CONFIDENTIAL

Check against delivery

Briefing of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen to the open session of
the UN Security Council
9 January 2019

Mr. President,

Than you for the opportunity to brief this Council today. As Council members know, our efforts
- and, indeed, the attention of the world - are focused on the momentum generated for the
peace process by the Stockholm consultations and the hope of a tangible improvement in the
situation of the Yemeni people.

As I stated to this Council immediately after the consultations, the success of Stockholm was
also your success. I must start, therefore, by thanking the members of the Security Council for
adopting resolution 2451, which endorsed the Stockholm agreement, authorized the
deployment of the advanced team to support and facilitate implementation, and expressed
support for the continuation of consultations early this year, including on the Framework for
Negotiations. I believe that this resolution sends a clear signal of the international community s
support for the achievements of Stockholm and our plans to build on the momentum gained.

Today, I will take this opportunity to brief on the implementation of the commitments made by
the parties in Stockholm, namely: the agreement reached on the city and governorate of
Hudaydah and the ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa; second, the executive mechanism on
activating the prisoner exchange agreement; and, third, the statement of understanding on
Taiz. I will also provide an update on our preparations for the next round of consultations.

Since the Stockholm consultations, I have met with President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and
Ansar Allah leader Abdelmalik Al-Houthi. Both have welcomed the progress made in Stockhom.
Both saw this as an important step towards a comprehensive resolution to the conflict. They
have both expressed their determination to find a way forward on all of their commitments,
and to build further on the progress made through a subsequent round of consultations. I am
grateful to them for their leadership that made this possible and for lending their trust in this
process.

This enthusiasm was also echoed by concerned parties and key Member States -1 am grateful
for their support.

I am pleased to report that both sides have largely adhered to the ceasefire in Hudaydah
governorate that entered into force on 18 December, and there has been a significant decrease
in hostilities since then. Unfortunately, there has been some violence, including in Hudaydah
city, and in the southern districts of the governorate. However, the violence is very limited
compared to what we saw in the weeks before the Stockholm consultations. This relative calm,
I believe, indicates the tangible benefit of the Stockholm agreement for the Yemeni people and
the continued commitment of the parties to making the agreement work.

Thanks to the swift authorization provided by this Council through resolution 2451, the UN has
deployed an advanced monitoring team to Hudaydah under the leadership of my esteemed

1
CONFIDENTIAL
Check against delivery

colleague, Major General Patrick Cammaert of the Netherlands, who arrived in Yemen on 22
December. This rapid deployment has given a clear signal to the parties and the Yemeni people
of the international community s desire to turn the agreement into facts on the ground.
General Cammaert has already chaired several meetings of the Redeployment Coordination
Committee - with participation from representatives of both parties - to oversee the
implementation of the Hudaydah agreement. He is working with the parties on the details of
the redeployments of forces, provision of security in the city and the opening of humanitarian
access routes agreed in Stockholm.

The activation of the Redeployment Coordination Committee is very welcome, and I urge both
parties to continue to engage regularly and in good faith with General Cammaert and his team
so that the security arrangements and improvements in humanitarian access can be
implemented swiftly, in line with what was agreed in Stockholm. This will build the confidence
of the parties, the Yemeni people and the international community in the implementation of
the agreement and will lay the groundwork for further progress in the next round of
consultations.

Mr. President,

Regarding Taiz, as Council members will recall, the parties agreed in Stockholm to the creation
of mechanisms to reach consensus on how to address the situation in the city. Taiz is of
enormous historic significance for Yemen as a whole and the city and its people ha e been a
driving force in Yemen's economic and cultural life for many years, Civilians in Taiz have
suffered far too much for too long, and the destruction in the city has been terrible. The flow of
humanitarian aid needs to increase, and people need the chance to rebuild. I have talked with
the parties and many prominent Taizis, and they all want the city to return to calm and for the
people to have hope that the city will flourish once again. I am very happy that the Stockholm
consultations provided a platform for them to agree to start working on this.

I must therefore welcome the steps taken by the parties towards the creation of the
mechanisms agreed in Stockholm, including the nomination of members of a joint committee.
My office has also been working with international and Yemeni partners on the establishment
of a civil society mechanism to support the joint committee in its endeavors. The next step,
which I hope can be taken rapidly, is for the joint committee to meet and agree on a peaceful
way forward for the city and its people.

On the agreement for the exchange of prisoners, we are working with both parties to finalize
the lists of prisoners submitted by each party in Stockholm. I appreciate the valuable support
provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross in this regard. As agreed in
Stockholm, we plan to hold a meeting of the Supervisory Committee to follow up on the
prisoners exchanges on Monday 14 January in Amman. I hope these talks will allow many
thousands of prisoners to go home and be reunited with their families.

I am grateful for the commitment and patience that both parties have shown in the days and
weeks after the Stockholm consultations. Progress on implementation has been gradual and
tentative, but it has made a tangible contribution to peace. There are doubtless many hurdles
to be overcome in the days, weeks and months ahead, but the parties must not be diverted

2
CONFIDENTIAL
Check against delivery

from their commitments. I ask for the support of the Council in encouraging the parties to
overcome any challenges that may be encountered along the way.

Mr. President,

I am under no illusion that these are very sensitive and challenging days for both parties and for
Yemen as a whole. The war goes on in other parts of the country. Which is why we need to
ma e progress quickly.

Parties need to exert restraint in their media rhetoric.

The conflict also continues to have a terrible impact on the economy and the overall
humanitarian situation. It was unfortunate that the parties were unable to reach consensus on
a way forward on the Central Bank of Yemen and the opening of Sana a airport during the
consultations in Stockholm. Both of these issues, if resolved, would make a significant
contribution to relieving humanitarian suffering, and I continue to work with the parties to
resolve them.

As ever, the demands of southern groups are also a key part of the solution to the Yemen
equation. I am grateful for the effort exerted by key Yemeni stakeholders and the international
community to improve stability in the southern governorates in recent months. As I have
always said, I am committed to ens ring the participation of southern groups in the peace
process, and I am continuing to work towards this goal in consultation with a range of southern
groups. Their contribution will be of vital importance to fulfilling the hope of peace now and in
the future.

Mr. President,

Sweden was just a start. Although it was difficult enough, it was the easy part. The difficult part
- to reach a lasting political settlement - is still ahead of us. We cannot lose momentum in
moving the political process forward. And there is a lot of work that needs to be done before
the parties can reach a comprehensive peace agreement. That is another reason why speedy
implementation is crucial.

1. We need to convene the next round but we need substantive progress on what was
agreed in Stockholm. Otherwise the next round will only be a forum to discuss
achievements of round 1.1 heard this from both parties.

2. Progress in Sweden is a basis for confidence. It would be conducive to further progress

at the next round of consultations.

Thank you.