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Thank you Mr. President.
In last month’s briefing, we reported that Yemen had confirmed only one case of COVID-19. As of this morning, that number had risen to 72 confirmed cases, including 13 deaths.
Sixty-two of these cases, more than 85 percent, were reported in the past ten days.
Humanitarian agencies have every reason to believe that community transmission is taking place across the country. Official reports lag behind real infections, just as they have in many other places.
And like in the rest of the world, millions of people in Yemen are deeply frightened at the prospect of an unknown disease plaguing their country.
The Secretary-General acknowledged this fear last month, noting that people everywhere “want to know what to do and where to go for advice.” He also urged that COVID-19’s global approach be “transparent, responsive and responsible.”
The authorities in Yemen are seeking support. We all must work together to confront this virus. That means reporting cases everywhere, keeping people informed, caring for the sick, and following expert advice. This approach has flattened the curve in other countries, and can do the same in Yemen.
This is the backdrop against which I will update you today on the five general priorities for a broader humanitarian response: 1) protection of civilians; 2) humanitarian access and delivery; 3) financing; 4) the economy and 5) progress towards peace.
Let’s start with the protection of civilians.
We appreciate the Coalition’s decision to extend its unilateral ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan. Like the Special Envoy, we hope that this will soon translate into a mutual agreement to end all struggles on the ground.
Recent clashes in Hudaydah, Marib, as Martin mentioned, Al Jawf, Al Bayda, Abyan, Socotra and elsewhere show that we have not yet arrived. Civilian casualties increased again in April, with 177 civilians killed or wounded across the country.
In the first quarter of 2020, six attacks on health facilities were reported, a three-fold increase from the previous quarter. At least one of those attacks was reported in April, despite the pandemic. International humanitarian law requires that all parties constantly take care to preserve civilians and civilian objects during military operations. COVID-19 makes it even more important to respect and protect medical facilities in accordance with international law.
COVID-19 appears to be directly exacerbating protection risks. On April 6, gunmen threw grenades at guards at an isolation center at a hospital in Al Dhale’e. Fear of stigma may also be leading fewer people to seek medical care when they need it.
For refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, stigma is already a major concern. Reports of refugees and migrants deported or forcibly detained are growing due to fears of COVID-19. Incitement against these people, many of whom have already suffered horrible trauma on their journey to Yemen, is on the rise.
I want to echo the recent calls by the Secretary-General, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration and others for knowledge and social cohesion about rumors and scapegoats. Indeed, this is the time for what the Secretary-General has called “science and solidarity”.
Over the years, Yemen has been distinguished for its generous support of refugees and migrants. The United Nations remains eager to support Yemeni authorities and communities in upholding that noble tradition as we work with them to counter COVID-19 across the country.
Mr President, the second problem is humanitarian access, which is also required by international humanitarian law. We are working with all stakeholders to take appropriate precautions against COVID-19 while maintaining vital assistance.
But there are several causes for concern. Regular staff rotations are impossible as humanitarian workers lack predictable access to flights in or out of the country. We also do not know if medical evacuations, if necessary, would be approved quickly. These issues are essential to fulfill our duty of care for staff.
We have also seen a disturbing increase, mainly in the north, in harassment and incitement against the United Nations. This unnecessarily makes our work more dangerous and sometimes forces partners to pause activities when they are needed most.
We are calling on the Government of Yemen and the authorities of Ansar Allah to work with us on these points as a matter of urgency, including renewed commitments to help the safety of workers.
I want to acknowledge the constructive role of the Member States in helping to facilitate passenger flights. The Ethiopian Government has allowed the UN Humanitarian Air Service to use the Addis Ababa airport for several flights. The evacuation and humanitarian operations cell in Riyadh has also been helpful.
Unfortunately, we also continue to face obstacles to our work that predate the pandemic. In the south, the biggest challenge remains volatility. Rising tensions and renewed fighting are weakening governance and public services, as well as complicating the agencies’ ability to plan and implement programs reliably.
Government processes are too cumbersome and sometimes interfere with aid independence. Dozens of NGO projects have spent months waiting for approvals in the south, effectively blocking $ 100 million in donor funds. Visa delays for international staff also remain a concern.
In the north, the access challenges are even more serious. As we noted last month, the authorities have recently made several important improvements, and we appreciate this progress.
But more is still needed. The most pressing priority is to approve 93 outstanding NGO projects, many of which have been waiting for months and together represent $ 180 million in donor investment. We also need more effective procedures for future projects and an end to arbitrary movement delays, arrests, harassment and interference in relief operations.
In recent days, we have had the opportunity to remind senior Ansar Allah officials of all the steps necessary to establish the same minimum humanitarian conditions that are expected around the world. We will continue to work with them to achieve the rapid results we need to create an environment more conducive to humanitarian action.
On a separate note, we also continue to request access to the decomposing SAFER tanker. Last week, a senior representative of the authorities in Sana’a wrote to the United Nations to highlight the “urgent need” for an evaluation. We welcome this enthusiasm and are following up to confirm that the Ansar Allah authorities will facilitate this work without re-imposing unnecessary conditions.
Mr President, despite the enormous challenges facing our teams, we are doing everything we can to stay, deliver and reach as many people as possible. There are many factors that affect our ability to deliver aid, including restrictions, underfunding, and the steps we are forced to take to mitigate the risks we face. That being said, we are still reaching over 10 million people each month. These large-scale programs provide food, water, medical care, and other services. They offer some of the best opportunities for people to protect themselves against COVID-19.
COVID’s specific activities are also expanding. Thirty-eight hospitals are being equipped to serve as COVID-19 facilities. Rapid response teams are working in each district. Health workers are trained and essential supplies, including ventilators, tests, reagents, and personal protective items, are delivered to health workers. Massive amounts of COVID-19 supplies are needed across the country, so we ask everyone to give Yemen the highest priority in global COVID-19 supply chains.
But Mr. President, we desperately need money to pay for these programs. This brings me to my third point: funding for the relief operation.
The World Health Organization recently wrote to the Government of Yemen and to the authorities of Ansar Allah in Sana’a to inform them that WHO should progressively curtail its activities due to lack of funds. The COVID-19 rapid response teams I just mentioned will be shutting down next month. Therapeutic feeding centers, which treat the most severely malnourished children, will close in August.
In the midst of a pandemic, this is shocking. Disease prevention and feeding sick children are the types of programs that everyone agrees must be protected at all costs. Other essential activities are also at risk. Of the 41 major UN programs, 31 will begin closing in the coming weeks if we cannot secure additional funding. That means that many more people are likely to die.
We urgently appeal to donors to free up funds now to keep aid operations grounded in principle. Aid agencies estimate that they will need up to $ 2 billion to cover essential activities from June to December.
These requirements reflect a highly prioritized response strategy to be released later this month. The strategy builds on the painstaking work that agencies have done in recent months to ensure manageable levels of risk in a country where millions of people are extremely vulnerable and need help.
On June 2, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations will host a virtual pledge conference. This event offers an important opportunity to show civilians that the international community will not abandon them while they still need help urgently.
Donors have begun to express their support, including a great promise from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a vital funding announcement from the United States. But the promises remain well below what is required, and most have yet to be paid. By themselves, promises cannot save lives.
We call on all donors to generously commit and pay quickly, ideally before the June 2 event. We know that aid budgets are shrinking everywhere and we greatly appreciate donor support.
Mr President, the fourth problem is the economy.
Yemen imports almost everything. For the past few months, commercial food imports through Hudaydah and Saleef have been declining. In April, they totaled just 195,000 metric tons, one of the lowest figures to date. Fuel imports increased considerably in the same period, probably due to lower oil prices.
Imports must be paid in foreign currency. A weak Yemeni rial, around 600 rials to the US dollar in the north and 690 in the south, means that fewer people can afford the basic goods they need to survive. The current exchange rate is three times higher than before the crisis and is severely limiting the government’s ability to finance imports or pay for public services.
COVID-19 is poised to worsen this dynamic. Remittances from abroad, the largest source of foreign exchange in Yemen, are declining, although it is difficult to quantify how much. Yemenis who still have work at home often depend on daily work. These workers need daily wages to feed their families, and many will be ill-equipped to restrict movement or comply with similar COVID regulations.
We need bold measures to stabilize the economy and soften the blow of measures that may be necessary to protect public health. This support must include regular foreign exchange injections and measures to rapidly increase the amounts of food and other affordable goods in markets across the country. To the extent possible, Yemeni immigrants should be able to continue working abroad.
Mr President, my last point is progress towards peace.
Peace is the best opportunity Yemen has to contain COVID-19, and we hope that the parties will work with the Special Envoy to make it happen.
This is essential not only for public health, but for the good of millions of Yemenis who, even before this pandemic, were exhausted after five years of war that they never wanted.
Thank you.
