Commending Yemenis on peace pact, Ban urges partners to step up support

“If we continue to stand united and step up our support, I am confident that Yemen’s transition towards a more stable, democratic and prosperous future can succeed,”  Ban said in a message to the Friends of Yemen Ministerial Meeting held at UN Headquarters on the margins of the General Assembly’s high-level debate.

In the message, delivered by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernández-Taranco,  Ban said that the Peace and National Partnership Agreement – brokered by UN Special Adviser Jamal Benomar and signed by all the key parties in Yemen – is a step in the right direction.

“All sides now bear a solemn responsibility to implement this agreement in full and without delay, exercising maximum restraint, ceasing all violent acts, and enabling the legitimate authorities to fully exercise their national duties,” he stated.

The Secretary-General also raised concerns about the millions of people who continue to rely on life-saving assistance.

“I urge Member States to increase their support for life-saving and stabilization efforts that will make a tangible investment in the future of the Yemeni people,” he said, adding: “I count on the members of the Security Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Friends of Yemen to sharpen their focus on helping Yemen.”

The Friends comprise nearly 40 organizations and countries that meet regularly to discuss the political, economic, security and humanitarian sectors in Yemen, which has been undergoing a democratic transition since early 2012.

On Tuesday, the UN Security Council welcomed the recent peace pact and called for its full and immediate implementation, an immediate end to all attacks and threats, and the rapid formation of a new government.

Children in Al-Mazrak IDP camp in Haradh, northern Yemen. Photo: OCHA