United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Tuesday for the warring sides in Yemen to reach a political settlement to end a conflict in its fourth year that has left 22 million people in urgent need of aid, Reuters reports.
“I urge all parties to engage with my new Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, without delay,” he told a U.N. conference in Geneva, where the global body is seeking pledges toward a $3 billion humanitarian plan for Yemen this year.
Guterres called for Yemen’s ports to be kept open to humanitarian and commercial cargo, especially food, medicines and fuel. “Sana’a airport is also a lifeline that must be kept open.”