Director-General's remarks at the Launch of the Yemeni Tribal Code of Honour

Launch of the Yemeni Tribal Code of Honour
Thursday, 29 October 2026 at 10.00 a.m.
Council Chamber, Palais des Nations

Excellencies,
Tribal Leaders,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour to welcome you today for the launch of the Yemeni Tribal Code of Honour, a remarkable Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned initiative that reflects the commitment of local communities to peace, protection, and social cohesion.

I am especially pleased to welcome you to this historic Chamber, which for decades has served as a venue for dialogue, diplomacy, and collective efforts to advance peace.

The presence of tribal leaders from across Yemen here today sends a powerful message that dialogue, responsibility and shared commitment to the well-being of communities remain an essential foundation for peace.

The broad support this initiative has received reflects a strong commitment to dialogue, community protection, unity, and shared responsibility. It is also a reminder that, despite years of conflict, Yemen's traditions of dialogue, mediation, and reconciliation remain alive and resilient.

Throughout Yemen's history, tribes have played an essential role in maintaining social cohesion, resolving disputes and preventing local tensions from escalating into broader violence. The effectiveness of tribal mediation is rooted in the legitimacy, trust and respect that local leaders enjoy within their communities. Throughout the conflict, they have helped preserve channels of communications, facilitate localized arrangements, including road openings and prisoner exchanges, and support humanitarian access in difficult circumstances. By formalizing commitments to civilian protection, unity, and dialogue, this Code has the ambition to reinforce respect for humanitarian principles.

This initiative also reminds us that lasting peace cannot be achieved through political processes alone. Peace must be built at every level of society. Community leaders and local actors have a vital role to play in fostering trust, strengthening resilience, and creating conditions conducive to peace.

At the same time, a durable resolution of the conflict will ultimately require an inclusive political settlement. Locally rooted initiatives such as this one cannot replace political efforts, but they can make an important contribution by building confidence and reinforcing the foundations on which sustainable peace depends.

The Yemeni Tribal Code of Honour embodies this spirit. It serves as an important bridge between Yemen's rich tribal traditions of mediation and contemporary principles of civilian protection and humanitarian action.

It is also aligned with the spirit of the Pact for the Future, through which Member States reaffirmed the contribution of civil society and other stakeholders in advancing the purposes and principles of the United Nations. While today’s event is not a United Nations activity, we are honoured to welcome it to the Palais des Nations and to provide a platform for dialogue on efforts that advance peace, protection and social cohesion.

I thank all the tribal leaders involved in this initiative, as well as DCAF, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and the Canton of Geneva, for their support and partnership.

I hope that today's launch will deepen understanding of the important role tribal actors can play in mediation and conflict resolution and encourage continued dialogue in support of a peaceful future for Yemen.

Thank you.