Madam President,

The EU thanks the Group of Eminent Experts for their report. We express our strong support to the GEE and will support the renewal of their mandate, including to collect and preserve evidence, and stress the importance of the council’s continued attention to the overall situation in the country. We deplore that, once again, the GEE was unable to access Yemen and other coalition countries.

The report shows how all parties to this conflict may be responsible for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. These include breaches of the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in the conduct of hostilities, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, recruitment and use in hostilities of children, sexual and gender-based violence. The perpetrators of these violations, some of which may amount to war crimes, must be held accountable. More must be done to ensure justice for all victims.

As COVID-19 exacerbates a devastating humanitarian crisis, all parties continue to impede humanitarian access and block the delivery of humanitarian aid.  Safe, full, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access, and a nationwide ceasefire, are immediate and vital necessities. Ultimately however, only an inclusive and sustainable political process, with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and civil society, can end this terrible conflict. We thus reaffirm our support for the efforts of UNSE Griffiths.

We are especially concerned at ongoing attacks against journalists, human right defenders and persons belonging to minorities. What more can be done in your view to protect them? Finally, food insecurity is a persisting problem in the country and its effects are even more dramatic if coupled with the pandemic and the overall lack of basic services. How can we enhance our efforts to prevent a more tragic scenario?