Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Human Rights Council – 48th Session
Thank you to the Group of Eminent Experts for your ongoing reporting despite the challenges. We appreciate your efforts to engage human rights defenders and Yemeni civil society, and to integrate their views in your recommendations.
We support continuing the GEE mandate for two years, and call on all parties to facilitate the Group’s access.
The United States shares your concerns about the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Respect for human rights, accountability for abuses and violations, and progress on the political track, are all mutually reinforcing.
We are particularly concerned by credible reporting of egregious human rights violations and abuses, including the recruitment of child soldiers, torture, sexual violence, and the use of starvation as a tactic of conflict.
We share the GEE’s concerns about the plight of vulnerable populations – particularly migrants and members of religious minorities. We appreciate the GEE’s recommendations for accountability measures, including the need to protect and preserve evidence for future prosecutions.
The United States again calls attention to the Houthis’ prolonged, unnecessary, and dangerous stalling of negotiations with the United Nations to agree upon assessment and repair of the Safer oil tanker.
The United States supports and welcomes the wide-ranging support for inclusive peace efforts that reflect and include diverse Yemeni perspectives, particularly those of youth, women, civil society, and minority leaders.
Question: How can the international community support accountability for abuses and violations in Yemen?