{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2019-1672/annex/division-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2019-1672/annex/division-1.json",
  "legislation": "eudn/2019/1672",
  "legislation_title": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/1672 of 4 October 2019 on a European Union action in support of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism in Yemen",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2019-1672",
  "path": "annex/division/1",
  "kind": "division",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "Background",
  "text": "The war in Yemen has caused the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis. More than 24 million people are dependent on some form of aid, and the number of Yemenis that are acutely food insecure has continued to rise. The UN is currently feeding more than 10 million people every month in its largest operation in history. The international community was asked in 2019 to contribute USD 4,2 billion in humanitarian assistance, the largest aid appeal in the world.\nIn this context, it remains vital for commercial items to continue flowing into the country. The UN has continuously called on the parties to the conflict to ensure the unimpeded flow of commercial goods, including fuel, into Yemen. The operationalisation of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) in 2016 was meant to facilitate this flow and revive the economy of the country in compliance with UNSCR 2216 (2015).\nUNVIM established its main base of operations in Djibouti, with four Inspectors, four Explosive Detection Dogs Teams, 13 management/technical staff and up to seven secondees from the United Kingdom. UNVIM is now also present in Jeddah (two monitors), King Abdullah port (two monitors are being recruited) and Hodeidah (five monitors, three of whom have already been recruited). UNVIM has been used to nurture a relationship between the UN (United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)) and the Saudi‐led Coalition, as well as with the Government of Yemen. Several meetings with shipping companies have been organised during the course of the project with the purpose of increasing confidence and predictability for exporters trading with Yemen.\nThe Union decided to support UNVIM by adopting on 18 September 2018 Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1249. This followed reiterated calls from the Union stressing the importance of the effective and timely processing of commercial shipping. The Union’s support to UNVIM through an EU Stabilisation Action based on Article 28 TEU permitted the Union to: attend UNVIM’s monthly Steering Committee meetings, where the Government of Yemen and the Saudi‐led Coalition are also represented; establish a working relationship with the Saudi‐led Coalition and the Government of Yemen; deepen its coordination with other donors (in particular the United Kingdom and the United States); and increase the Union’s visibility with regard to its support to the UN‐led process in Yemen.\nThe parties to the conflict signed the Stockholm Agreement under UN auspices on 13 December 2018. They agreed to a ‘UN leading role in supporting Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation in management and inspections at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras al‐Isa, to include enhanced UNVIM monitoring in the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa’. UNVIM remains therefore a vital element of the UN Special Envoy’s plan to implement the provisions of the Stockholm Agreement.\nProgress in this regard has been assessed by the UN Special Envoy’s office as essential before moving towards political consultations among the parties. UNVIM began its deployment of monitors to Hodeidah port on 25 February 2019, and has had discussions with the port management with regard to the establishment of UNVIM’s activities. These discussions have involved the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA). UNVIM is now in need of further support for its operations, as well as for its deployment into the Red Sea ports.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2019/1672/annex/division/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:12:33.942450+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}