Ban Ki-moon: Financial Threats Led to Removal of Saudi Coalition from Blacklist

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said on Thursday that following the publication of the Saudi-led military coalition's name on the blacklist of those responsible for the killing of Yemeni children, Riyadh threatened in 'unacceptable' ways and with severe pressure that it would cut its payments to vital UN funds. The United Nations announced on Monday that it would remove the Saudi-led military coalition from the list of violators of children's rights, and a report published last week by UN-affiliated bodies regarding child casualties during the year-long war in Yemen is currently awaiting joint review by the UN and the military coalition. Ban Ki-moon stated that his decision to temporarily remove the Arab coalition from this list was 'one of the most difficult and painful decisions I have made,' and Saudi Arabia's threat to cut its payments to UN budgets 'raised serious concerns that millions of other children around the world would be severely harmed by it.' He told reporters that due to reduced financial resources, 'children who are currently suffering in Palestine, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and many other countries will find themselves in worse situations.' Ban Ki-moon added, 'Severe and unjust pressures from member states are unacceptable. Investigations and inquiries into violations of children's rights are essential and natural components of the UN's activities.' A Reuters report indicates that he did not specifically name the Saudi-led coalition but it was clear that he was referring to this coalition in his remarks. A few days ago, Reuters reported that Arab and Muslim countries allied with Saudi Arabia were exerting significant pressure on the UN Secretary-General regarding the inclusion of the coalition on the blacklist. According to diplomats, the Saudi government had threatened to cut financial assistance to Palestinians and other UN humanitarian funds. This blacklist includes governments and armed groups that violate children's rights in armed conflicts. Abdullah al-Muallimi, the Saudi ambassador to the UN, had denied exerting pressure on the organization a few days ago. He reiterated this denial on Thursday following Ban Ki-moon's comments.