UNESCO and UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE Joint Statement

As families across Yemen gathered to mark Eid al-Fitr this year, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged the immediate release of two of their staff members who have been detained since early November last year in Sana'a.

Despite repeated assurances, as early as last November, by the Ansar Allah movement (also called the Houthis) that the two staff members would be immediately released, their whereabouts remain unknown, and UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Office are deeply concerned about their well-being.

In this context, the UN Human Rights Office and UNESCO urge the Ansar Allah movement to ensure the well-being of the two concerned staff members and to release them without any further delay.

Under international law, UN staff are accorded privileges and immunities, which are essential to the proper discharge of their official functions.

ENDS