The decision of the UN Human Rights Council to end the mandate of its Yemen panel on Thursday brought to mind the quip that, despite its official name, the group was neither expert nor eminent. The four-year track record of the UNHRC’s "Group of Eminent Experts" has been controversial from the outset and over time, its series of reports having only served to stoke increasing levels of frustration.
Yemen’s representative in the debate told the meeting at Geneva on Thursday, it is not that the country does not want accusations into human rights excesses exposed and properly investigated. The issue for the government was that the group, as currently composed, was not acceptable. “We do not accept that a group of experts that has shown itself to be biased and unprofessional be the body carrying out that task," the submission said. "A group of countries is insisting on the draft resolution despite their lack of rigour and the poor quality of the report.”
The Yemeni position was that a move to renew it would undermine the credibility of the UNHRC and create divisions – not resolve them. “We therefore reject the draft resolution."
The 47-member UNHRC is often pilloried for its composition and its partial uptake of the human rights issues that arise around the world. The proposed budget for the additional year of operation of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen was $7.98 million, according to UNHRC president Nazhat Shameem, who chaired the debate.
That is a lot of money to lay out for a three-person ad-hoc panel that included Kamel Jendoubi, a Tunisian activist, Melissa Parke, a former Australian minister, and Ardi Imseis, an academic from Canada.
According to a factsheet from Save the Children, the UK-based humanitarian aid organisation, it costs $220 for an intervention to help one child suffering from malnutrition. The budget for the UN project would therefore help save more than 35,000 Yemeni children afflicted with malnutrition.
One of the big issues with the panel was that while lavishly funded, it did not out work inside Yemen. Instead, it took submissions from outside groups, including campaigners that have lined up against the Yemen government, in what was a very polarised issue on the international stage. When it came to complicated verification it was reliant on outside sources. The US-based Centre for Advanced Defence Studies, for instance, did more to expose how Iran was supplying drone and ballistic missile technology to the Houthi rebels than the panel of experts. Indeed, the panel was left to rely on the centre’s work for reporting in early 2020.
The reports from the panel serially, and apparently happily, overstepped the provisions of the UN Security Council (UNSC). Meanwhile, a simple Google search for some of the names on the panel shows up some close and long links to regional factions.
The very language that the body used is often a giveaway. On its website, it gives space to the responses of the “de facto authorities” and its reports hail the Houthis as "leaders of the revolution". The UNSC calls for the restoration of the legitimate government of the country.
The UNHRC has, in effect, outsourced the challenges in Yemen. A separate resolution would provide an alternative path of providing international support and capacity building to the Yemen government’s own institutions.
It has offered to open its national commission of inquiry to co-operate directly with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Advocates say this route is likely to provide a more effective intervention on the ground, for it would ensure better collection of evidence at the places where human rights atrocities are committed.
Delegates to the UNHRC, including those who voted in favour of renewing the mandate – such as the ambassador of Brazil – lamented the lack of unity on support for Yemenis. Indeed, a mechanism that has ended up creating division has become counterproductive in its own terms.
One of the big issues with the panel was that while lavishly funded, it did not out work inside Yemen
There are an estimated 12 million starving children in need in Yemen. In the conflict itself, grave violations of the rights of children include the recruitment of juveniles as fighters. Meanwhile, the threat from the Safer tanker – the rusting Houthi-controlled vessel moored off the country's Red Sea coast with a cargo of 1.1 million barrels of oil – continues to be an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe waiting to happen. Cross-border attacks being carried by the Houthis continue to endanger lives.
When the last mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts was handed down in October 2020, the resolution set out the plight of prisoners. Yet, diplomats can only protest the Houthis' failure to honour commitments to release thousands from their jails. The resolution also took a stand against the use of starvation as a weapon of war. Yet, the Houthi offensive against Marib, the last government stronghold in the country's oil-rich north, has made exactly that a reality for many more Yemenis.
Protestations from charities and other bodies have flooded the internet since the vote on Thursday, given that the move marked a defeat for western donors who had backed the group of experts' reports since its establishment in 2017. Its reports had proved to be milestones, as the impasse underpinning the conflict grew and the push for a negotiated settlement by the special envoy and others was obstructed.
Be that as it may, there is no doubt that the UN system has been played. Maintenance of the current approach was not an option that promoted peace. Clear thinking following the squeals of outrage could see Yemen better served by fresh efforts to get much closer to the atrocities on the ground.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
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PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
