The situation in the Middle East (Yemen) - Security Council, 10097th meeting

The 10,097th meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is the situation in the Middle East. The agenda is adopted. The Security Council will now begin its consideration for item 2 of the agenda. Members of the Security Council have before them document S/2026/40, the text of the draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I wish to draw the attention of the Council members to the document S/ 2025/766, a letter dated 25th November 2025 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to a vote now. Will those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document S/2026/40 please raise your hands? Those against the resolution? Any abstentions? The result of the vote is as follows: 13 votes in favor, 0 votes against, 2 abstentions. The draft resolution has been adopted as Resolution I now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the vote. I give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom.

Thank you, Mr. President. We welcome the Council's extension of UNRWA's mandate for a final 2-month period until 31 March 2026. We look forward to the UN's orderly and sustainable transition of UNRWA's responsibilities and residual functions to the Office of the Special Envoy, and we welcome the continued commitment of this Council to the Hodeidah and Stockholm Agreements. I want to thank those UNRWA officials who have worked tirelessly since 2019 especially in the face of continued Houthi restrictions, which inhibited the mission's ability to fulfill its mandate. The safety of UN personnel across Yemen remains of the utmost importance. Once again, the UK condemns arbitrary detentions by the Houthis, and we reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained. The UK remains steadfast in our support for the Special Envoy in fostering an intra-Yemeni peace process under UN auspices. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for his statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation.

Mr. President, the Russian Federation abstained on the draft resolution of the UN Security Council drafted by British mandate renewal for the UN mission in Hodeidah prior to the start of the process of its liquidation. We did not block the adoption of this resolution purely due to the request of representatives of Yemen as the host state, as well as from some of our regional partners. In principle, we do not agree with the idea set out by the authors of this document— the idea that UNMAHA is ineffective and incapable of duly fulfilling the mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council.

Thank you.

Council, hence the need to sunset the mission. Since its establishment, this United Nations structure had played and continues to play an important stabilizing role on the ground, notwithstanding the operational difficulties linked to implementation of its mandate which arise from time to time. Among the still-relevant functions of the mission, there is monitoring of the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement on Hodeida, facilitating maintenance of the civilian nature of Yemeni ports of Hodeida, Salif, and Ras Is, as well as oversight of mine clearance operations. In addition to that, ANMAHA is an important component for trust-building among the conflicting Yemeni parties, inter alia through the RCC, and facilitates the efforts of the Special Envoy on Yemen, Hans Mr. President, we firmly believe that at the present juncture, the Security Council's efforts in Yemen need to be focused first and foremost on facilitating comprehensive normalization and the establishment of conditions for launching inclusive intra-Yemeni dialogue. Liquidation of one of the few U.N. presences still present in the country, and particularly one with existing robust working contacts with all influential political forces on the ground is hardly likely to facilitate that. Moving forward, the UN Security Council should more closely monitor the military and political landscape in Yemen in light of the potential military, political, and humanitarian implications of the closure of Al Mahah. We trust that the Office of the Special Envoy on Yemen will conscientiously fulfill the above-mentioned functions following the closure of the UN mission. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the representative of the Russian Federation and now give the floor to the representative of China.

Thank you, President. President, China abstained on the draft resolution that was just put to a vote. I would like to explain our position as follows. In December 2018, to support and assist in implementing the Hoteida Agreement, the Security Council authorized the establishment of the U.N. Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement, OMHA. Over the past 7 years, the mission has maintained communication with both parties to the conflict, actively monitored the ceasefire, and carried out livelihood and humanitarian activities. It has contributed to maintaining stability in Hodeida and the surrounding areas, and preventing an escalation of the conflict. At present, the situation in Yemen remains complex, and the security conditions on the ground in Hodeida are tense, with a persistent risk of renewed conflict. China has approached the proposal to withdraw AMHA with caution. We believe that when considering the mission's future arrangements, the Council should fully take into account the situation on the ground in Hotaida, manage the pace properly, and avoid a hasty withdrawal that could destabilize the fragile situation and— or even trigger new conflict. Many Council members have also expressed concerns during consultations about the requirement in the draft resolution for AMHA to withdraw within 2 months. In view of this, and taking into account the positions of the parties concerned and countries in the region, China had no choice but to abstain on the draft resolution. President, although AMHA will soon withdraw, its core tasks related to the Hodeida Agreement, such as monitoring the ceasefire and engaging with the parties to the conflict, will not come to an end. Thank you. Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen will continue with the responsibilities. China looks forward to the Secretary-General, in accordance with the resolution and after fully listening to the views of all Yemeni parties, formulating a feasible plan on matters such as personnel withdrawal and asset liquidation to ensure that AMHA completes its withdrawal safely and in an orderly manner. We hope that Special Envoy for Yemen and his office will strengthen communication and coordination with AMHA to ensure a smooth transition of the mission's remaining functions. We call on the parties to the Hodeidah Agreement to effectively fulfill their obligations under the agreement and jointly safeguard the security and stability of Hodeidah and the surrounding areas. I thank you, President.

I thank the representative of China for his statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the United States.

Thank you, Mr. President. And the United States thanks the United Kingdom for its coordination of this resolution. The United States appreciates the Council has come to recognize that it is time to sunset UNMA. As the Secretary-General noted, the mission's operating environment is non-permissive. Houthi obstructionism has left the mission without a purpose, and it has to close. This obstructionism is how the Houthis operate. They are a terrorist organization who, with the support of the Iranian regime, pose a continuing threat to regional stability and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways. The Security Council should concentrate its efforts on depriving the Houthis of resources. to conduct their terrorist activities. The Security Council has a responsibility to look at all special political missions with the same critical eye which would it— with which it has examined UNMA. The Council must adapt or end missions if conditions on the ground are not tolerable. This is especially true given the UN's imperative to streamline operations and optimize resource allocation.

Thank you.

The large investments in peace operations need to be justified by actionable end states and clear metrics. If the investment cannot be justified, then the mission must be streamlined or closed, as is the case with UNMA. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the United States for her statement and now give the floor to the representative of Denmark.

Thank you, Mr. President. Denmark voted in favour of this resolution, extending UNMAHA's mandate for another 2 months before its drawdown on 31 March 2026. For 6 years, UNMAHA has served as a critical stabilizing presence in Hodeida. It has engaged with the parties through the Redeployment Coordination Committee to de-escalate tensions, contributed to ensuring accountability for ceasefire violations, and actively deterred and prevented a return to full-scale conflict and the governorate. Today, however, the mission operates in a different political, military and security environment. The dynamics of the conflict have evolved and the operating environment has significantly narrowed as UN personnel have become the target of the Houthis' arbitrary detentions. In the current operating environment, UNMAHAS' ability to fully implement its mandate has become untenable. We therefore support the drawdown of the mission and an integration of its tasks into the Office of the Special Envoy. We hope that this can create new synergies with the nationwide political process and help to avoid potential unintended negative impacts on humanitarian aid flows through the Port of Hodeida. We further encourage that adequate resources are devoted to this important integration. Mr. President, let me extend our gratitude to all those who have served in UNMAHA, despite the challenging circumstances. Denmark was proud to contribute to the mission during its first year, with Lieutenant General Michael Lollisgaard at the helm. We will continue to support the implementation of the Hodeidah Agreement and encourage all parties to refrain from any escalatory moves at this crucial time And to facilitate an orderly drawdown of the mission, including the retrieval of all its assets. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Denmark for her statement. There is no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The meeting is adjourned.