Interactive Dialogue on the Report of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
UN Human Rights Council – 46th Session
Geneva, February 25, 2021
As Delivered by Sean Mariano Garcia
We thank the Group of Eminent Experts for its reporting. We share the report’s concern over the serious human rights abuses in Yemen, including reported uses of torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, denial of fair trial guarantees, and enforced disappearances.
The United States is stepping up our diplomacy to end the war in Yemen and has ended our support for offensive Saudi-led Coalition military operations. We have listened to the concerns from the United Nations, humanitarian groups, and members of Congress and taken specific actions to further ensure that we are taking into account the humanitarian plight of Yemen’s civilian population while continuing to put pressure on the leaders of the Ansarallah or the Houthi movement. We support the UN-led process to establish a ceasefire, open humanitarian channels, and resume peace talks aimed at ending the conflict.
I would like to ask, since the release of the report, the conflict in Marib has intensified. What additional human rights concerns has the GEE seen in the current Houthi offensive in Marib, in particular related to displaced persons?