Yemen

Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,

Madam President of the United Nations General Assembly,

Mr. Secretary-General,

Ladies and gentlemen, representatives of Member States,

At the outset, I offer to Ms. Annalena Baerbock, and to her friendly country the Federal Republic of Germany, my sincere congratulations on her election as President of the United Nations General Assembly, wishing her every success in leading the work of this session, which aspires, in keeping with its slogan, to "work together for peace, development and human rights."

I would also like to praise and commend the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and we look forward to working with this pair at the head of the international organization, for the sake of victory for peace and human rights in Yemen, including securing the protection of relief workers kidnapped by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias.

I also take this occasion to extend my sincere congratulations to the sons and daughters of our great Yemeni people, who this evening celebrate the anniversary of the overthrow of the racist Imamate regime sixty-three years ago, and the birth of the republican system founded on the principles of freedom and justice, the removal of disparities and discrimination between classes, the participation of women, and the guarantee of rights and freedoms.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Within the framework of this institution, which arose from the ruins of a horrific war, humanity pledged eight decades ago that no people would be left alone in the face of tyranny, chaos, or famine, without support from the international community. You pledged, and we together pledged, that this institution would be a faithful custodian of human dignity, the right of peoples to a decent life, security, development, and peace.

Today, after all those years, we bring to you the same fateful question from the Yemeni people: are those values still alive or not? Otherwise, what does it mean for our country to be left as a hostage to the expansionist project of the Iranian regime, and its militias that use hunger as a weapon, religion as a tool, and maritime passages as a means of extortion? What does it mean for this ancient country to be transformed into one of the most dangerous hubs of cross-border terrorism in the world?

That is why we are here—not to re-present the legendary steadfastness of the Yemeni people in the face of the most violent and arrogant terrorist organizations, but to build on what has been achieved, and to invite the world, this time, to action, not remembrance; and to the deliverance we promised our people, not repetition.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Yemen today is not merely an internal crisis; it has become a test of the credibility of the international system. More than a decade after the Houthi militias' coup against the national consensus, with support from the Iranian regime, our people are living through one of the greatest humanitarian crises, and facing security threats that extend beyond its borders to the region and the entire world.

The Houthi militias are no longer that rebel group in a remote area of the country, but a global terrorist organization, armed with an advanced Iranian arsenal, from ballistic missiles to drones, explosive-laden boats, sea mines, cluster munitions, and other internationally prohibited weapons of a specialized nature.

On top of that, this rogue group supports drug and Captagon smuggling networks, and the establishment of new technology for jamming, communications, and guidance, in its effort to turn Yemen into a laboratory for testing the weapons of its backers.

These are not merely tools of war, but a project to redraw the map of Iranian influence in the region. And whoever is lenient with this group today must imagine how it will be tomorrow, when the Red Sea and the maritime passages become a permanent hostage to this terrorism.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, the past years have proven that the policy of "managing the conflict" through further incentives has brought nothing but more calamity and destruction, just as the policy of containment gave the Houthi militias the time and resources to expand their arsenal. And when the United Nations proved unable to protect its kidnapped staff in Sana'a, or to protect oil facilities and shipping vessels, it became clear that the desired peace cannot be begged for—it must be imposed by force.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It has become the world's duty today to reconsider its perceptions regarding the Yemeni situation. On one hand, there is a broad national front that believes in international legitimacy, embraces the values of partnership and democracy, preserves local diversity and popular participation, and works to build state institutions. This is the front I represent today, along with my brothers, members of the Presidential Leadership Council, and the government that is a member of the United Nations, on behalf of all Yemeni men and women.

On the other hand, there is an exclusionary, fascist, sectarian organization that does not believe in the rules of international legitimacy, practices cross-border terrorism, and embraces an authoritarian, theocratic model hostile to human rights—and this is what the Houthi group and its backers represent.

Unfortunately, the disregard of many for the core of the Yemeni crisis has encouraged the Houthi militias to press further toward threatening regional peace, targeting energy sources and then shipping lanes, culminating in the kidnapping and mistreatment of United Nations staff.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have spoken to you from this podium on previous occasions, and I affirmed that the government of the Republic of Yemen is always ready to extend its hand toward comprehensive peace, even if it must make painful concessions, so long as this serves the interest of the Yemeni people. But after peacekeeping efforts have failed, it has become necessary to move collectively and decisively to "impose peace."

I therefore call today for the formation of an effective international coalition to restore Yemen's security and stability—a coalition that rebuilds national state institutions and frees the country from the grip of the militias and terrorist groups of every kind.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The United Nations General Assembly, in its eightieth session, appears in dire need of proving to its members that international law is not merely a myth, and that the rules-based world order is not merely a selective invitation.

In this context, Yemen and Gaza remain the arena of moral testing for this venerable institution, and the stage through which it can be affirmed that the power of right can still confront the right of power. At the heart of this region lies the Palestinian cause, the bleeding wound in the conscience of humanity and the central Arab cause, which is today witnessing a historic transformation through the sweeping recognition of its independent state—in the course of which we do not forget to extend great appreciation to our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their laudable efforts with French partners in securing these unprecedented political gains.

We also renew, from this podium, our full support for the Palestinian National Authority and the two-state solution, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, and we call upon the remaining Member States to recognize it and to stand by the right of its people and their dignity.

At the same time, we renew our rejection of the exploitation of this just cause by rogue militias and their backers, which have brought nothing to Palestine but isolation and ruin.

Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,

Amid this suffering endured by the Yemeni people over the past eleven years, our brothers have not left us alone—foremost among them the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who did not only protect the Yemeni state from collapse, but protected the entire region from falling into the grip of the Iranian project, and offered a practical model of strategic partnership founded on development, one that the world should adopt rather than merely observe.

At the end of last week, our brothers in the Kingdom once again took the initiative to announce additional economic support for the general budget and basic services, at a time when the Yemeni government faces severe financing constraints, and we look forward to the international community joining this effort for the sake of the survival of millions of Yemenis.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,

The title of this statement was "For Yemen… For the World," because we are not appealing to you today for Yemen alone, but for the entire world. For leaving Yemen prey to extortion and terrorism means opening the door to more victims, and thereby striking at the very core of this institution's credibility and its principles.

What we ask of this gathering is not new statements, but decisive international action alongside the legitimate government as a trustworthy partner on the ground. The time has come to launch an international coalition that liberates Yemen from terrorism, rebuilds its national state, and secures the region and the world from a growing, cross-border danger. This is our renewed offer, which we hope will lead to the restoration of our country's sovereignty and the closing of the chapter of the militias without any delay.

Thank you.