Amman, 26 March 2020 - I was heartened to see the positive responses to the Secretary-General's call for a ceasefire from both the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah. I expect the parties to adhere to their words and put the interest of the Yemeni people above all.

Over the past few days, I have been inspired by the outpouring of calls for peace by Yemenis from across the political and social spectrum including Yemeni women, youth and tribal leaders. The message to the political leaderships is clear: stop the war now and fight the common enemy, COVID19.

They demand military confrontations to stop as an instant measure to protect Yemenis from the spreading of the virus. They demand that leaders across Yemen come together to prevent and respond to any major outbreak. 

I am calling the parties to an urgent meeting to discuss how to translate their stated commitments to the Yemeni people into practice. I expect the parties to heed Yemenis’ desire for peace and immediately cease all military hostilities. 

I hope that the parties will join this meeting with the spirit of cooperation and compromise and put their words into action.

To all those who spoke up for peace in the past few days, I thank you for your advocacy and hope you will be watching and holding your leaders to account.