29 May 2012

UN / YEMEN

The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar told the Security Council this afternoon that Yemen’s security situation was a source of “major concern” and called for priority action on the country’s “unprecedented” humanitarian crisis. UNTV

Posted at: May 29, 2012 5:44 pm

Duration: 01:57

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / YEMEN
TRT: 1.57
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 29 MAY 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – 2011, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

29 MAY 2012, NEW YORK

2. Wide shot, Security Council meeting
3. Med shot, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jamal Benomar, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Yemen: 
"The success or failure of the National Dialogue is likely to make or break Yemen's transition. Helping to ensure its success will therefore be the UN's top priority in Yemen in the coining months, and we look forward to working closely with other international actors who can offer support for this process."
5. Med shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jamal Benomar, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Yemen: 
"Last week's terrorist bombing in Sana'a that targeted a military parade killing some 96 soldiers and wounding more than 300 others and the recent foiled airliner bomb plot are reminders that AQAP remains the most lethal A1 Qaeda affiliate intent on striking both western and regional targets."
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jamal Benomar, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Yemen: 
"Both the Yemeni Government and the international community must prioritize this acute humanitarian crisis. The Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan for US$455 million is currently only 43 percent funded. However, since the original appeal, the number of people in acute humanitarian need has increased, and the financial requirements are being revised. Substantial scale-up in support from the international donor community will be needed to meet the increased needs."
9. Med shot, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jamal Abdullah Al-Sallal, Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations: 
"We appeal to all Member States to provide Yemen with the necessary support in order to be able to provide for the needs of all these displaced people and refugees."
11. Med shot, delegates
12. Wide shot, end of meeting

STORYLINE:

The UN special envoy on Yemen today (29 May) told the Security Council that Yemen's security situation was a source of "major concern" and called for priority action on the country's "unprecedented" humanitarian crisis.

In his briefing to the Council in New York, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Yemen, Jamal Benomar said that all efforts must be made to keep Yemen's fragile transition process on track. The UN's top priority in the coming months would be to ensure the success of the recently launched National Dialogue process. The success or failure of that process was "likely to make or break Yemen's transition".

Yemen is currently undergoing a transition process after a popular rising erupted in the country last year, similar to the protests in other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In February, Yemen held elections, including a presidential poll, which resulted in the victory of Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour. Last November, warring factions in the country had signed an agreement on a transitional settlement under which then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to hand over power.

At today's briefing, the Special Advisor said that the government's overall security capacity was limited and that Al Qaeda-affiliated groups had extended their reach into areas previously not associated with their activities. He said that last week's terrorist bombing in Sana'a that targeted a military parade killing some 96 soldiers and wounding more than 300 others and the recent foiled airliner bomb plot were reminders that Al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula (AQAP) remained "the most lethal Al Qaeda affiliate intent on striking both western and regional targets".

Benomar also cited figures for Yemen's growing humanitarian crisis, which he said were "much bleaker than previously reported". Ten million people, almost half of the country's entire population were food insecure, with half of those - five million people - severely food insecure and in need of immediate assistance.

He called on the Yemeni government and the international community to "prioritize this acute humanitarian crisis". With the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan for US$455 million already only 43 percent funded, the financial requirements were now being revised in the face of more people needing assistance. He urged a "substantial scale-up in support from the international donor community".

Yemen's Ambassador Jamal Abdullah Al-Sallal also addressed the meeting.

He said that government forces were "tightening the noose" around terrorist groups and employing "pre-emptive strikes" but noted that facing up to terrorism was not just a military matter. He stressed that the country was struggling to cope with half a million internally displaced people and "more than a million" refugees from other countries and that large numbers were suffering various degrees of hunger and malnutrition. He appealed to member states to support Yemen in providing for the needs of all these people.