Open Letter to the Yemeni Parties to the Conflict from 141 NGOs: Restore and Renew the Truce and Build Lasting Peace
As we mark eight long years of the conflict in Yemen and one year since the start of the now lapsed truce agreement of 2 April 2022, we call on you to maintain sharp focus on reaching a new truce deal and initiating steps towards a real, long-lasting, and inclusive Yemeni peace process.
Al Goma’a, Yemen – © Haifa Khaled Noman / Première Urgence Internationale
The six-month truce shifted Yemen into a new phase, one that could represent the beginning of the end of this conflict. We call on you to ensure that this moment of opportunity grows into lasting peace and promise for the people of Yemen, a new era that would enable them to restore their lives and contribute to building the future of their country.
Since the truce came into effect last year, fighting, conflict-related displacement and civilian casualties have notably decreased. As organizations actively involved in the humanitarian response across Yemen, we have seen firsthand how the movement of commodities and people has opened, enabling them greater access to lifesaving services like medical care, or simply the ability to reunite with friends and family. We have frequently heard from those we serve, how they have been able to dream again, of a better future and a life of opportunity and growth instead of suffering and stunting.
This progress is nothing short of extraordinary. It is the result of a growing political willingness to find a peaceful resolution for the people of Yemen and must be acknowledged. But the gains that have been made are fragile. We call on you to protect the people of Yemen by fully respecting International Humanitarian Law and facilitating unencumbered humanitarian access for aid actors to reach communities in need. We also call on you to refrain from using the economy and its institutions to inflict harm that all too often is felt largely by the civilian population. Economic deterioration, divided monetary systems, lack of salaries and rising prices, continue to exhaust millions of Yemeni families.
At the recent pledging event for the humanitarian response in Yemen, INGOs called on the international community to compliment peace efforts with renewed funding to promote a holistic recovery in Yemen. We were shocked and appalled when less than one third of the funds needed were pledged. We will not stop in our efforts to secure the full amount of funding needed to ensure the safety and dignity of those in need of humanitarian aid. We make that commitment to the Yemeni people. At the same time, all parties to the conflict must work together to ensure a lasting peace and that an equitable recovery from conflict is delivered. The people of Yemen deserve nothing less.
Any truce and longer-term peace process must be inclusive. CSOs, women, youth and marginalized communities should have a seat at the table. As we move into the ninth year of the conflict in Yemen, we call on you to stand firm for peace. May this Ramadan be a time of introspection and hope for the future of Yemen and may this year’s sad mark of the conflict in Yemen be the last.
