Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Wong and Fierravanti-Wells, I move:

That the Senate—

(a)   notes the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen where 21 million Yemeni are reliant on humanitarian assistance;

(b)   observes this is being made worse by the ongoing disruption to the free movement of lifesaving humanitarian assistance with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs raising grave concern about the impact on the capacity to respond to the continued cholera outbreak and the growing incidents of diphtheria;

(c)   welcomes reports that United Nations planes and a single ship have been given access to Yemen in recent days, allowing much needed humanitarian supplies to be distributed;

(d)   believes that, with 7 million Yemeni on the brink of famine and estimates of 130 children dying daily, it is imperative all parties ensure the free entry and movement of lifesaving humanitarian assistance within Yemen; and

(e)   calls on all parties to heed the calls of the United Nations and international non-government organisations operating in Yemen to allow the free movement of humanitarian and commercial trade.