UN Security Council urges immediate access for humanitarian aid
3 October 2013: Gravely concerned by the deepening “humanitarian tragedy” in Syria,
the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday urged the Syrian Government to immediately
allow cross-border aid deliveries and called on all parties to the conflict to agree
on humanitarian pauses in the fighting, including along “key routes” for relief convoys.
“The
magnitude of the humanitarian tragedy caused by the conflict in Syria requires immediate
action to facilitate safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance” across
the entire country, the 15-member body said in a presidential statement which also
deplored the escalating violence that has already killed more than 100,000 people
and driven some 6.5 million others from their homes.
The Council condemned
widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the Syrian
authorities, as well by armed groups and called on all parties to immediately end
such violations in a country that has been torn apart by increasingly brutal violence
since opposition protesters first sought the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in
March, 2011.
The Council noted with “grave concern” the fact that several million
Syrians need “immediate humanitarian assistance, and without urgent increased humanitarian
action, their lives will be at risk.” Gravely alarmed, it called on Damascus to take
immediate steps to facilitate the expansion of humanitarian relief operations, and
lift bureaucratic impediments and other obstacles, and voiced “deep concern” at the
consequences of the refugee crisis caused by the conflict, “which has a destabilizing
impact on the entire region.”
Further, the Council urged all parties, in particular
the Syrian authorities, to take all appropriate steps to facilitate the efforts of
the UN, its specialized agencies and all humanitarian actors engaged in relief activities,
to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the affected people in Syria, including
by “promptly facilitating safe and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in
need of assistance in all areas under their control and across conflict lines.”
“The
Security Council recalls that all obligations under international humanitarian law
must be respected in all circumstances,” it added in the statement, which called on
all sides to immediately end all violence and attend a peace conference to facilitate
a Syrian-led political process leading to a transition that meets the legitimate aspirations
of the Syrian people.
The Council said it was “appalled” by the level of violence,
including sexual and gender-based abuse, condemned increased terrorist attacks, and
called for immediate action to facilitate safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian
assistance in the whole country, stressing that the Syrian authorities bear the primary
responsibility to protect their populations.
It expressed appreciation for
the significant efforts made by the neighbouring and regional countries, notably Jordan,
Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, to accommodate the more than two million refugees
who have fled Syria.
“The Security Council also urges all Member States to
respond swiftly to the United Nations’ humanitarian appeals to meet the spiralling
needs of people inside Syria, in particular internally displaced persons, and Syrian
refugees in neighbouring countries, and to ensure that all pledges are honoured in
full,” the statement declared.
“It further urges all Member States, in coordination
with international financial institutions and United Nations agencies, to increase
their support to address the increasing political, socio-economic and financial impact
of the refugee crisis on hosting countries.”
Speaking to the press in New York
following the Council’s action, Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator welcomed the statement saying: “We need the
whole international community to come together to work to bring an end to this crisis.”
“This consensus statement clearly calls on all parties to do their utmost
to end the violence and stop targeting civilians. It also reminds them that they must
facilitate the swift provision of vital humanitarian aid and that there are serious
consequences for violating international humanitarian and human rights law,” she said,
adding: “Our task now is to turn these strong words into meaningful action for the
children, women and men who are the victims of the continued brutality and violence.”
“I
and my colleagues in the humanitarian and human rights fields have called many times
over the past two and a half years for unhindered access to help us get aid to people
in desperate need, many of whom are in areas we have not been able to reach for months,”
Ms. Amos said, adding that humanitarian actors have also called on the warring parties
to protect civilians from the brutal fighting and violence - to stop targeting vital
civilian services like schools, shops and hospitals, and to stop violating human rights.
“We
have also continued to ask for increased support to the millions of families who have
fled to neighbouring countries and for the communities supporting them,” Ms. Amos
said, also emphasizing that people must be able to seek safety from the violence and
know that their homes, hospitals and schools are safe.
UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon also welcomed the Council’s statement, which he said illustrates the commitment
of the international community to support the people caught up in the Syrian crisis.
“The Secretary-General notes that if the commitments and practical steps outlined
in the statement are implemented, humanitarian workers will be able to reach millions
of Syrians in desperate need, many of whom have been unreachable for months,” according
to a statement issues by the UN chief’s spokesperson in New York.
The Secretary-General
also emphasised that the Security Council clearly calls on all parties to the conflict
to do their utmost to end the violence in Syria, reminds them that they must facilitate
the swift provision of vital humanitarian aid and underscores the serious consequences
of violating international humanitarian and human rights law. (Source: UN News)