Oxfam: reaction to today’s decision by the UN Human Rights Council to withdraw the mandate to the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen

Reacting to today’s decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to withdraw the mandate to the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (the UN appointed body responsible for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen) Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s in Yemen’s country director, said:

“Human rights monitoring is essential in Yemen, a country where atrocities are being committed by multiple parties. Removing this scrutiny paves the way for more abuse to be carried out with impunity. For Yemenis this means more violence, more fear and even less hope.

“The people of Yemen are struggling to survive the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, a man-made crisis. Homes, schools and hospitals have been repeatedly damaged and destroyed.

“The world cannot turn a blind eye to Yemen’s suffering.”

Yemen is now in the seventh year of a violent conflict which has seen over 143,000 people killed and one in eight people displaced from their homes. Over 66 per cent of the population need humanitarian aid. Currency fluctuations and fuel shortages have led to a dramatic rise in the cost of living that has left ordinary people unable to cope.

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Notes to editors:

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The mandate to the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen is: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/YemenGEE/Pages/Index.aspx

Monitor and report on the situation on Human Rights in Yemen

Carry out a comprehensive examination of all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights and other appropriate and applicable fields of international law committed by all parties to the conflict since September 2014, including possible gender dimensions of such violations,

Establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations and abuses

Identify those responsible for the violations, where possible.

Make general recommendations on improving the respect for and protection and fulfilment of human rights

Provide guidance on access to justice, accountability, reconciliation and healing, as appropriate

Engage with Yemeni authorities and all stakeholders, in particular relevant United Nations agencies, the field presence of the Office of the High Commissioner in Yemen, authorities of the Gulf States, and the League of Arab States with a view to exchanging information and providing support for national, regional and international efforts to promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses in Yemen

Submit a written report to the High Commissioner by the time of the forty-second session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue

Latest key figures on IDPs https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-covering-period-24-august-3-september-2021

Yemen Humanitarian Needs overview 2021 https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-needs-overview-2021-february-2021-enar

Casualties https://acleddata.com/dashboard/#/dashboard From 1 April 2015 to date – 143,883