The Security Council adopted a resolution on Tuesday that renews the mandate of the UN Mission in the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah for a final two-month period through 31 March of this year.
In Yemen, renewed political instability and economic woes linked to the war threaten to complicate the already difficult task of helping vulnerable people suffering from deepening hunger, illness and displacement, the UNs top aid official there said on Monday.
Resolution2813 (2026),submittedby the United Kingdom, received 13 votes in favour and none against. Two countries China and Russia abstained.
It calls for the effective,efficientand safe drawdown of theUN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), as well as planning and preparation fortransitioning any residual functions to the Office of the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Yemen.
Liquidationwillcommenceon 1 April.
Tireless efforts
UNMHA wasestablishedby theCouncil in 2019 to support implementation ofanagreementsigned bythe Yemeni Government and Houthi rebels in Stockholm, Sweden,the previous year.
TheUN brokered the accordatatimewhena battle over Hudaydahcritical for the entry of food and medicineinto war-ravaged Yemenappeared imminent.
UKDeputy Permanent Representative ArchieYoungwelcomed the mandate extension.
He also thanked those UNMHA officials who have worked tirelessly since 2019, especially in the face of continued Houthi restrictions which inhibited the Mission's ability tofulfillits mandate.
Concern for UN personnel
He stressed that thesafety of UN personnel in Yemenremains of the utmost importance and reiteratedthe UKscondemnation ofarbitrary detentions by the Houthis.
The rebelmovement which controls much of the country, including the capital, is holding69UN staff, alongside personnel from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civilsocietyand diplomatic missions.
UNSecretary-General Antnio Guterres,hisSpecial Envoy Hans Grundbergand other senior officials haverepeatedly called for theirimmediate and unconditional release.
Importantstabilising role
RussiasDeputy Permanent Representative AnnaEvstigneevaexplained why Moscow abstainedfrom voting.
We did not block the adoption of this resolution purely due to the request of representatives of Yemen,as the host state, as well as from some of our regional partners, she said.
In principle, we do not agree with the idea set out by the authors of this document:the idea thatUNMHAis ineffective and incapable of duly fulfilling the mandate entrusted to it by theCouncil, hence the need to sunset theMission.
She said the Mission hasplayed and continues to play an important stabilising role on the ground, notwithstanding the operational difficulties linked to implementation of its mandate, which arise from time to time.
Among itsstill relevant functionsaremonitoringimplementation of the StockholmAgreement;facilitatingmaintenance of the civilian nature oftheports ofHudaydah, Salif and Ras Isa,and oversight ofmine clearance operations.
