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 operationalise 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.