UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg (on screens) speaks via a video link at a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 14, 2026. Grundberg on Wednesday stressed the importance of a comprehensive political process in the war-torn country. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Wednesday stressed the importance of a comprehensive political process in the war-torn country.
Yemen's political, economic and security challenges are inseparable, and progress in one will not hold without progress in the others, Grundberg told the UN Security Council in a briefing.
"This is why ultimately Yemen needs a comprehensive, inclusive, nationwide political process -- one that offers Yemenis a space to debate and negotiate these questions together, rather than in isolation," he said.
Grundberg added that only such a process can deliver on the shared aspirations of Yemenis and only such a process can sustainably end the conflict.
Progress will depend on all parties, including the Houthis, refraining from escalatory actions or rhetoric, and remaining open to engaging under UN auspices on confidence-building steps and a comprehensive political process, he noted.
The developments in southern Yemen highlight how quickly the fragile balance can be disrupted and how critical it is to re-anchor the process in a credible political pathway, said the envoy.
"Absent a comprehensive approach that addresses Yemen's many challenges in an integrated manner, rather than in isolation, the risk of recurrent and destabilizing cycles will remain a persistent feature of the country's trajectory," said Grundberg. ■
