The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, reiterated her solemn call for the immediate and unconditional release of UNESCO personnel illegally detained by de facto authority of Houthies in Sanaa.

These arbitrary detentions by the Ansar Allah de facto authorities are unacceptable violations of the status accorded to UN personnel under international law, Azoulay says.

Four UNESCO personnel members are detained in Sana'a, Yemen – the first since 2021, the second since 2023 and two most recently in June 2024, along with some 50 personnel from the UN, international and national NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions.