The United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) was instituted by the United Nations at the request of the Government of Yemen to ensure compliance with Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015) for vessels sailing to ports of Yemen not under its control. UNVIM is managed and operated by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and is located in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti.

In the context of the current conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen, UNVIM facilitates the unimpeded free-flow of commercial items through verification and inspection, as well as clearance request reviews, of commercial vessels sailing to Yemen ports. As of 2018, these ports are Hodeidah and Saleef. In June 2017, the Government of Yemen suspended clearances to Ras Isa port until further notice. All other clearance requests for Yemeni ports (Aden, Mukallah, etc.) under the control of the legitimate Government of Yemen are managed directly by the Government’s Ministry of Transport.

Since it became operational on 05 May 2016, UNVIM has been granting clearances for vessels transporting commercial cargo destined for Yemen’s aforementioned Red Sea ports. (See UNVIM Operational Analyses and Situation Reports)

To apply for an UNVIM clearance for a particular commercial vessel, clearance requesters should apply via the UNVIM website and create a client account. Humanitarian vessels are exempted from needing an UNVIM clearance and should request a clearance via the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (OCHA) Deconfliction Cell in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Complete clearance requests should be submitted no later than five (05) days prior to the vessel’s arrival in the outer limits of these ports and preferably before the departure of the vessel from its port of loading, depending on the availability of the vessel’s documents. Any clearance request received after this period will incur delays in the clearance process.

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