and called on all parties to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the peace process in Yemen. They underscored the importance of the parties upholding their commitment to a minimum 30 per cent participation by women in line with the Outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.

11. The Quint reiterated their deep concern about the worsening humanitarian situation, acknowledging the detrimental impact of global crises on food imports. They agreed to continue supporting the UN humanitarian response plan and working with the international financial institutions to ensure availability of trade finance.

12. The Quint recognised that conflict related civilian casualties are now mostly due to landmines and unexploded ordinances, and called for the acceleration of demining efforts, acknowledging the UN’s work in this regard. They praised the mine-clearance efforts of Masam, and expressed alarm at reports of Houthi deployed naval mines in the Red Sea and in proximity to the SAFER tanker.

13. The Quint emphasised that all prisoners of war should be released, on the principle of all-for-all without delay, on humanitarian grounds and as a confidence building measure.

14. They agreed on the urgency of securing the required funding to enable the transfer of oil from the deteriorating FSO SAFER. The Quint noted the pledges from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States, and welcomed the additional £2 million pledge from the United Kingdom. They expressed their full support for UN efforts toward a comprehensive plan to eliminate the catastrophic humanitarian and ecological risk.

15. The Quint welcomed Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s joint $3 billion economic support package for Yemen, announced in April, and an additional commitment by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of a $200 million grant to provide oil derivatives to operate electricity power stations in Yemen.