Udenrigsudvalget 2019-20
URU Alm.del Bilag 156
Offentligt
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Fra:
Rewan Al-Haddad
Sendt:
3. april 2020 18:01
Til:
Amalie Andresen <[email protected]>
Emne:
Re: Request for sign-on -- Yemen ceasefire
To the Danish Foreign Affairs Committee, and all members of parliament,
I sincerely hope you and your families are safe and healthy during this extremely difficult time.
I’m a human rights Campaign Director, previously with Avaaz for 10+ years, now working with
different civil society groups to help end the war in Yemen.
We’ve drafted an open letter urging G20 governments to push for an urgent Coronavirus ceasefire
in Yemen, and use their leverage during Saudi Arabia's G20 presidency to help secure a lasting
peace agreement. The letter is below and attached.
We are reaching out to MPs around the world urging them to back this important call. The fighting
in Yemen continues, and massive pressure in the coming days can help pause the fighting and
ensure appropriate measures are put in place to respond to COVID-19. We also believe that as
Saudi holds this year's presidency, it's our best opportunity to shine a light back on Yemen and
finally push for a peace agreement.
To support this letter, please email
[email protected]
and I will promptly add your name
to the growing list of MPs and influential people around the world supporting this. I hope that
together, we can make a difference.
Wishing you all the best,
Rewan Al-Haddad
Campaign Director
[email protected]
Twitter
G20: it’s time to end the war in Yemen
To G20 Heads of State, Foreign and Trade Ministers, and all
delegates attending this year’s G20
summit in Saudi Arabia:
Every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies.
This is without Coronavirus. Now the WHO is warning that Yemen could see an “explosion” of
COVID-19 cases. With a healthcare system already on the brink of collapse, Yemen desperately
needs an immediate ceasefire and quarantine measures. But this will only be possible if the
warring parties and their international backers allow for it.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 156: Henvendelse af 31. marts 2020 om underskriftsindsamling om opfordring til våbenhvile i Yemen
We respectfully call on you to use your influence as participants of the G20 to pressure Saudi
Arabia and all parties to the conflict
to urgently agree to and uphold a ceasefire, and to build
on this ceasefire as the first step towards finally ending the war.
We urge you to focus the
lead-up
to the G20 summit, including through “virtual” preparatory G20 meetings, on diplomatic
efforts to finally bring forward a lasting peace agreement.
While the Houthi rebels are also to blame for much of the conflict and suffering -- especially in
regards to access and delivery of humanitarian aid -- the majority of casualties in Yemen have
come from Saudi Arabia’s bombs. School buses, hospitals
and even wedding parties have been
attacked by Saudi Arabia and their allies. Over 100,000 people have died as a direct or indirect
result of this senseless war, including over 12,000 civilians.
The UN has declared Yemen the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 2.2 million children
are experiencing severe malnutrition and 10 million people are on the brink of famine: they
absolutely cannot wait any longer to end this war.
Instead of the international community standing together to help end the suffering, and despite the
pleas of millions of citizens around the world, many governments shamefully continue to sell
weapons and provide other military assistance to the Saudi-led coalition.
Enough is enough.
We implore you to put our shared humanity before profits -- and do
everything in your power to finally end the suffering.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have held direct talks and recently completed a significant prisoner
swap -- one of the outcomes from the peace talks in Stockholm in 2018.
But progress is moving
at a snail’s pace, and the people of Yemen can’t afford to wait.
Only massive pressure from
the international community -- especially G20 countries -- can help push the warring parties toward
an immediate ceasefire, and work to finally reach a lasting peace agreement.
Every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies.
Every day we delay a peace agreement, we lose more and more beautiful souls with the potential
to help create a stable, peaceful, and flourishing Yemen. Every day that goes by, as young people
watch the world turn their backs on them, we deepen sectarian division and feed into extremist
ideologies.
With Saudi Arabia holding this year’s G20 presidency, and with the possibility of a ceasefire to
avoid the spread of Coronavirus, we have our best chance yet to stop this conflict. If every
participant of the G20 raises the Yemen crisis with their Saudi counterpart, we can apply massive
pressure and help make sure a ceasefire holds, and a peace agreement is reached before the
scheduled summit in November.
This is all possible, if the G20 acts urgently.
Sincerely,