A three-day meeting between the Office of the Special Envoy for Yemen and representatives from the Government of Yemen in the Military Coordination Committee took place last week in Amman to discuss the planning and management of ceasefires and transitional security arrangements.

From 10 to 12 December, participants reflected on global examples of ceasefires and explored their relevance for a future nationwide ceasefire in Yemen. The forum allowed for an exchange of views on key issues, such as different types of ceasefires, the designing and planning process, and ceasefire negotiations. In addition, participants were briefed on monitoring and verification options and oversight mechanisms, and they discussed lessons learned from the Yemeni truce.

"A ceasefire is a necessary step to rebuild trust and move towards a sustainable resolution of the conflict. This engagement lays the groundwork for establishing the necessary conditions for a ceasefire and achieving a lasting peace in Yemen," underlined Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen.

The meeting builds on previous workshops convened by the office in 2023 as well as work and input from the Military Coordination Committee delegations over the past two years.

“These exchanges provide an important platform to reflect on global ceasefire examples while addressing the unique needs and priorities of the Yemeni context,” explained the UN Envoy’s Principal Military Adviser, Antony Hayward, after the meeting. “Effective preparation and planning for a sustainable ceasefire is an important step towards achieving lasting peace and stability in Yemen.”

The discussions were facilitated by leading international experts on ceasefire and are part of a series of engagements offered to the delegations to the Military Coordination Committee.