Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The United Nations has renewed its call on the de facto Houthi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all UN employees who support the most vulnerable groups in Yemen, as well as staff members of non-governmental organizations and diplomatic missions who remain arbitrarily detained.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, citing colleagues in Yemen, that an additional UN staff member who had been detained yesterday was released today. He added that the total number of UN employees currently detained in Yemen stands at 53, some of whom have been held by the Houthis since 2021.
Dujarric provided an example of the essential work carried out by UN personnel in Yemen, noting that the recent confirmation of 29 cases of polio in the country has made the mission to protect every child more urgent than ever.
To stop the spread of polio this month, workers from UNICEF and the World Health Organization — supported by Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population — launched the second round of the national polio vaccination campaign across 12 governorates.
Over three days, nearly 15,000 health workers went door to door to vaccinate more than 1.3 million children under the age of five. The first round of vaccinations took place in July of this year.
Stéphane Dujarric reaffirmed the United Nations’ unwavering commitment to supporting the people of Yemen and their aspirations for lasting peace.
