Yemen Overview of Events

Yemen has grown into one of the gravest humanitarian crises from its initial period of civil unrest. Since Yemen is a frequently-cited case study, we wanted to provide delegates more context about the conflict. The situation in the country today is an international conflict that includes a proxy war waged by Saudi Arabia and its allies against rebels that align with the sect of Islam, Shi'ism,  as opposed to the Saudi-state Sunni sect. While it's not fair to say that the war in Yemen is solely religious, as it is much more dynamic and involves political rights and marginalization of minorities, it is essential to understand that the Houthi rebels in Yemen have been accused of being backed by Shi'a supporters in the Iranian government and in the Lebanese government. Therefore, Yemen has frequently been characterized as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, despite its roots being in civil conflict between those who support the ousted president Hadi and the Houthi rebels. The need for humanitarian aid is extensive and over 60,000 civilians and combatants have been killed in the conflict, while two thirds of the country is food insecure. Yet, humanitarian aid workers have repeatedly been targeted by Saudi and US airstrikes, or barricaded from entering key ports to deliver humanitarian aid. Humanitarian aid that is delivered often can also be seen as threatening by the Saudi government and forces loyal to Hadi, who believe aid is disproportionately benefiting rebels, and thus their alleged Shi'a allies, since recipients can be concentrated in rebel-held territory.


1. Considering the impact of international coalition airstrikes and drone technology in modern warfare, what steps can the international community take to regulate air combat to avoid harming neutral parties that provide aid?

2. What are some steps that the UN can take to address countries' fears of aid being abused and benefiting rebel groups, when the most disproportionately-affected populations typically reside in disputed territory held by paramilitary groups?

Yemen Overview
(Image Source: BBC and IHS Conflict Monitor, Areas of Control in Yemen)


Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 26, 2019 at 8:07 PM

    To the Delegates of UNHRC,

    In order to avoid harming neutral parties and citizens when providing aid, Venezuela promotes the international community to regulate air combat through creating U.N.-mandated No-fly zones. No-Fly zones are to be placed in convenient, mutual, and accessible locations for both parties of conflict, allowing humanitarian aid workers to assist in safe guarded environments. Air-combat is prohibited from these zones meaning those impeding on the safety of aid workers and citizens will face consequences. These No-Fly zones had been tested in Libya where Libyan citizens were effectively provided with humanitarian relief without risk to them or the assisting aid workers.

    To relinquish countries’ fears of aid being abused by and benefiting rebel groups, Venezuela suggests the confidentiality of affected population group locations. Essentially, the UN must ensure anonymous location zones which does not reside in close proximity with disputed territory. This will prevent Paramilitary groups in charge of disputed territory from accessing foreign aid which in turn prevents them from abusing and benefiting from it.

    Thank You,

    Venezuela

    ReplyDelete
  2. People's Republic of ChinaFebruary 27, 2019 at 8:06 PM

    Fellow Delegates,

    The People's Republic of China sees the need to ensure the safety of neutral parties, but the international community must be careful with the way in which in which this is done especially with the implementation of no-fly zones. While these can be effective, they are a temporary solution to the much larger issue of aid workers and civilians being threatened by air strikes in general, and it will be difficult to regulate that these no-fly zones are being properly regulated. This is why, in conjunction with this possible no-fly zone, China proposes that there be an independent investigative committee to look into the war atrocities that are occurring as a result of these air strikes in Yemen and crimes against humanitarian workers as a whole to enact consequences in order to, in the long term, incentivize group to be more mindful of humanitarian workers. The delegation of China would like to discuss with the committee what these consequences will be and is open to any suggestions.

    As for the possibility of aid being abused and used by rebel groups, technology can be integrated to alleviate this threat. A better monitoring system needs to be in place, including a biometric identification system for beneficiaries to ensure that the correct groups are using the aid. This would be especially effective as the World Food Programme has said they are considering cash transfers, which would make it less likely that food is stolen. China is willing to provide monetary support to develop and implement this technology.

    The People's Republic of China would be interested in hearing feedback or suggestions from our fellow delegates, and looks forward to more fruitful discussion this weekend.

    Thank you,
    The People's Republic of China

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are NGOs the only way to support IDPs?

As noted in the background guide, there are many factors that can cause people to become internally displaced. The cluster groups of NGOs and other aid organizations work together to provide the IDPs with their basic needs. The Water Project has been a part of these cluster groups to provide immediate assistance to clusters before. In addition, they also work to mitigate water scarcity driven displacement through the building of " wells, dams and other water catchment systems." While the current cluster approach helps IDPs access basic needs, it doesn't address the larger systemic failures of governments to provide for their people who are displaced nor function as a lasting fix to the systems that cause displacement (war, development, etc).  How can governments better provide for internally displaced people? What are the political implications of NGOs providing basic resources for IDPs instead of governments themselves? Does the current cluster approach effectively a
Read more

Boko Haram's Anti-Western Strategy and the 'Western' Aid Worker

Image
Boko Haram has notoriously grown into one of the most well-known fundamentalist groups active in the northeastern region of Nigeria. They have frequently taken hostages and responsibility for attacks on Nigerian cities, that involve terrorist tactics and force. While the group remains at large and is highly controversial, they have also been utilizing aid workers as part of their campaign against Westernization as the group's title suggests since it translates to "Western Education is Forbidden/Sinful." Keeping this context in mind, it is essential when discussing the topic of the protection of aid workers in conflict zones, to understand the cultural implications of humanitarian work that is often facilitated by Western-aid organizations or NGOs based in the US and Europe. While that's not to say that Boko Haram would not be opposed to aid, that did not arrive from a Western organization, it is an important claim to understand that aid from organizations that appear
Read more

Assessing the Psychological Situation of Internally Displaced Peoples

Image
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are not only one of the most marginalized groups, but also one of the most under-researched groups according to a study conducted by the University of Zurich (link to the full article is attached below). The psychological impacts of trauma witnessed, displacement, and detachment from home and familiarity all render high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety cases in populations of internally displaced persons. However, one of the most significant challenges to assessing the psychological situation of this population, is the restricted access to transparent information about these persons. The lack of transparency is in part caused by a lack of focus on internally displaced persons, as studies often emphasize refugees and post traumatic stress disorder over IDPS and mental health complications such as anxiety and depression. Another major cause of the lack of data on the psychological conditions of the internally di
Read more