Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, rejected the allegations, saying “such false statements are unfounded and further threaten the safety of personnel and hamper our ability and that of our partners to serve the people of Yemen.”
The allegations were made against the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other humanitarian partners.
He reiterated that UN agencies have worked tirelessly to address the impact of the severe crisis in Yemen, where more than half the population – some 19 million people – are dependent on humanitarian assistance and protection.
Protection of the right to education
Since 2021, UNICEF and partners working to ensure quality education for Yemeni children through the Restoring Education And Learning (REAL) program.
This national partnership – with the Ministry of Education, the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Education and others – has provided crucial support, including paying regular stipends to more than 40,000 teachers and renovating more than 770 schools.
In addition, it has provided school bags and teaching materials to more than half a million children, provided regular school meals to more than 600,000 students and supported more than 9,000 teachers with professional training.
“With more than 4.5 million children out of school in Yemen, UNICEF calls on the Sana’a authorities to take a constructive and collaborative approach and work with all partners to address the urgent needs of all children,” said Mr Dujarric.
UN personnel must be protected
The UN spokesperson further stressed that the safety of all UN personnel must be respected and guaranteed.
It has been more than three months since the Houthis (also known as Ansar Allah) arbitrarily detained 13 UN staff, along with members of civil society, national and international NGOs, and diplomatic missions.
In addition, four UN staff members who were detained in 2021 and 2023 are still being held.
“The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN personnel and partners arbitrarily detained in Yemen,” Mr Dujarric said.
“In the meantime, detainees must be treated with full respect for their human rights and must be able to contact their families and legal representatives,” he added.