Geneva | 6 October 2026
Minister of Human Rights, Mashdal Mohammed Omar, met today with the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Lars Tomers, to discuss the latest developments in the human rights situation in Yemen and ways to strengthen cooperation in the areas of capacity-building and technical and institutional support under Item 10 of the Human Rights Council.
During the meeting, held at the headquarters of the Dutch Mission, the Minister praised the Netherlands’ continued support for Yemen and its national institutions, emphasizing the importance of the existing partnership between the two countries in supporting efforts to protect human rights and strengthen the capacities of the relevant institutions.
The Minister reviewed the grave and systematic violations that the terrorist Houthi militias continue to commit against civilians, foremost among them the escalation of attacks on residential areas using drones, the recruitment of children, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as threats to international navigation and global trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.
He also addressed the continued abduction of civilians, including United Nations personnel and staff of humanitarian and relief organizations, the obstacles imposed by the militias to prevent assistance from reaching those entitled to it, as well as the looting of aid and restrictions on the work of humanitarian agencies, which exacerbate the suffering of the population and hinder humanitarian response efforts.
The two sides discussed the joint projects and programs that the Ministry intends to implement and ways to continue coordination with the Dutch side and international partners to develop the field monitoring and documentation system. The Minister reviewed the government’s efforts in the field of transitional justice and the protection of victims and witnesses, commending the role of the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights and its professionalism in documenting thousands of cases and referring them to the competent judicial authorities.
Ambassador Lars Tomers reaffirmed the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ commitment to supporting the Yemeni people and the legitimate government, emphasizing his country’s keenness to continue funding humanitarian interventions and supporting efforts to strengthen accountability mechanisms and uphold international humanitarian law. He also praised the existing partnership between the two countries and their bilateral cooperation in international forums.
The meeting was attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Rights, Nabil Abdulhafeedh, and First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Yemen to the United Nations in Geneva, Yahya Al-Rafiq.
