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.
[1] UN
OCHA https://www.unocha.org/yemen/about-ocha-yemen
[2] UN
Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015), https://www.undocs.org/S/RES/2216%20(2015)