The UN-sponsored consultations on Yemen, which took place in Sweden and were concluded on 13 December 2018 in the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, mark a breakthrough in the resumption of the peace process in Yemen. The talks resulted in three declarations – a ceasefire in the port of Hodeidah, the creation of a joint committee in the city of Taiz and a prisoner exchange.

Switzerland urges both parties to make every effort to implement the agreement as soon as possible. The talks are scheduled to resume at the end of January 2019, providing the opportunity to agree on additional confidence-building measures and a framework for a comprehensive and inclusive peace process.

In its capacity as a host state Switzerland is ready to host talks on Yemen in Geneva or the surrounding area. It is an important donor country in terms of humanitarian aid and hosted the 2017 and 2018 humanitarian donor conferences for Yemen together with the UN and Sweden. Switzerland has spent more than CHF 37 million on emergency relief in Yemen over the last three years.

In the UN's political process, humanitarian access is one of the key issues under negotiation. The UN donor conferences have generated the necessary funds for humanitarian action in Yemen. The next such conference is scheduled to be held in Geneva on 26 February 2019.

UN consultations on Yemen in Stockholm: first step towards peace