On 1 July 2019, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain delivered a statement during the 41st Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, concerning the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, in particular the alarming conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Since the start of the conflict in the country, violence has displaced almost 4 million people. They are facing lack of medical care and food, moreover the weather conditions have exacerbated even more the situation, flooding and destroying temporary camps.
ADHRB asked for recommendations for Saudi Arabia and UAE concerning the possibility to mitigate the impact of the conflict, especially on displaced persons. Click here for the PDF format.
Please find the statement below.
Dear Mr. President,
IDO and ADHRB wish to bring the Council’s attention to the ongoing crisis in Yemen, in particular the dire reality faced by millions of internally displaced persons.
The violence in Yemen has led to a large and increasing internally displaced persons population and created the most dire humanitarian crisis in the world. Since the start of the conflict in March 2015 when the Saudi and Emirati-led coalition began its engagement in Yemen, violence has displaced almost 4 million, over 80 percent of whom have been displaced for more than a year. Displaced persons face increasing burdens, ranging from lack of medical care and food to dangerous exposure to the elements.
Many internally displaced persons lack medical care, placing them at added risk of contracting dangerous preventable diseases like cholera. Indeed, Yemen is in the midst of its third cholera outbreak since 2015 and current estimates indicate that there have been 724,000 suspected cholera cases this year.
Recent weather conditions have made conditions in already-overburdened camps and informal settlements more dire. Heavy rains and widespread flooding across multiple governorates have damaged tents, increasing risks of homelessness and exploitation, and leaving thousands in desperate need of emergency assistance. Damage to food stocks and sanitation facilities have compounded the crisis.
Even as weather events ravage camps, parties involved in the conflict have diverted critical food aid from an estimated 10 million beneficiaries, leaving many on the brink of famine.
Given the multi-faced risks internally displaced persons in Yemen face, including weather emergencies, health crises, and diversion of critical, what recommendations can you make to the Saudi and Emirati-led coalition that causes this humanitarian crisis to mitigate the impact of the conflict on displaced persons?
Thank you.
