Yemen UN Consultations – A Step on the Path to Peace

On Sunday 20 December, the first round of UN-brokered consultations on Yemen concluded in Switzerland.  All parties at the talks agreed a Communiqué summarising the progress they made and committing to attend the next round of talks, which will begin on 14 January 2016.

The international community was not invited by the UN to attend the talks, nor were we permitted inside the venue where the consultations took place.  This was the right approach, and helped ensure that all discussions about Yemen’s future were conducted by Yemenis.  I, and other international colleagues accredited to Yemen, stayed nearby and provided support to the UN Special Envoy and his team at various locations outside the venue.

Having been in Switzerland and spoken to the delegations and the UN, it has been surprising and disappointing to read media reports and speculation on social media that the consultations failed.  This is not the case.  The UN talks in Switzerland have been a positive start on the path towards peace.  Nobody imagined that problems as complex as those of Yemen could be completely solved in a week.  The UN process underway will not be easy and will take time, but significant progress was made in Switzerland.

I have been asked what was positive about the talks.  The fact that the two delegations met face-to-face for the first time represents progress in itself.  Let us not forget that these are the same parties who during the Geneva talks in June could not be brought even into the same building.   The commitment to (an imperfect) ceasefire has been renewed, and a military de-escalation committee comprising all parties set up to monitor it and de-escalate the incidents which will inevitably occur in such a complex conflict.  Humanitarian access to Taiz has been eased and aid is now being distributed there.  Most importantly, and unlike during the June Geneva talks, all parties have demonstrated they understand the need for flexibility and dialogue in order to resume the peaceful political transition which was interrupted in 2014.  They have agreed an early date to re-convene and will continue the painstaking process of working through the political, security, economic and humanitarian issues which need to be addressed.  Much work and preparation will be done between now and then, which gives me confidence that the next round will achieve significant further advances and more concrete outcomes.

The outcome from last week’s talks in Switzerland was towards the upper end of my expectations, achieving most of what informed observers considered realistic.   Some aspects of the discussions proved more difficult than others, but none collapsed or reached complete impasse.  We should applaud the efforts of the UN and all the Yemeni participants to make a new start in addressing one of the most heartbreaking conflicts in the world. Their efforts will start to bring relief to a population which is suffering terrible hardships.

In that context, much as I want to end on a festive note, I will confine myself to wishing all readers and all Yemenis peace and hope during this season.  To all I wish a happier 2016 than 2015, and continued progress towards a brighter future.