UN envoy says Houthis have taken no action to protect children in Yemen

RIYADH: The Houthi militia have taken no action to protect children in Yemen, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, said on Monday. 
In a press conference held in Riyadh, Gamba said that the Iranian-backed Houthis had committed great violations against Yemeni children, while the Arab coalition fighting to support the legitimate government in Yemen has taken many measures to protect the children in conflict areas. 
The UN will launch an international campaign in New York in April on the dangers children face in the armed conflict in Yemen, she added. 
During the press conference, it was announced that the Arab coalition signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UN to protect children affected by Yemen’s war. 
Maj. Gen. Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, the Arab coalition’s commander of the joint forces, signed the MoU with Gamba earlier in Riyadh.
The commander said that the MoU deals with “noble humanitarian aspects” and the two sides will work in accordance to strengthen the goals toward the protection of children.
The MoU signed between the UN and the coalition is the first of its kind in the world, said Gamba.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, said: “We have not seen enough attention from the international organization to education children in Yemen.”
He added that the issue was brought to the attention of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to change the curricula in Yemen that was introduced by the Houthis.
Gamba said the King Salman Humanitarian Aid And Relief Center (KSRelief) would continue to play a big role with the UN agency in helping tp protect children in Yemen.