By Saamia Jahangir
Yemen has been locked in a seemingly intractable civil war that has killed over 10,000 people and pushed millions to the brink of starvation. Its roots lie in the Arab spring of 2011. The war is widely considered as having turned a deprived country into a humanitarian calamity.
A total of 80% of the population – more than 24 million people – need assistance and protection, including 10 million who rely on food aid to survive. Yemen’s health system has also collapsed, while the world’s largest cholera outbreak has killed thousands and sickened some 2.3 million Yemenis.
Moreover, the current pandemic Covid-19 has hit no other country as severely as Yemen. Yemen already lagged in the medical facilities due to frequent bombings and unrest. The political, economic and security upheaval had already forced the doctors and scientists out of the country.
The health situation is making the system even more crippling. According to the statistics of the United Nations, the deadly Coronavirus threatens to infect more than half of Yemeni population. Thousands of people will be killed amidst the outbreak in no time because of the failed medical and administrative facilities. Furthermore, the figures can increase even more if United Nations does not take effective steps.
According to United Nations itself:
Yemen war is one of most destructive since Cold War
The U.N. chief recently called for more pressure to be applied to Yemen’s warring parties to come together to arrange a cease-fire in the war. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said:
Yemeni people are “suffering terribly and COVID-19 is worsening their situation
But it remains the fact that United Nations has failed to put up a substantial standing in terms of Yemen conflict. It continues to fail to really address the concerns of the civilians on several grounds. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2014 pledged to support the Yemen peace process; however it failed to deal with the economic and social issues which are a grater concerns for the locals.
Hence, the preamble of United Nations Charter “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” stands invalid in case of Yemen. In the past year, UN was able to generate $4 billion to address the humanitarian efforts in Yemen but in 2020, only $700 million are collected. In the absence of funds, Yemen is at a risk of losing 30 out of 41 UN programs.
This means that more and more people will suffer and eventually die. Raising money is a constant problem for UN especially in terms of Yemen. Many UN agencies are funded by voluntary contributions and appeals are not getting enough donation. Simultaneously, the budget of U.N has doubled over the last decade. The rising expenditures have made it an expensive body.
There is a critical need to cut down the excessive staff which is only a burden for the UN. General Assembly has been unable to transparently establish the expenditure of its funds. There should be a tax system for the members so that the people in need in Yemen can be effectively catered. As per a 2010 report, U.S has debt of $ 100 Billion and 28 nations have not paid their membership fees.
Moreover, members owe $ 3.5 Billion for regular operation. Similarly, the budget system of UN has many loopholes which force it to get dictation from powerful countries riding their self interests. In case of Yemen, several reports highlight that no hand is clean and all belligerents can be accounted for war crimes. All these reports fail to impact UN Human Rights Councils (UNHRC) check and balances.
The role of Saudi Arabia is of importance in Yemen conflict. But ironically, Saudi Arabia, being a member of UNHRC, employs its efforts to prevent any measure against its actions in Yemen, Even the presence of Saudi Arabia in UNHRC is contradictory due its leading role in Yemen War. United Nations is reluctant to question the role of Saudi Arabia also because it is highly dependent n the funds by the Saudi crown. This allows the Saudi administration to mould the situations in its own interests even if humanitarian crisis is being generated.
Due to this, Saudi government was able to force UN to withdraw its name from the “list of shames” for violations against children in Yemen. This highlights the weak administrative standing of the United Nations. Although Saudi Arabia is not a part of Security Council, its strong allies America and United Kingdom allow it to go by its own rules.
The US and UK have strong economic and political ties with the Saudi crown which allows them to see it a reliable partner in the region. Both the states are also dependent on Saudi oil which is being provided to them on easy terms for supporting Saudi extremism. Moreover, the overall powerful standing of Saudi Arabia also enables it to support the economy of US and UK by buying arms and ammunition. This means that ongoing war is in greater interest of the power players and, being a weak body, UN fails to fulfill its promises.
U.N. Security Council’s (UNSC) power of veto has caused more harm than good. Each member of UNSC has veto power, which has led to near-paralysis at the council on some major crises like Yemen. Lack of political support from the Security Council(SC) has stalled the peace establishment in Yemen. Therefore, it is imperative for the SC to cater Saudi Arabia, US and UK to end the plights of the Yemeni citizens. United Nations must perform its duty as an effective mediator as further negligence can wipe off the country from the map of the world.
Moreover, several loopholes exist in the settlement efforts of the United Nations. The Resolution 2216 of UNSC to protect human rights in Yemen considers only two parties to the conflict. This is a constraint in achieving the settlement because throughout the country, there are several political factions who have varying interests.
The concerns of other tribal and social groups like General People’s Congress, youth, civil society and women are neglected. United Nations must realize that peace establishment is impossible unless all the parties involved are equally and fairly dealt.
Along with this, an effective peacekeeping mission is absent in Yemen. The condition of human rights is beyond meager so United Nations needs to reform its laws governing peacekeeping missions. Laws needs to be binding and effective irrespective of the powers involved. United Nations must realize that rather than requesting mercenaries from various countries, a special force must be maintained for effective and speedy peace keeping.
Moreover, there is also a need of across-the-board accountability within UN. There is in fact the suspect of a rampant financial corruption in the U.N Secretariat, the international bureaucracy, which is derailing UN from its original goal of establishing peace.
All things considered, a common fact surfaces that United Nation, whose major task is to establish a global peace, is severely failing in Yemen. Security Council is to be blamed for most of it, as it has the prime responsibility to draft resolution for Yemen peace. However, it continues to fail on this ground.
The economic gains of the global powers have become more crucial than the several innocent lives dying slowly and painfully in Yemen. Each member of the Security Council has a responsibility to resolve the conflict in Yemen but the structure and functioning criteria of the Security Council limits the opportunities towards peace and prosperity. United Nations must empower the Security Council in a right way that it can sanction the parties involved in inciting terror and conflict in Yemen.
At present times, the Yemen conflict is the biggest depiction of despair and death for humanity. A series of non-stop war crimes continue to terrorize the children and women of the poor country. Due to constant negligence, the humanitarian crisis is already out of hand. Security Council has already delayed the much needed urgent response. There is no time for the authorities and the world community to wait.
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights)