According to UN OCHA, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the
worst in the ...
According to UN OCHA, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the
worst in the world. Nearly five years of conflict and severe economic decline
are driving the country to the brink of famine and exacerbating needs in all
sectors. An estimated 80 per cent of the population – 24 million people –
require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 14.3
million who are in acute
need. Severity of needs is deepening, with the number of people in
acute need a staggering 27 per cent higher than last year. Two-thirds of all
districts in the country are already pre-famine, and one-third face a convergence
of multiple acute vulnerabilities.1
In order to address the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, the
restoration of regular commercial cargo flows into the country is essential. UN
Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) decided that “Member States shall take
necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer
from or through their territories or by their nationals, or using their flag
vessels or aircraft, of arms and related materiel of all types, including
weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary
equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned”. 2 In order to facilitate
the unimpeded flow of essential commercial items to Yemen, the UN has been
requested by the Government of Yemen to provide a monitoring and inspection
service to inspect commercial cargo entering Yemen’s territorial waters in
compliance with UNSCR 2216 (2015).
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) was requested
to operationalize and manage a mechanism to oversee the monitoring and
inspection services on behalf of the UN and the concerned Member States. UNVIM
is an independent mechanism, executed by UNOPS and reporting to OCHA.
The United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen
(UNVIM) was established in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, in January 2016. As
of November 2019, UNVIM has issued clearances to more than 1,100 vessels
discharging over 21.1 million metric tonnes of commercial cargo to Yemen’s Red
Sea ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa.