UN / SYRIA

The United Nations top humanitarian official pleaded with “the parties and those with influence to do everything in their power to protect civilians and enable access to the besieged parts of Eastern Aleppo before it becomes one giant graveyard.” UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:50
• Production Date: 30 November 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STAFFAN DE MISTURA; STEPHEN O'BRIEN
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA; SECURITY COUNCIL
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN CRISIS; HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; PEACE AND SECURITY
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 1785437
• Parent Id: 1785437
• Alternate Title: unifeed161130c

Description

STORY: UN / SYRIA
TRT: 02:50
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 30 NOVEMBER 2016, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

30 NOVEMBER 2016, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council with Stephen O’Brien on screen
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen O’Brien, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs:
“For the sake of humanity we call on, we plead, with the parties and those with influence to do everything in their power to protect civilians and enable access to the besieged parts of Eastern Aleppo before it becomes one giant graveyard.”
4. Med shot, delegates watching O’Brien on screen
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen O’Brien, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs:
“These people have been besieged for nearly 150 days now and most simply don’t have the means to survive for much longer. Intensified fighting and aerial bombardment continues to occur resulting in civilian casualties and injuries. As of today, as a result of the bombardment and the shelling, all hospitals have been directly hit several times and there is no properly functioning hospital in Eastern Aleppo city, only a trauma unit. All other primary medical facilities are operating at a minimum capacity and do not have trauma treatment capabilities, leaving most wounded civilians unable to get the most basic treatment. With few, if any, ambulances available, we are receiving reports of wounded civilians being rushed to medical facilities on vegetable carriages.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council with Stephen O’Brien on screen
7. Wide shot, Security Council with Stephen O’Brien on screen
“Any evacuation of civilians must be safe, it must be voluntary, and to a place of their choosing. Parties must allow humanitarian organizations safe and unimpeded access to bring life-saving help to those displaced and identify and respond to protection threats. Finally, it is imperative that all those displaced are allowed to return voluntarily in safety and in dignity to their homes as soon as the situation allows it.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council with Staffan de Mistura on screen
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, United Nations Special Envoy for the Syria Crisis:
“Tens of thousands remain still in opposition controlled areas in Aleppo and are living under constant threat of this fighting continuing. Others are at risk while attempting to flee the fighting, adding to the danger associated to attempting to flee across an active frontline. We’ve received reliable reports that indicate that in many cases opposition groups have been actually preventing civilians from leaving areas under their control. There are also concerns that upon reaching areas controlled by the government or by the Syrian defence forces, civilians perceived to have links or connections with armed opposition groups may have been detained.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council with Staffan de Mistura on screen

Storyline

The United Nations top humanitarian official today (30 Nov) pleaded with “the parties and those with influence to do everything in their power to protect civilians and enable access to the besieged parts of Eastern Aleppo before it becomes one giant graveyard.”

Briefing the Security Council via teleconference rom London, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien described a dire situation in the besieged Syrian city.

O’Brien said “most simply don’t have the means to survive for much longer. Intensified fighting and aerial bombardment continues to occur resulting in civilian casualties and injuries. As of today, as a result of the bombardment and the shelling, all hospitals have been directly hit several times and there is no properly functioning hospital in Eastern Aleppo city, only a trauma unit. All other primary medical facilities are operating at a minimum capacity and do not have trauma treatment capabilities, leaving most wounded civilians unable to get the most basic treatment. With few, if any, ambulances available, we are receiving reports of wounded civilians being rushed to medical facilities on vegetable carriages.”

The humanitarian official said “any evacuation of civilians must be safe, it must be voluntary, and to a place of their choosing. Parties must allow humanitarian organizations safe and unimpeded access to bring life-saving help to those displaced and identify and respond to protection threats. Finally, it is imperative that all those displaced are allowed to return voluntarily in safety and in dignity to their homes as soon as the situation allows it.”

Also addressing the Council via teleconference, the Special Envoy for the Syria Crisis, Staffan de Mistura, said “tens of thousands remain still in opposition controlled areas in Aleppo and are living under constant threat of this fighting continuing.”

De Mistura said reliable reports indicate that “in many cases opposition groups have been actually preventing civilians from leaving areas under their control.”

He said “there are also concerns that upon reaching areas controlled by the government or by the Syrian defence forces, civilians perceived to have links or connections with armed opposition groups may have been detained.”

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), up to 16,000 people have fled fighting in the eastern neighbourhoods of Syria’s Aleppo city over the past few days.

Indiscriminate shelling continues on civilian-populated areas and civilian infrastructure in western Aleppo, killing and injuring civilians, and displacing over 20,000 people in recent weeks.

There are also hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped inside eastern Aleppo.

Another 700,000 people are in other besieged areas across the country, mostly in rural Damascus surrounded by Government forces.