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UN / SYRIA HUMANITARIAN
STORY: UN / SYRIA HUMANITARIAN
TRT: 1:44
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 29 OCTOBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
29 OCTOBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Andrew Lowcock, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“We have seen a glimmer of hope in the weeks of relative quiet since the agreement was reached. It is very important for millions of people in Idleb that this remains the case. The stakes are high, as the alternative is humanitarian suffering on a scale that would overwhelm all ability to respond, devastating a population that is already weakened through years of conflict, displacement and deprivation.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Andrew Lowcock, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“The population at Rukban has not received assistance since January this year, and they are increasingly desperate. There are continuing reports of children dying due to poor sanitary conditions and a lack of healthcare. This dire humanitarian situation cannot be allowed to continue. The UN is ready and willing to proceed with the convoy immediately.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bashar Jaafari, Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations:
“My Government regrets that the authors of the report, in accordance with the directives of some western countries, are advocating for cross-border assistance which have been proven to be ineffective and there are no guarantees it will reach the civilians that need it. It even became considered, in one way or another, indirect assistance to terrorists who cease this assistance and use it to fuel their terrorist activities in Syria. For months we have been asking for many clarifications over the usefulness of this assistance, including what is called third-party observation. We are still waiting for answers.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned that the “dire humanitarian situation” in Syria’s Rukban camp “cannot be allowed to continue”, after an aid convoy to the area was unable to reach its destination.
Speaking at the Security Council today (29 Oct), Lowcock said a humanitarian convoy had been planned on Saturday for Rukban but reports of insecurity along the route forced the UN and its partners to postpone the convoy.
SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Andrew Lowcock, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“The population at Rukban has not received assistance since January this year, and they are increasingly desperate. There are continuing reports of children dying due to poor sanitary conditions and a lack of healthcare. This dire humanitarian situation cannot be allowed to continue. The UN is ready and willing to proceed with the convoy immediately.”
On Idlib, The Emergency Relief Coordinator said there has been a “glimmer of hope in the weeks of relative quiet” since the Turkish-Russian agreement was reached. He added that it is “very important for millions of people in Idlib that this remains the case.” He said, “The stakes are high, as the alternative is humanitarian suffering on a scale that would overwhelm all ability to respond, devastating a population that is already weakened through years of conflict, displacement and deprivation.”
The UN humanitarian chief noted that over the first seven months of the year, an average of almost 5.5 million people were reached with assistance each month. He called on the Security Council to support the renewal for another year of resolution 2165, in particular to sustain cross-border aid essential to support and protect more than three million people in Idlib.
Syrian ambassador Bashar Jaafari said the Syrian Government authorized the Rukan convoy, but the UN team returned to Damascus prior to reaching their destination. He said this was due to reports of an eminent attack by ISIL on the convoy coming from the area controlled by the United States, despite security guarantees to the UN team by the US.
Jaafari said his Government “regrets” that UN officials, “in accordance with the directives of some western countries”, are advocating for cross-border assistance which he said, “have been proven to be ineffective and there are no guarantees it will reach the civilians that need it.” He added, “It even became considered, in one way or another, indirect assistance to terrorists who cease this assistance and use it to fuel their terrorist activities in Syria. For months we have been asking for many clarifications over the usefulness of this assistance, including what is called third-party observation. We are still waiting for answers.”
The Syrian ambassador said the situation in his country was conducive for the safe return of refugees due to the Government’s accomplishments in fighting terrorism and its efforts to rehabilitate the affected areas.
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