Arms Build-up, Arms Control and the Right to Development
Yemen and the Houthi arms supply network as a case study: a submission examining how arms build-ups, weak arms control, and prolonged insecurity undermine the right to development.
Submitted to EMRTD
Submitted to the EMRTD study on Peace and Security and the Right to Development. This submission has not yet been cited in the study.
This paper is the London Forum for Middle East Affairs submission to the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development (EMRTD), responding to the OHCHR call for inputs for its study ‘Peace and Security and the Right to Development’. Authored by Baran Ayguven and Malena Ehrenzeller in September 2026, it addresses Question 4: risks arising from breakdowns of peace and security, arms build-ups, and the lack of effective arms control.
Using Yemen from 2015 onwards as a case study, the authors examine the Houthi arms supply network and its increasing reliance on components, dual-use goods, technical assistance, and local assembly. The paper considers gaps in arms-embargo implementation and the consequences of prolonged insecurity for public revenue, maritime trade, essential services, and human development.
The submission argues for treating the wider supply chain as the relevant unit of arms control. It highlights the importance of tracing procurement networks and improving information exchange while keeping controls targeted to avoid unnecessary disruption to the commercial imports on which Yemen depends.
Download the full submission below for the analysis, methodology, and references.