Contents 1. Introduction to Committee: ................................................................................................................... 2 A) Members .............................................................................................................................................. 2 B) Voting .................................................................................................................................................. 2 C) Mandate and Legality of the Security Council .................................................................................... 2 2. Topic: Role of Intervention in the Yemeni Conflict ............................................................................. 3 A) Introduction to the topic:...................................................................................................................... 3 B) Origins of Conflict: The Yemeni Revolution and Hadi’s Transitional Government ........................... 4 3. Timeline of the Conflict: ....................................................................................................................... 7 4. Main Belligerents inside Yemen: .......................................................................................................... 8 A) Hadi government: ................................................................................................................................ 8 B) Houthis: ................................................................................................................................................ 8 C) Supreme Political Council/ Revolutionary Committee: ....................................................................... 9 D) Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP): ...................................................................................... 9 E) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) .......................................................................................... 9 F) South Yemen Separatists: ..................................................................................................................... 9 5. International actors: .............................................................................................................................. 9 A) Saudi Arabia ...................................................................................................................................... 10 B) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): ..................................................................................................... 11 C) Iran: .................................................................................................................................................... 12 D) USA: .................................................................................................................................................. 12 E) United Kingdom ................................................................................................................................. 12 6. Humanitarian Crisis ............................................................................................................................ 13 7. Role of International Community and UN .......................................................................................... 13 8. Past UN Resolutions on the topic: ...................................................................................................... 14 9. Points to be addressed in committee: .................................................................................................. 14 10. Questions a resolution must answer (QARMA): ............................................................................ 15 11. Additional Resources and citations: ................................................................................................ 15 Page 1 of 16  1. Introduction to Committee: T he United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, charged with two main missions: the maintenance of international peace and security under the chapters V et VII of the Charter of the United Nations, and a substantial institutional role, having a role in the nomination of the members of the International Court of Justice, of the Secretary General of the United Nations and in the admission of new Member States to the United Nations. A) Members The SC consists of 15 members – 5 permanent members and 10 nonpermanent members. The five permanent members (P5) consist of the leaders of the victorious Allied Powers after the Second World War that were the founding members of the UN – the United States of America; the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Norther Ireland; the French Republic; the Russian Federation; and the People's Republic of China. In addition, the nonpermanent members currently consist of Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Peru, Poland and Sweden. As per GA Resolution 1991 (1963), to ensure the representation of a geographically and politically diverse world, 5 of the 10 are selected from Africa and Asia, 1 from Eastern Europe, 2 from Latin America, and 2 from Western Europe and other states that do not fall under the other regional designations. They are selected for two year terms through a majority vote of the GA, with 5 new members each year. B) Voting For any resolution or procedural change to be passed by the SC, it must have 9 positive votes, and no P5 nation may vote against it. This unique “veto power” is granted to them by the Charter of the United Nations. However, as the UN is about consensus, the veto power is rarely invoked; the country may simply choose to abstain from the vote instead. A list of every veto in the SC can be found here: http://research.un.org/en/docs/sc/quick. C) Mandate and Legality of the Security Council In accordance with Chapter V of the Charter of the United Nations, the powers and functions of the Security Council defined in Article 24, 25 and 26, the United Nations confers the UNSC’s primary responsibility to be the maintenance of international peace and security and allows the Council to act on its behalf whilst performing the aforementioned functions. Binding the council to work within the boundaries of the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations, Chapters VI, VII, VIII and XII of the Charter shed light on the specific powers bestowed on the Council. Under Article 39, Chapter VII, which states, "The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression…" 1, the council has exclusive powers to recognize aggressors and the following article, Article 40, calls upon the involved parties to comply with "provisional measures". Article 41 authorizes the Council to take measures not involving the use of armed forces (i.e.: trade sanctions, embargoes, etc.) whereas the succeeding article, Article 42, clearly states, "Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security…". Hence, these articles comprised within Chapter VII of the UN Charter provide guidance to the Council, on it's working and probable course of action during an international conflict (that fits the given criteria). Legal positivists argue that an individual (and individuals comprising of or representing a state) has a moral duty to obey the law. But what is the law? According to Article 38(I) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, international norms are legally binding if they are incorporated in "a. international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing rules expressly Page 2 of 16 recognized by the contesting states; b. international custom, as evidence of a general practice accepted as law…" 2. Although this Statute is technically only binding on the International court of Justice, it is widely accepted as the authoritative statement of the sources of international law. 2. Topic: Role of Intervention in the Yemeni Conflict A) Introduction to the topic: The Yemeni Civil War offers a similarly fraught geopolitical paradigm. Since its outbreak in March of 2015, the war has raged between Yemeni forces representing the recognized government of President Hadi and revolutionary forces largely constituted by Houthi fighters and revolutionary elements of the Yemeni security forces. The country is locked in a state of brutal warfare, as both sides jockey for control of the capital Sana’a. Following the revolutionary forces’ (direct by the Supreme Revolutionary Committee) overthrow of the Hadi government, an international coalition of forces headed by Saudi Arabia has initiated aerial operations. The Saudi air force has executed a vast number of airstrikes against revolutionary fighters, many of which have inflicted severe civilian casualties. The UN estimates that as of March 2016 upwards of 6,300 people had died in the conflict, which continues with unabated ferocity. As the conflict has developed, additional actors have entered the fray. Iran and Hezbollah have been accused of funneling military equipment to the revolutionary fighters: this support would be unsurprising given the brutal rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Also, both Iran and the Houthi fighters support Shia Islamic practices. Furthermore, terrorist groups including ISIS and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have begun to carry out attacks and even seize territory in Yemen. The United States has also entered the conflict alongside the Saudi coalition forces, though it targets ISIS and AQAP exclusively. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the US have arisen as a result of Saudi Arabia’s indiscriminate airstrike protocols, though the US continues to provide intelligence and logistical support for the pro-Hadi campaign. This messy amalgamation of domestic and international actors and interests makes intervention in the Yemeni civil war an excellent example of the balancing act that forms the core of this committee. Firstly, it intertwines the activities of the revolutionary and government forces with the interests of regional rivals such as Saudi Arabia and Iran in what might be conceived as a religiously and politically charged proxy war. Secondly, the diversity of forces fighting on the ground—terrorist groups, revolutionaries, international coalitions, and government forces—blur the conflict’s motives. For example, the US is involved largely to target ISIS and AQAP, but its longstanding strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia associates it to some degree with the collateral damage caused by Saudi bombings. Blackwater mercenaries have also been employed by coalition forces, bringing in a complex private sector element. Thus, the motives of a given Page 3 of 16 actor are in fact shaped not only by their individual motives but also by their existing alignments with and commitments to other actors. B) Origins of Conflict: The Yemeni Revolution and Hadi’s Transitional Government To begin with, it is important to understand what kind of movement the Houthis are. They first appeared in the 1980s in order to protect Zaydi religious traditions, which are a part of Shia Islam. Zaydis have been politically excluded and marginalized in the society. The time when they became politically active was under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi during the invasion of US in Iraq in 2003. President Saleh seemed to support the invasion and since al-Houthis resistance was inconvenient for him he prosecuted him and that led to continuous armed conflicts between the supporters of the two. That led alter to the Houthis standing against President Saleh during the uprisings of the Arab Spring in 2011. During the same year President Saleh gets injured by a drone and therefore agrees to have his deputy Hadi take over his position. This action caused protests by the people who were opposed to the current government and many members of the government have faced assassination efforts. Because of that the United Nations tried to intervene and bring all of the groups, both the government and the opposition, as well as the Houthis, in order to agree upon the new constitution. The decision of the government was to separate Yemen in six regions in the terms of a political transition. However, after some other incidents President Hadi increased the fuel price causing many protests, where the Houthis were involved of course. After many other armed conflicts, the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa and seized power over the region. Of course the government did many efforts to come to a compromise by creating many draft constitutions, but the Houthis rejected them all. While President Hadi fled to the South in order to be able to “rebuild” his government the Houthis appointed a council to take over his position. Sadly, these were not the only conflicts Yemen has faced. In March the Islamic State attacks Yemen by causing the death of hundreds of people, spreading the terror. Page 4 of 16 In the meantime, the Houthis started attacking the southern part of the country, where Hadi has fled there causing him to flee to Saudi Arabia and at the same time the forces of Saudi Arabia launched air strikes against the Houthis by causing many casualties. Because of the unstable situation al-Qaeda spread throughout the country. However, in 2015 the leader of al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula gets killed during an air-strike in Yemen. After a while President Hadi returns to the country after the Saudi Arabian forces recaptured a part of the city. In 2016 the United Nations made an effort once again to bring President Hadi and the Houthis around the table, which eventually was not a constructive talk. The situation now in Yemen is really unstable making it hard to understand who is in power. However, the Houthis have achieved something the government has not: many defeats of the AQAP. Because of that the AQAP tries to present the conflict as a Sunni-Shia conflict, although it has never been very intense in Yemen. The reason for that is the power the Houthis are gaining and the threat that they may manage to defeat the AQAP. Therefore, al-Qaeda experiences a form of recruitment in some areas, where the Houthis are not perceived as liberators, but as invaders. In such areas it is high likely that the local tribes will align with al-Qaeda in order to resist to the Houthis. So there are mainly four reasons for the crisis: ➢ The military had been divided since the presidency of Saleh. He wanted to appoint his son as a military leader, which led him to conflict with the military leader Al Ahmar and of course to a divided military. Therefore, the military was not united and functional when the uprisings of the Arab Spring began and were not able to prevent the political instability that followed. ➢ The takeover of the Houthis has caused great instability. Their rebellious stands and unwillingness to enter piece-talks is the main reason of the crisis. ➢ President Hadi increased rapidly the fuel price in 2014. The Houthis that had gained a lot of support until that point organized mass protests against the transition process led by the UN, demanding lower fuel process. ➢ The strong intervention of Saudi Arabia in the country, while President Hadi was in the exile, had tremendous effects. While they were trying to regain the area for Hadi, they launched air strikes that have been the reason for thousands of deaths. The most important factor that had drawn the “concern” of the global community is the cruel humanitarian situation, which the people of Yemen are forced to face. Whether Sunnis or Shias people live in a State of terror, where children have to play “1,2,3, bombing” and the amounts of malnutrition are rising terrifyingly fast. Yemen has a poverty rate of around 50%, ranking the country to one of the poorest ones. Up to 3.000 civilians have been killed during the conflict and 22 million are in need of humanitarian aid. Yemen relies mainly on imports for food and fuel, but because of the ongoing fighting, many organizations could not provide the country with food and medicine, causing multiple problems. The most important and frustrating aspect is that 60% of the deaths of civilians have been caused by air strikes targeting hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure from both sides. In fact, Saudi Arabia has declared the entire city of Sanaa as a military target and that of course had disastrous effects. Most of Page 5 of 16 the hospitals in the city run by the international relief organization Doctors Without Borders have been bombed leaving all the people injured by airstrikes and with malnutrition with no humanitarian aid. Because of these violations both sides are accused of breaking the Geneva Convention for protection of human rights, while the Houthi forces are accused of repeatedly committing war crimes. Page 6 of 16  3. Timeline of the Conflict: 2011 November - President Saleh agrees to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Unity government including prime minister from opposition formed. 2012 February - Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi inaugurated as president after uncontested elections. 2012 September - Defence Minister Muhammad Nasir Ahmad survives car bomb attack in Sanaa that kills 11 people, a day after local al-Qaeda deputy head Said al-Shihri is reportedly dead in the south. 2012 November - A Saudi diplomat and his bodyguard are shot dead in Sanaa. Security officials say the assailants, who opened fire on the diplomat's convoy, were dressed in police uniforms. 2014 January - National Dialogue Conference winds up after ten months of deliberation, agreeing a document on which the new constitution will be based. 2014 February - Presidential panel gives approval for Yemen to become a federation of six regions as part of its political transition. 2014 July - Tribesmen blow up the country's largest oil pipeline, disrupting supplies from the interior to a Red Sea export terminal. 2014 August - President Hadi sacks his cabinet and overturns a controversial fuel price rise following two weeks of anti-government protests in which Houthi rebels are heavily involved. 2014 September - Houthi rebels take control of the most of capital Sanaa. 2015 January - Houthis reject draft constitution proposed by government. 2015 February - Houthis appoint presidential council to replace President Hadi, who flees to Aden southern stronghold. 2015 March - Islamic State carries out its first major attacks in Yemen - two suicide bombings targeting Shia mosques in Sanaa in which 137 people are killed. Houthi rebels start to advance towards southern Yemen. President Hadi flees Aden. Saudi-led coalition of Gulf Arab states launches air strikes against Houthi targets and imposes naval blockade. 2015 June - Leader of Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, killed in US drone strike in Yemen. 2015 September - President Hadi returns to Aden after Saudi-backed government forces recapture the port city from Houthi forces and launch advance on Aden. 2016 April - Start of UN-sponsored talks between the government on one side and Houthis and former President Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) on the other. 2016 May-June - Islamic State group claims responsibility for a number of attacks, including a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 army recruits in Aden. Page 7 of 16 2016 October - Airstrike by Saudi-led coalition hits a crowded funeral in Sanaa, killing 140 mourners and injuring 500.Both sides of the conflict allegedly break a UN-sponsored 72-hour ceasefire declared amid ongoing peace talks. 2017 January - A US raid kills several suspected Al-Qaeda militants and civilians in America's first military action in Yemen under President Donald Trump. 2017 May - Houthis continue firing missiles into Saudi Arabia, claiming to have fired one at the capital Riyadh. 2017 June-November - Outbreak of cholera kills 2,100 and affects almost 900,000 others, medical agencies say. 2017 December - Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh is killed after fierce fighting in the capital Sanaa. 2018 January - Southern Yemeni separatists - backed by the United Arab Emirates - seize control of Aden. 4. Main Belligerents inside Yemen: A) Hadi government: The Hadi government fled from Sana’a and is currently established in Aden. Hadi himself fled the country in 2015 when Houthi forces entered Aden however, once Saudi Arabia intervened and re-took the city, Hadi returned and has remained there. The government is currently supported by the Saudi intervention and backed as the official government on Yemen. B) Houthis: The Houthis started in the late 1980s as a cultural and religious movement among believers of Zaydi Shi’ism in northern Yemen. The Zaydis are a minority in Yemen, but prevalent in the northern highlands, where Zaydi imams ruled much of the region until 1962. Zayid is a different school of Shi’a than that practiced in Iran. In 2003, Saleh decided to back the U.S.- led invasion of Iraq. At this point the Houthis turned into a political militia. The Houthis fought the Saleh regime intermittently until the Arab Spring. In 2009, they also fought the intervening Saudi forces. The Houthi movement grew due to its criticism of the UN-backed transition and was able to expand beyond its original northern area. Former President Saleh has become more popular with the Yemeni citizens due to the deteriorating hope of a strong new government. Both Saleh and his son have the loyalty of some parts of Yemen’s military, tribal networks, and large parts of the General People's Congress (GPC) political party. Nonetheless, the Saleh-Houthi alliance is purely tactical. Saleh’s loyalists oppose Hadi’s government as they lost power due to the transition and the Houthis likewise do not support the new government. Saleh was killed in December 2017 after he had changed his mind and wanted to establish links to Saudi Arabia. Violent clashes broke out between the Houthi armed groups and military supporters of Saleh. The situation is getting more complicated. Page 8 of 16 C) Supreme Political Council/ Revolutionary Committee: Commonly referred as Houthis. Consists of Houthi forces, Pro-Saleh Security Forces and the Republican Guard. Iran reportedly provides weapons support and logistical support for the Houthis while Hezbollah also provides military and logistics support too. Due to Shia majority, conflictalso resembles sectarian violence since there is a clear separation between Sunni Pro- Hadi forces and Shia Houthis. Houthis are considered a significant military force due to their sheer numbers and moderate/advanced weapons systems. Houthi forces are operating Iranian arms, several light armored troop carriers, suicide boats and anti-ship missiles that also struck Coalition naval vessels multiple times. With the cross-border incursions by Houthis against Saudi forces, conflict also occurs in the Saudi-Yemen border. D) Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP): Al-Qaeda has been present in Yemen since early 2000s with American forces repeatedly targeting Al Qaeda organized operations in Yemen. Once the Civil War broke out in 2015, Al-Qaeda managed to use the confusion created by the conflict and capture the city of Mukalla, and has used the city as its base of operations. The city has since been recaptured by Hadi forces in 2016, however pockets of Al-Qaeda forces still exist and are active participants in the conflict. The terrorist organization is one of the main concerns in the conflict due to their use of terror tactics and prevalent radicalist ideology. So far Al Qaeda has targeted both sides in bombing campaigns and open conflict, and is a serious threat to the stability of the region. E) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) In March 2015, ISIL carried out its first major attacks in Yemen with two suicide bombings, which targeted Shia mosques in Sanaa and killed 137 people.110 ISIL also claimed major attacks in May and June, including a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 army recruits in Aden.111 However, ISIL remains a smaller, newer, presence in Yemen compared to AQAP. Whereas Al-Qaeda’s tribally- entrenched presence in Yemen holds thousands of members, ISIL’s ranks are still in the hundreds.112 Both the emergence of an ISIL presence in Yemen and the expansion of Al-Qaeda in the region are a testament to the environment of political instability and its consequences, and have been of great concern to the international community F) South Yemen Separatists: Another small but resurgent group are the South Yemen separatists, who reformed in 2007 and have since actively been protesting and establishing a political party. Their goal is to restore the former republic of South Yemen, prominent figures include the governor of Aden, Al-Zoubaidi. So far, the movement is mostly political and supporters are with Hadi’s government forces. 5. International actors: Yemeni Civil War not only includes domestic belligerents, but also a lot of international involvement took place after 2015 turning point. Apart from civil war, rising terrorism also attracted many attention towards Yemen and resulted in strikes by foreign actors targeting terrorist groups. Main foreign intervention was made by Iran and Saudi-led Coalition followed by a relatively smaller intervention by the United States. United States’ involvement mostly includes UCAV strikes against terrorist cells and leaders. There are a number of Special Operations conducted by Navy SEAL’s targeting key AQAP leaders but there aren’t much details regarding these raids. Sanger (2017) stated that the Yemeni government withdrew counterterrorism operations authorization given to US in February 2017 after high Page 9 of 16 number of civilian casualties in the recent operations. It is still debated whether US will step down on its operations in Yemen or continue targeting AQAP and ISIL in the area. A) Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen began when Hadi was forced to flee the country in early 2015. The Saudi response was Operation Decisive Storm, a coalition of Saudi Arabia and nine other Middle Eastern nations that primarily conducted airstrikes to counter the rapid expansion of Houthi control. Operation Decisive Storm lasted approximately a month before Saudi Arabia ended the campaign claiming it had “achieved its military goals.”95 However, Saudi and coalition airstrikes, ground forces, and naval troops have since continued to maintain a presence in Yemen in hopes of restoring the Hadi government to power. Operation Decisive Storm was declared over in April 2015 with a statement that Saudi Arabia had successfully pushed back on Houthi expansion. However, at the end of Operation Decisive Storm, Hadi had not been restored to power, nor had most of the Houthi-controlled territories been regained. Saudi coalition spokesperson General Ahmed al-Asiri stated that the campaign was ending on the grounds that “the rebels no longer posed a threat to civilians,” but that the coalition would “continued to prevent the Houthi militias from moving or undertaking any operations inside Yemen [through] a combination of political, diplomatic, and military action.”96 Operation Restoring Hope, which succeeded Operation Decisive Storm and originally aimed to focus on political settlements and counterterrorism, has since involved Saudi Arabia in far more military action than political or diplomatic talks. It should be noted that this is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has been militarily involved in combatting the Houthis in Yemen. Indeed, during the Saleh regime’s 2009 Operation Scorched Earth, Saudi Arabia openly entered the conflict with significant military operations against the Houthis following reports of Houthi incursions in Saudi territory that killed several Saudi border guards. Page 10 of 16 B) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): The GCC, comprised of Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar so far has promised to facilitate humanitarian aid into Yemen. Most members of the council also participate in the Saudi-led intervention, with the exception of Oman, and Qatar recently has stopped its support of the coalition after its diplomatic crisis in 2017. The UN has agreed to cooperate with the GCC to oversee the transition to political stability and enforce the arms embargo on rebels in Yemen, to an extent supporting the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. Page 11 of 16 C) Iran: Iran has been accused by Saudi Arabia of being involved in the conflict through arms dealing and training of the Houthi Rebels since 2009. Iran has denied any involvement in the conflict since its start, but has also stated that it is sympathetic to the Houthi case. It has recently been confirmed that the missile launched by Houthi rebels aimed at Riyadh in 2017 was from Iranian origins, however the sale of arms cannot be traced back to Iran. Nonetheless, United Nations has called it a violation of the arms embargo for Iran, as they have not attempted at stopping the arms trade to rebels in Yemen. So far there has been no proof of direct Iranian involvement in the conflict other than Saudi accusation, but it is plausible given the current proxy-conflicts Iran and Saudi Arabia have in the Arabian Peninsula to expand their respective spheres of influence (such as the Syrian Civil War). D) USA: The United States originally backed the Saudi-led coalition reluctantly, conjoint with the UK and France. US interests involve securing the Saudi borders and creating stability in Yemen. An important economi goal for the US is the free passage through the Bab al-Mandeb, the connection between the Arabian and Red Seas, which is used to move millions of barrels of oil daily. Another fundamental goal for the US military program is the insurance of a government in Sana’a that will cooperate with US counterterrorism programs. During the infancy of the US Yemen mission, Washington mainly provided the Saudi-led coalition with intelligence support. Since that point, it has increased its role in the region, first starting drone strikes and later putting special forces on the ground. The US is also the biggest provider of Saudi arms. Of the USD 8.7 billion Saudi Arabia and the UAE spent on arms in 2014, USD 8.4 billion went to the US. While the Obama administration has continuously supported coalition operations, US officials have pushed the Saudis for restraint, expressing that the intensity of the bombing campaign was undercutting shared political goals. Since the conflict began, the US and UK have together transferred more than USD 5 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, more than 10 times the USD 450 million that the US State Department and the UK’s Department for International Development have spent or budgeted for aid to Yemen. With the Trump Presidency, the southern rural area has found that drone strikes are far more frequent and, in addition, direct US air strikes have become a regular feature. It should be expected, that the Trump government will take a more active role in aiding the Saudi/GCC coalition. More recently, the Trump administration has involved special forces ground troops, such as the now notorious Yakla ground attack in al Baidha. E) United Kingdom The UK considers itself one of the largest donors to aid the Yemen humanitarian missions, having spent Sterling 130 million last year for aid. However, it sold weapons worth USD 3.3 billion to Saudi in the same year– over 25 times that which it spent for humanitarian causes. More alarming even, is that some of the cluster bombs used by the Saudi alliance have been determined to be of British origin. While Britain would be violating the Convention on Cluster Munitions, neither the US, Saudi Arabia nor Yemen have signed or ratified the document. After this information came to light, the Saudi alliance switched from British to Brazilian cluster bombs. Due to the predicted British recession on account of Brexit, analysts doubt whether the May administration will stop selling weapons to the Saudi coalition. Page 12 of 16  6. Humanitarian Crisis Due to constant conflict since 2015 and political instability since 2011 Yemen is suffering a large humanitarian crisis, according to OCHA more than 16 million people (in a population of 27 million) are food insecure, lack access to safe water, sanitation and basic healthcare. A cholera outbreak also affecting an estimated one million people, attributed to the lack of safe water. The official estimate is of almost 9000 conflict related deaths and more than 50000 injured, as well as 2 million internally displaced. There are also estimates of one million refugees going abroad, mostly to neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Oman. Overall, almost 20 million people are affected and it can be considered one of the largest humanitarian crisis in current times. The airstrikes from the Saudi coalition have also contributed to the humanitarian crisis. More than half of the casualties can be attributed to the airstrikes including civilian targets. The UN has condemned Saudi Arabia for human rights violations, targeting civilians and for the murder of more than 600 children, to which Saudi Arabia threatened the UN to cut out humanitarian aid. 7. Role of International Community and UN The EU has committed a total of EUR 120 million in humanitarian aid to Yemensince 2015. The most recent pledge of funds came on 21 September 2016 when the European Commission announced a EUR 40 million aid package at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. High Representative/Vice- President Federica Mogherini has welcomed the most recent cease-fire announcement26, as she has with each of the previous cease-fires in Yemen, each time calling for political dialogue, an end of the hostilities and commitment to humanitarian assistance. The UN Special Envoy for Yemen visited Brussels on 4-5 April 2016 where he met with representatives of the Member States, the EEAS and the Commission, including Commissioner Christos Stylianides. In a joint press conference with HR/VP Mogherini at the end of the visit, he thanked the EU ‘that has exhibited commendable leadership by agreeing to provide, as of tomorrow, an intensive capacity building exercise to the committee members of the De-escalation and Co-ordination Committee which will work to bolster adherence to the Cessation of Hostilities in order to identify any breaches and find the right tools to deal with them, shall they arise’. The European Council produced two Council Conclusions on Yemen in 2015, one in April 28 and one in November 29. Each called for political dialogue as the only way to resolve the conflict and reaffirmed the EU’s support for ‘the efforts of the UN Secretary General and the Special Envoy for Yemen to achieve a resumption of negotiations, fully in line with the framework provided by the GCC initiative, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and relevant UN Security Council resolutions’. The Conclusions stressed the need for humanitarian intervention and for all parties to respect International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. The aforementioned actions derive from the tremendous humanitarian loss. The UN after having conducted a research in January 2016, revealed that 2,800 civilians had been killed since the escalation in March (60% of them in air strikes). Both sides of the current conflict have been targeted, in violation of international humanitarian law, as found by a UN panel of experts. Among the violations the panel cited was Saudi Arabia's declaration of the entire city of Saada as a "military target"; the city has seen some of the war's worst devastation, including the destruction of a hospital run by the international relief organization Doctors Without Borders31. Elsewhere, the coalition and resistance fighters have targeted hospitals and schools, the panel found. It undoubtedly noted that Houthi forces have committed war crimes, as well, including in their siege of the city of Taiz. Page 13 of 16 8. Past UN Resolutions on the topic: 1. S/RES/2266 (2016) | 24 Feb 2016 – Resolution 2266, 24 February 2016 Renewed Yemen arms sanctions until 26 February 2017 and Panel of Experts until 27 March 2017 2. S/RES/2216 (2015) | 14 Apr 2015 – Resolution 2216 Review, 14 April 2015 Security Council imposes arms embargo on Yemen rebels, demands all parties resume UN- backed talks. 3. S/RES/2216 (2015) | 24 Feb 2015 – Resolution 2204, 24 February 2015 Extended the Panel of Experts (who were coordinating the political transition in Yemen) until March 2016. 4. S/RES/2201 (2015) | 15 Feb 2015 – Resolution 2201, 15 February 2015 The resolution condemns Houthis action of dissolving the parliament and asks for all parties in Yemen to find a resolution quickly to the political impasse currently in the country. 5. S/RES/2140 (2014) | 26 Feb 2014 – Resolution 2140, 26 February 2014 The resolution expressed that it is willing to establish sanctions against those threatening peace, security and political stability in Yemen. (In context of the Houthi insurgency) 6. S/RES/2051 (2012) | 12 Jun 2012 – Resolution 2051, 12 June 2012 This resolution addressed the political transition to Hadi and further measures may be necessary to assure a peaceful and stable transition. 7. S/RES/2014 (2011) | 21 Oct 2011 – Resolution 2014, 21 October 2011 This resolution was in favor of the GCC initiative for a peaceful transition of power in Yemen. 9. Points to be addressed in committee:  What are the agendas of each faction involved in Yemeni politics (i.e., the Houthis, the transitional government led by President Hadi, President Sahel’s political base, AQAP)? Are the interventions by states like Saudi Arabia helping or hurting?  Is peace possible? In what ways can peace be established in order to avoid further escalation of the Yemen civil-proxy war?  Under what conditions can exist ceasefire?  How can terrorist organizations and their influence be limited in the wider region?  What can be done for the restoration of the status quo in the region?  What plans could be implemented in order not to escalate the proxy war and the involvement of further state-actors in the region of Yemen?  What actions shall be launched for the restoration of Yemen?  How to deal with the Irani government presumably supporting the rebels?  Is there any possibility to force the Houthi rebels to negotiate and follow the political transition process established after the resignation of Saleh? Page 14 of 16  10. Questions a resolution must answer (QARMA):  To thwart the crisis from escalating.  To diminish the Humanitarian crisis.  To discuss the Current situation under different U.N articles and doctrines.  To diminish the threat of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and likeminded organization.  To establish and strengthen a government in the country.  To strengthen Yemen‘s democratic institutions.  To enhance the capacities of the Yemeni security agencies.  To discuss the role of drone strikes in the auspices of the current situation.  To thwart the country from becoming a global hub for terrorism. 11. Additional Resources and citations: "Amnesty International." Yemen: Huthi Forces Recruiting Child Soldiers for Frontline Combat. Accessed April 17, 2017. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/02/yemen-huthi-forcesrecruiting- child-soldiers-for-front-line-combat/. "Saudi Arabian-led Intervention in Yemen." Wikipedia. April 17, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabian-led_intervention_in_Yemen. Shaheen, Kareem. "Yemen Death Toll Has Reached 10,000, UN Says." The Guardian. January 16, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/16/yemen-wardeath-toll- has-reached-10000-un-says. "Yemen." Yemen | OCHA. Accessed April 17, 2017. http://www.unocha.org/yemen. "Yemen Conflict: Houthi Rebels Commit to UN Peace Plan." BBC News. October 06, 2015. Accessed April 17, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34459909. "Yemen Crisis: Who Is Fighting Whom?" BBC News. March 28, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423. "Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)." Wikipedia. April 14, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni_Civil_War_(2015–present). "Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)." Wikipedia. April 12, 2017. Accessed April 17, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni_Crisis_(2011–present). "The Child Soldiers of Yemen." Al Jazeera English. Accessed April 17, 2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/03/child-soldiers-yemen-150302081855823.html. *An in-depth analysis of the political failures of the GCC: http://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/ yemens-peaceful-transition-autocracy-could-it-have-succeeded?lang=en Page 15 of 16 *In-depth information on rise of the Houthis, and their conflict with the Saleh government and Saudi Arabia (2004-2010): http://carnegietsinghua.org/publications/?fa=40731 Detailed Discussion of GCC military intervention activities in Yemen: http://www.washingtoninstitute. org/policy-analysis/view/gulf-coalition-operations-in-yemen-part-3-maritime-and-aerial-blockade Prior UNSC Resolutions and other relevant documents: http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/undocuments/yemen/ Page 16 of 16