Yemen

Six parties to conflict are listed in the annexes of the SG’s 2019 annual report on children and armed conflict for grave violations against children. In April, the Security Council is expected to receive its monthly report on the implementation of SCR 2505 (2020) and SCR 2451 (2018). Following a period of reduced violence in the final months of 2019, the conflict has escalated again since mid-January in Marib, Al Jawf, and Sana’a Governorates. Briefing the Council in March, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ramesh Rajasingham said civilian casualties have been on the rise in 2020, with children accounting for one in four casualties. On February 15, air strikes in Al Maslub District, Al Jawf Governorate, killed 26 children and injured 18. In addition, the recent violence has displaced at least 40,000 people and damaged civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. A recent report by Physicians for Human Rights and Mwatana for Human Rights found at least 120 health facilities or personnel were attacked by warring parties in Yemen between March 2015 and December 2018. The attacks documented in the report led to the killing of 10 children and injury of 28. The Security Council should:

• Strongly condemn the continuing violence, including grave violations against children such as killing and maiming and recruitment and use of children, and resulting increase in civilian displacement; urge parties to commit to a full cessation of hostilities and work towards a comprehensive and inclusive peace process that includes meaningful child participation and protection measures, pursuant to SCR 2427 (2018);
• Demand the immediate cessation of indiscriminate attacks, and attacks on hospitals, education facilities, and other protected civilian infrastructure in violation of IHL;
• Demand all parties to conflict to allow safe, unimpeded delivery of principled humanitarian aid and quality health services to all civilians in need, including children, and ensure any recalibrations of humanitarian funding do not result in the denial of humanitarian assistance to children;
• Welcome the adoption of the time-bound workplan of activities by the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition in December 2019, and call for its full and swift implementation;
• Call upon the Government of Yemen to implement fully and without delay the December 2018 roadmap aimed at revitalizing its action plan to end and prevent child recruitment and use, immediately release all children within its ranks, and prioritize the establishment of age assessment mechanisms;
• Urge all other listed parties to sign and implement timebound action plans to end and prevent grave violations, as the only path towards delisting from the annexes of the SG’s annual report on CAAC.

The United Kingdom is the lead country on Yemen. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the lead on the 2140 Sanctions Committee.

This information is based on Watchlist’s Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update: April 2020.