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Campaign Win! UN Hold Saudi Arabia to Account in Yemen

They listened

In August this year over 37,500 of you called on the UN to make sure all those who have killed and maimed children in Yemen are named in this year’s ‘Children in Armed Conflict’ report – including the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

This huge victory wouldn’t have happened without the actions of thousands of people working together. Thank you.

No one too powerful to be named and shamed

Last year, a politicised decision was taken to remove the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition from the list despite clear evidence of grave violations against children being committed. The Coalition were removed from the list, whilst other sides in Yemen – such as the Houthi and ISIS – remained. The decision was reportedly due to threats from Saudi Arabia to withdraw funding from the UN.

This was a mistake. Everyone that commits grave violations against children should be listed, no matter how powerful they are.

35 airstrikes hit Ali’s* village in one night. His injuries left him deaf and unable to speak.

Stand up for Yemen’s children, now and in the future.

The inclusion of the Coalition on the list this year means that all the parties to Yemen’s war will now be named for violations that include recruiting child soldiers, bombing schools and hospitals, and killing and maiming children.

Today, we say a massive well done to the UN Secretary General Mr Guterres for doing the right thing. Going forward the UN and wider international community must make sure that violations by all parties in the conflict come to an end. Being added to this shameful list should act as a wake-up call to everyone – and countries that are supporting or arming them.

There’s still more to do

Listing the Coalition is an important step in the right direction to help children in Yemen, but there’s still more to do. All parties involved in the Yemen conflict continue to kill and maim children, and bomb schools and hospitals with impunity amid conditions close to famine and a devastating cholera outbreak.

The UK Government continues to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen. Now that the UN has listed Saudi Arabia, it is more urgent than ever that the UK Government revises its weapons sales.

Tell the Government you agree with us by getting involved in the next stage of the campaign, and ask them to suspend weapons sales to Saudi Arabia

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