Recognizing Hodeidah as critical to the delivery of food and humanitarian assistance, Yemeni parties have agreed on the need for peace in the area. The Stockholm Agreement, brokered by the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen on 14 December 2018, is seen as a foundation on which to restore peace and rebuild lives.

UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2541 was issued on 21 December 2018, calling for an immediate cease-fire in the city of Hodeidah, the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa and the governorate of Hodeidah. In addition, it calls for the strengthening of the UN’s presence in the city of Hodeidah and the three ports and places the Organization in a leading role to support the Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation (YRSPC) in the management of, and inspections at, the ports.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been tasked to take the lead in providing support to YRSPC in close coordination with relevant authorities, the United Nations Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) and the World Food Programme (WFP). UNDP intends to support port restoration and to build operational capacity to help facilitate the entry of vital humanitarian aid and commercial shipments. UNDP’s initial support aims to upgrade port facilities including, among other priorities, the replacement of navigational aids at the main port; refurbishing the training center; replacing the berth guards; and, enhancing the perimeter lighting.

In support of these efforts, UNDP organized a port assessment of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa to be executed by experts from the Port of Rotterdam. This assessment was performed from 15 June – 8 July 2019.

The result of the assessment is an investment package with a total value of € 46,570,000. The recommended projects are necessary for maintaining the current port operations and restoring operations to pre-war conditions.

The projects are classified based on priority. Priority 1 projects (estimated to be € 2,850,000) are necessary for maintaining the current port operations. Priority 2 projects (estimated to be € 18,720,000) aim at re-establishing containerized cargo handling at Hodeidah Port. Priority 3 projects (estimated to be € 25,000,000) are necessary to restore or improve safety and sustainability of the port’s operations and assets.