A/HRC/36/33 I. Introduction 1. The present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 33/16, covers the period from 1 September 2014 to 30 June 2017. 2. In its resolution 33/16, the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide technical assistance and advice to the Yemen National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations to Human Rights to enable it to fulfil its mandate in line with international standards and finalize its comprehensive report on its investigations; and to allocate additional international human rights experts to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Yemen to complement the investigatory work of the National Commission. 3. In the same resolution, the Council requested the High Commissioner to present to it, at its thirty-sixth session, a written report on the situation of human rights, including violations and abuses since September 2014, and on the implementation of technical assistance. 4. The present report examines the human rights situation in Yemen and provides an overview of recurring violations and abuses documented since September 2014. It describes new allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law that reportedly occurred in the past year, between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017, and provides an update on cooperation between the National Commission and OHCHR, including in relation to technical assistance provided by the Office. It should be read in conjunction with the High Commissioner’s previous reports on the situation of human rights in Yemen.1 II. Methodology 5. The information contained in the report is based primarily on human rights monitoring conducted by OHCHR in Yemen, including interviews with survivors, witnesses, family members of victims and other relevant sources, site visits and meetings with authorities. The report also reflects credible information gathered from other United Nations entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and indicates whether OHCHR was able to corroborate such information. 6. OHCHR employs a “reasonable grounds” standard in its assessment of incidents investigated and considers the credibility and reliability of the sources, taking into account their nature and objectivity. It draws conclusions in its assessment of incidents investigated only when this standard is met. 7. In the past year, the ability of OHCHR to monitor and report on violations was limited by numerous constraints, namely security restrictions, delays in the issuance of visas and inhibitive operational costs. III. Legal framework 8. International human rights law and international humanitarian law are applicable in Yemen. The High Commissioner’s 2016 report on the situation of human rights in Yemen contains an outline of the applicable legal framework and the obligations of the various duty bearers, 2 namely the Government of Yemen, the States members of the coalition 3 forces and the de facto authorities in Sana’a. 1 2 3 A/HRC/33/38 and A/HRC/30/31. See A/HRC/33/38, paras. 8-10. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition consists of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Senegal, the Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and, until June 2017, Qatar. 3