What’s stopping the European Parliament from speaking out to solve human rights problems in Yemen?
The European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights was due to adopt a resolution at its Strasbourg plenary session on the dire human rights situation in Yemen, particularly child hunger and other health problems, but the draft resolution was withdrawn for political reasons.
The European Parliament’s hesitation is incomprehensible when the situation in Yemen is such that 70% of the people in Yemen have no access to minimum food needs, and most of the time of the day there is no electricity.
The World Food Program (WFP) revealed that the food insecurity situation in Yemen remains consistently at alarming levels, “70% of IDP households struggled to access their minimum food needs, and severe food deprivation increased to 42% by the end of 2024,” it noted. report noded that IDPs in camp exhibited a higher prevalence of poor food consumption (49%) compared to those living in host communities (39%).
The food insecurity situation in Yemen remains consistently at alarming levels, where 64% of surveyed households were unable to obtain their minimum food needs. Therefore, severe livelihood challenges were evident, with strategies such as begging and selling homes becoming prevalent.
This depreciation has primarily driven fuel prices to unprecedented levels and caused the cost of the minimum food basket (MFB) to rise by 21% between January-December 2024.
Access to energy in Yemen was limited before the current conflict began nearly a decade ago. Since then, the energy crisis has worsened. Most households in Yemen struggle with irregular access to electricity and ongoing power outages.
Excessive dependency on fossil fuels had become the only option for some. But as the price of diesel skyrocketed over the years, regular access to electricity has moved out of reach for many Yemenis. This lack of reliable electricity has had a profound impact on various aspect of life in Yemen. Hospitals struggle to operate, schools cannot provide quality education, businesses face operational challenges, and households suffer from daily power outages. Water systems, which heavily rely on electricity for pumping, have also been disrupted, leading to water shortages and lack of adequate sanitation.
Meanwhile, fuel imports through all Yemeni seaports in 2024 remained at a similar level to that recorded in 2023, while food imports increased by 10% compared to the previous year, the report said.
The programmes implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), and World Food Programme (WFP)and generously funded by the European Union (EU) and the Government of Sweden, paves a path toward a more sustainable and resilient Yemen. But there is a long wy to go, that’s why the European Parliament
The EP should do its duty and draw the attention of the world public to this current extraordinary human rights situation in Yemen, to the suffering that the Yemeni people are enduring under the current circumstances. Without the help of Europe and the European Union, the Yemeni people are completely exposed and can rightly expect the European Parliament, which is so proud of its human rights record, to stand up for the Yemeni people and use its own capabilities to help change this unacceptable situation.
Endre Barcs
