Presenter urges release of detained United Nations staff and urgent funding as Yemen hunger deepens

The Presenter told the meeting that Yemen's humanitarian crisis "is accelerating," and urged immediate steps to free detained United Nations staff, boost funding and back political efforts to end the conflict.

The presenter said the crisis has deepened in a matter of weeks: "In just 1 month, the share of people unable to meet basic food needs jumped from half to nearly 60%." She added that "more than 18 million people, over half the population, are acutely hungry." The statement warned that without urgent action "hunger will deepen" and "more lives will be lost."

The Presenter said the situation varies by area: in government-controlled areas nearly half the population—about 5 million people—face severe hunger and more than a quarter are in emergency conditions. She stressed that lack of access in Houthi-controlled areas "does not mean a lack of need," noting that the UN has had to reassess direct operations following arbitrary detentions but that "humanitarian action continues" and NGOs are carrying much of the effort.

On personnel safety, the presenter said, "73 UN staff and many others remain arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities," and called for those detentions to end immediately and unconditionally, saying they "directly undermine our ability to save lives." She asked the meeting to take steps to secure the release of detained colleagues.

The Presenter appealed for more money for relief operations: "The humanitarian appeal is less than 15% funded," she said, warning that funding shortfalls are forcing scale-backs and leaving people behind. She praised nongovernmental organizations for their work and said, "I applaud their dedication and encourage you to fund them first."

Finally, the presenter urged political engagement: "Only a political solution, owned by the people of Yemen, and supported by this Council, can do that," and asked members to support peace efforts alongside humanitarian action. No formal vote or decision is recorded in the provided transcript.