This week marks one year since dozens of United Nations personnel, as well as colleagues from international NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions, were arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities in northern Yemen.
Some individuals have been held since as early as 2021. Today, we once again issue our urgent and unequivocal call for their immediate and unconditional release.
As of today, 23 United Nations staff and five personnel from international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) remain in arbitrary detention. Tragically, one UN staff member and one staff member from Save the Children have died in detention. Others have experienced profound personal loss while imprisoned—unable to grieve with their families or attend the funerals of loved ones.
These individuals have now endured at least 365 days—and for some, over 1,000 days—in detention, cut off from their spouses, children, and communities, in clear violation of international legal protections and humanitarian norms. Their families continue to suffer through the pain of absence and uncertainty, now facing yet another Eid without their loved ones.
There is no justification for their continued imprisonment. These colleagues were fulfilling their humanitarian duties—delivering lifesaving support to the Yemeni people, including food, shelter, health care, and education.
Yemen remains one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world, with over 19 million people in need of urgent assistance, many of whom depend on humanitarian aid for their very survival. For humanitarian response to continue and be effective, a safe and secure operating environment is essential—and that includes the immediate release of detained aid workers.
Humanitarian personnel must never be targeted, threatened, or detained for carrying out their mission to serve communities in need. Arbitrary detention undermines the ability to deliver aid, damages trust, and sends a chilling message across the humanitarian sector. It also risks stalling broader diplomatic efforts for peace and recovery in Yemen.
We acknowledge the recent release of one UN and two NGO staff, and an Embassy staff member, and call on the Houthi de facto authorities to fulfil their previous commitments, including those conveyed to the Director-General of DFGAHO during his official visit to Sana’a in December 2024.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners remain committed to pursuing all available diplomatic and operational channels to ensure the safe, unconditional, and swift release of all remaining detained colleagues.
Signatories:
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Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP
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Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, Oxfam International
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Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO
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Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF
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Cindy McCain, Executive Director, WFP
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Hans Grundberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen
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Inger Ashing, CEO, Save the Children International
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Michelle Nunn, President and CEO, CARE
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[Insert Name], Director-General, DFGAHO
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Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights