Good morning and thank you for coming.

I am pleased to be here with you.  During my two-day visit, I have had positive engagements with the authorities in Sanaa. We had frank, detailed and constructive discussions on the way forward. And I am encouraged by what I’ve heard and indeed by the constructive engagement by all sides at this critical time.

Moving forward, any agreement needs to deliver tangible benefits for all Yemenis. It should durably stop the violence through a cease-fire that ensures the safety of the Yemeni people. It should ensure more destinations and flights to and from Sana’a airport. It should also guarantee the smooth and unhindered opening of the Hudaydah ports and the resumption of the country’s oil exports. Key roads in Taiz and other governorates must be opened. And public sector salaries need to be paid regularly, transparently, and sustainably across the country.

It is crucial that any agreement also provides for the preparation and the resumption of an inclusive, Yemeni-owned political process under the United Nations' auspices. Only through such a process can Yemenis discuss, debate, and decide the terms of reaching a sustainable and just peace.

Again, I am encouraged by the positive and constructive atmosphere during my meetings here in Sana’a. and I look forward to returning in the near future to continue our engagement. I am heading to Aden today to engage with the Government of Yemen and hear their views on the way forward. I will also discuss the way forward with Saudi and Omani officials.

After a year of unprecedented calm in Yemen, the parties need to take the next bold steps toward ending the conflict. Cooperation at the regional level is also contributing to the current conducive environment. Opportunities like this are precious, yet at the same time, precarious. More than ever, now is the time for dialogue, compromise and a demonstration of serious political will and leadership to achieve peace. Yemenis deserve no less. And the United Nations will accompany and support Yemenis along every step of the way.

Finally, I am reminded that I am standing in the spot where families were reunited with their loved ones in time for the Eid holidays. Soon I will land in Aden where similar scenes of joy and relief unfolded. This is an example of what can be achieved when parties engage in dialogue and genuine compromise.

Thank you very much