Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, as the UN Security Council pen holder on Yemen, what representations the Government has made at the UN in response to (a) the rejection of the resolution to renew the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen and (b) calls for accountability for all violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in that country.

The UK regrets that the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen was not renewed. The Group had a crucial role to play in providing ongoing reporting on the actions of parties. The UK voted in favour of renewal and spoke in support of the resolution during the voting. As we made clear during the Human Rights Council session of 7 October, we are concerned by reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations and abuses by parties to the conflict. The UK will continue to urge the parties involved to investigate these allegations and take action to promote and protect human rights. We are working with partners on next steps in promoting human rights accountability in Yemen.