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8141st Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East
The Security Council today renewed the authorization for cross‑border and cross‑conflict‑line humanitarian access to Syria for a further 12 months, until 10 January 2019.
Adopting resolution 2393 (2017) by a vote of 12 in favour to none against, with 3 abstentions (Bolivia, China, Russian Federation), the Council extended the authorization — first established by resolution 2165 (2014) — for United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners to use four border crossings. The extension also included the use of routes between areas under control by different groups in the conflict, following notification to Syrian authorities.
By the text, the Council requested the Syrian authorities to expeditiously respond to all requests for cross‑line deliveries by the humanitarian partners. It reiterated its demand that the authorities and all parties comply with their obligations under humanitarian law to allow aid access, recalling that some of the violations in Syria could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
It also requested the Secretary‑General to conduct, within six months, a review of the cross‑border operations that included recommendations on how to further strengthen the monitoring mechanism, taking into account the views of relevant parties, including the Syrian authorities, neighbouring counties and the humanitarian partners.
While welcoming the adoption, Council members also expressed reservations. Most voiced their deep concern over the continuing humanitarian tragedy in Syria and stressed that, even with improved access, the suffering would not end until a Syrian‑led political solution was found through full participation of all parties in the Geneva process shepherded by the United Nations.
Olof Skoog (Sweden), who co‑sponsored the resolution with Egypt, pointed out that there were no alternative means to access parts of northern and southern Syria. Renewing the authorization would no doubt save lives and alleviate suffering. However, the humanitarian situation remained devastating. For over six years, the world had failed the Syrian people. The humanitarian situation would continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution.
Wu Haitao (China), explaining his abstention, said that while his country remained deeply concerned over the humanitarian situation, aid operations must change with the situation on the ground and must abide by United Nations humanitarian principles. Cross‑border operations must be carried out in strict observance of the principles of national sovereignty and unity and with full participation of national authorities. He had worked hard on the draft in order to improve aid delivery in the country, he noted, but added that not enough time had been allowed to improve the draft and to reach consensus.
Similarly, Pedro Luis Inchauste Jordán (Bolivia) said the situation had changed with the establishment of de‑escalation zones. Yet, the text did not reflect those changes. Adequate provision for the full transparency of the Monitoring Mechanism was also lacking.
Vladimir K. Safronkov (Russian Federation) stressed that the authorization was meant to be a temporary measure that necessarily impinged on Syrian sovereignty and was meant to reach all Syrians across the country. Unfortunately, the location and means of distributions were often controlled by non‑governmental organizations. While aid delivery authorized by the resolution remained critical, many of his reservations had not been met, and many questions remained unanswered, he said. Better monitoring and consultation were among the measures needed to remediate those problems. All information on deliveries should be shared with the Council, and a transition to more traditional means of providing assistance in coordination with the Syrian authorities should gradually end the cross‑border schemes as the situation on the ground changed.
Kairat Umarov (Kazakhstan), welcoming the compromises that had been achieved in the text, said he agreed that cross‑border assistance was critical for the survival of the Syrian population. It was for that reason he had voted in favour. He urged strong monitoring, however, of the transport involved and called for concerted efforts by the Security Council to end the conflict.
Echoing his counterpart’s stance, Fodé Seck (Senegal) too said that the monitoring mechanism could be improved. Nonetheless, renewing the authorization was critical for saving lives and could not be delayed.
Michele J. Sison (United States) welcomed the adoption without reservations. She argued that 17,000 aid deliveries, all vetted by the monitoring mechanism, had already been made possible by the authorization and had saved many lives.
François Delattre (France) said that the renewal was vital in every sense of the word. For millions of Syrian people it was a matter of life or death. He added that he had not agreed with all amendments that had been made to the text. However, those did not change the resolution’s efficacy. He also highlighted the suffering in Ghouta, where the regime was starving the population for strategic purposes.
Matthew John Rycroft (United Kingdom), stating that the renewal gave Syrians a small ray of hope, pointed out that the number of people in serious need in the country had risen to 13 million because of the lack of progress in the peace process and the blockades by the Syrian regime. He called on the Russian Federation to use its influence on that regime to alleviate the situation. The renewal was a strong reminder that aid must not be used as a weapon, he emphasized.
Inigo Lambertini (Italy), welcoming the extension, stressed the importance of the predictability of aid. Still, he would have liked the resolution to address the failure of cross‑line assistance in providing urgent aid to areas such as Ghouta, he stated.
Yuriy Vitrenko (Ukraine), also welcoming the adoption, joined fellow Council members in affirming that cross‑border delivery was a matter of life and death. However, he voiced his regret that the humanitarian situation had not improved in the past year because of continued lack of access in areas such as eastern Ghouta.
Tekeda Alemu (Ethiopia) expressed his appreciation for the extensive consultations on the text. The result had addressed all concerns. Humanitarian suffering should continue to be at the centre of the Council’s attention in Syria, with accelerated efforts to bring about a political solution to the conflict, he underscored.
The meeting began at 10:06 a.m. and ended at 10:56 a.m.
