U.S. aid agency calls on Syrian regime to permit access to humanitarian workers
(Vatican Radio) The United States are increasing funds for humanitarian assistance
to the war ravaged people of Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry announced last
weekend that Washington was adding 380 million dollars to its aid package for Syria,
bringing the total U.S. humanitarian commitment to 1.7 billion dollars.
Nancy
Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) was recently in Rome for consultations with U.N. agencies. She says “all
the money in the world,” however, “won’t make a difference” in Syria “if we don’t
have access.” Listen to Nancy Lindborg speaking to Tracey McClure:
“We need humanitarian
access. There is a process that’s been underway and we’re simply not making the progress
yet that we need,” Lindborg says. “So it will require a doubling down of all the international
community to ensure that the regime enables humanitarians to have unfettered access
to those who are in need.”
A shaky government ceasefire more than a week ago
permitted hundreds of people to evacuate the besieged city of Homs in a dramatic and
dangerous operation conducted by U.N. humanitarian workers.
“There are extraordinarily
courageous humanitarian workers on the ground,” says Lindborg, “the bulk of whom,
by the way, are Syrians, including the many health professionals who have been just
relentlessly targeted throughout this crisis. So, there is a lot happening – we’re
in Rome…the World Food Program (based here) has reached more than three million people.
The United States is working through all channels to help our assistance reach people
throughout the country, so working with the UN agencies, NGOS, local Syrian groups…what
we’re learning is that as fast as we can come up with solutions and expand our operations
is that the needs are rising even faster. And so, for many Syrians, the extraordinary
effort and the unprecedented amount of funding is not translating into a difference
in their life. Many families have been uprooted two to three times and many of them
have taken the step of leaving the country. I would say that we are looking at a
generation of Syrian children who are not receiving schooling and we have to look
at the critically important political solutions that bring an end to this crisis because
just endlessly extending our humanitarian efforts will not, at the end of the day,
bring the comfort that every Syrian child, woman and man needs and deserves.”