“General debate on agenda Item 3: promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development"

Statement by: Association Ma'onah for Human Rights and Immigration

24 September 2020

Thank you, President.

The human rights situation in Yemen is constantly deteriorating. The unravelling of government services and a collapsing economy have resulted in shortages of food, water, sanitation and medicine.

Preventable and curable diseases, such as diphtheria, measles and chicken pox, are now prevalent in Yemen. As a result of this, approximately every 10 minutes, a child passes away in Yemen. This is mainly due to the shortage of medicine.

Beyond this, the remaining clinics in Yemen no longer have the resources to buy vaccinations and store them in a cool place. The degrading situation of the Yemeni healthcare system has adversely impacted the right to health of most of the country’s population.

Besides this, the Houthi militia has continuously destroyed healthcare and humanitarian facilities, as well as confiscated most of the foreign humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Ma’onah Association and Geneva International Centre for Justice call on the international community to implement all UN resolutions regarding Yemen, especially those imposing sanctions on the Houthi militia, and to take action to bring the conflict to an end.

We call upon the Council to urge member states and the international community to stop supporting and arming the Houthi militia, and to create a special tribunal to hold them accountable for all war crimes and crimes against humanity they committed against the Yemeni people.

I thank you.

Justice, Human rights, Geneva, geneva4justice, GICJ, Geneva International Centre For Justice