NEW YORK — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that there is unprecedented international and regional consensus on the need to end the Houthi offensive on Marib and other fightings, and on placing renewed emphasis on political talks to finally bring relief to the Yemeni people and allow them to determine a brighter future for their country. Blinken made the remarks while welcoming the appointment of Hans Grundberg as the new special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen. "Grundberg brings considerable expertise on Yemen and the region, and we look forward to working closely with him to advance a durable resolution to the conflict in Yemen," Blinken said in the statement. "Now is the time for peace. Seven years of war and instability have devastated Yemen's economy and eroded even the most basic services, leading to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world," he added in the statement. Blinken said that the US thanks former UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths for his efforts to resolve the conflict in Yemen, adding: "We look forward to continuing to work with Griffiths in his new position as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator." Earlier in the day, the UN chief announced the appointment of Grundberg from Sweden as his special envoy for Yemen. Grundberg, who has been appointed as undersecretary‐general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Griffiths also heads the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Serving since 2019 as Ambassador of the European Union to Yemen, Grundberg brings over 20 years of experience in international affairs, including over 15 years working in conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation, with a focus on the Middle East, the office of the special envoy UN secretary-general said in a statement. He previously headed the Gulf Division at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm during the time that Sweden hosted the United Nations-facilitated negotiations that culminated in the Stockholm Agreement in 2018. Grundberg is a career diplomat, having served with both Swedish and European Union missions abroad, with postings in Cairo and Jerusalem, as well as Brussels, where he chaired the Middle East/Gulf Working Group of the European Council during the 2009 Swedish presidency of the European Union.
