UN / SYRIA OBRIEN

Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said the announcement of a cessation of hostilities in Syria is a welcome development. He called on the parties to abide by the terms of the agreement to bring about an immediate reduction in violence and create the conditions necessary for increased humanitarian aid. UNIFEED-UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:25
• Production Date: 24 February 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHEN O'BRIEN
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 1570924
• Parent Id: 1570924
• Alternate Title: unifeed160224f

Description

STORY: UN / SYRIA OBRIEN
TRT: 02:25
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 24 FEBRUARY 2016, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, UN headquarters

24 FEBRUARY 2016, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen O'Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief:
The announcement by the chairs of the International Syria Support Group, the United States and the Russian Federation, of a nationwide cessation of hostilities scheduled to come into effect this weekend is a welcome development and a long-awaited signal of hope to the Syrian people. I echo the call of the Secretary-General for the parties to abide by the terms of the agreement to bring about an immediate reduction in violence as a first step towards a more durable ceasefire and to create the conditions necessary for an increased humanitarian aid.”
4. Med shot, Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen O'Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief:
“Health supplies for some 30,000 people have been denied for the convoys by the Ministry of Health. The Resident Coordinator will submit an official request to the Government for all medical items that were removed to be included in future convoys. The Resident Coordinator is also putting together a proposal to the Government of Syria to reduce the number of procedures and the length of time needed to have inter-agency convoys move. Humanitarian operations cannot continue to be bogged down by unnecessary and unacceptable restrictions, obstructions and deliberate delays that are costing people their lives.”
6. Wide shot, O'Brien addressing Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen O'Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief:
“The United Nations has also begun to use airdrops as a means of humanitarian delivery in Syria. Although there are a number of operational risks associated with airdrops, we recognise that there are benefits to this approach in some areas of Syria as a last resort. Earlier this morning, a WFP plane dropped the first cargo of 21 tonnes of items into Deir Ezzor. We have received initial reports from the SARC team on the ground that pallets have landed in the target area as planned.”
8. Med shot, Ja'afari
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen O'Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief:
“Siege and starvation as a method of war must cease immediately. The main responsibility for doing so rests with parties maintaining the sieges, but it is shared by those that put civilians in harm's way by using them as shields for military activities in besieged areas”
10. Wide shot, Security Council

Storyline

Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council today (24 Feb) that the announcement of a nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria is a welcome development and echoed the Secretary-General’s call for the parties to abide by the terms of the agreement to bring about an immediate reduction in violence in order to create the conditions necessary for an increased humanitarian aid.

O’Brien noted that recent aid efforts, in which 62 trucks reached 40,000 beneficiaries in Madaya, three trucks reached 1,000 beneficiaries in Zabadani and 18 trucks reached 20,000 beneficiaries in Foah and Kefraya. The convoys have proceeded without any major security incident, although there have been delays in delivery as parties disagree over the terms of the agreement.

He also noted difficulties in delivering health supplies. He said the Resident Coordinator “will submit an official request to the Government for all medical items that were removed to be included in future convoys.”

O’Brien said “humanitarian operations cannot continue to be bogged down by unnecessary and unacceptable restrictions, obstructions and deliberate delays that are costing people their lives.”

The Under-Secretary-General said the United Nations has begun to use airdrops as a means of humanitarian delivery in Syria.

He said that “although there are a number of operational risks associated with airdrops, we recognise that there are benefits to this approach in some areas of Syria as a last resort.”

A World Food Programme (WFP) plane successfully dropped the first cargo of 21 tonnes of items into Deir Ezzor, a besieged area.

Overall he said, the UN and its partners have reached 110,000 people in besieged areas, and have approval to reach a further 230,000 people, including through other means and further convoys.

O'Brien stressed that “siege and starvation as a method of war must cease immediately.”