8423rd Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East

Security Council, adopting Resolution 2449 (2018), authorizes one-year extension of cross-border aid deliveries targeting 13 Million in Syria at 8423rd meeting.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 02:00:19
• Production Date: 13 December 2018
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: BASHAR JAAFARI; FRANÇOIS DELATTRE; GUSTAVO MEZA-CUADRA; KAREN PIERCE; MANSOUR AL-OTAIBI; MARK LOWCOCK
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: CIVILIAN PROTECTION; DISPLACED PERSONS; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; TERRORISM; VIOLENCE
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 2334069
• Parent Id: 2331724

Description

Ahead of a briefing later in December on assistance to civilians in Syria, the Security Council today renewed its authorization of the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the devastated country across borders and lines of conflict for a further 12 months, until 10 January 2020.

Adopting resolution 2449 (2018) by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (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 with notification to Syrian authorities.

By the text, the Council further demanded that all parties allow safe, unimpeded and sustained access for the humanitarian convoys of the United Nations and its partners, including medical and surgical supplies, to all requested areas and populations in all parts of Syria in need according to the Organization’s assessments.

The representative of Kuwait, explaining his delegation’s position, said constructive consultations on the draft enabled his country and Sweden to present a purely humanitarian text. Emphasizing that 13 million people in Syria depended on the aid it concerned, he said the adoption will enable the Council to continue to contribute to the alleviation of their suffering.

As he began his briefing after the adoption, Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that cross-border aid is a critical lifeline for millions of Syrians who cannot be supported through other means. “You have done your part,” he stated. “We will now do ours to sustain aid in a way that is as effective and accountable as possible.”

Reporting on the overall humanitarian situation in Syria, he said the situation in the north-west remains very challenging, with fighting in and around the demilitarized zone continuing to take a civilian toll. Idlib remains on the edge of a humanitarian disaster, he warned, while thousands are trapped in areas under the control of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) suffer as a result of both ground fighting and air strikes.

Turning to other areas that have been hard to access, he underlined a need to build on the first delivery to Rukban with a second convoy later in December. Scaling up the humanitarian response is also critical in other parts of the country, including in areas under the control of the Government, where an estimated 8.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. A key priority has been addressing the needs of some 1.6 million people living in areas that have changed control since the beginning of 2018.

Noting the continued implementation of the agreement between the Russian Federation and Turkey in the north-west, he said it should be sustained, with respect for civilians and infrastructure. Also emphasizing the importance of financing for the current humanitarian response plan, he pointed out that while donors have provided more than $2.1 billion, the initiative remains only two-thirds funded.

Following the briefing, most Council members welcomed the extension of the authorization for cross-border humanitarian deliveries, saying the most direct routes should be utilized to get Syrians the live-saving supplies they need until a political solution stemmed the suffering.

Sweden’s representative called on all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international law by protecting civilians, hospitals and medical facilities. Noting that the humanitarian appeal remains significantly underfunded, he called on all countries to do their share to ensure the humanitarian agencies can continue to carry out their critical work.

The Russian Federation’s representative said his country decided not to block the resolution due to humanitarian considerations and appeals from other countries. However, the text is divorced from reality. The new reality in Syria requires the withdrawal of the cross-border mechanism. Warning against the politicization of humanitarian action, he said one cannot blame the Syrian Government while turning a blind eye to the action of other countries. Parameters should be agreed upon to foster transparency and avoid the participation of armed groups in humanitarian activities.

China’s representative said some legitimate concerns where not considered during the drafting process and called on Security Council members to continue engaging on this issue to foster consensus. Cross-border humanitarian assistance must fully respect the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria. He called on the international community to increase its support to allow returning Syrians to live happily and peacefully.

Syria’s representative said that all those who welcomed the border crossings ignored the fact that only 5 per cent of humanitarian assistance came through them, while the authorization for them degrades the country’s sovereignty. Such activities also provide opportunities to smuggle weapons. Those who really want to relieve suffering in Syria should end the occupation of his country by terrorists and those who are protecting them in the coalition led by the United States. The Syrian Government, along with the Syrian Red Crescent, is committed to providing assistance to its people, as is its national responsibility, he stressed. “There is a State called Syria that deserves respect from all,” he said. “That is the main issue.”

Also speaking today were the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands and representatives of France, United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Peru and Côte d’Ivoire.

The meeting began at 4:02 p.m. and ended at 6:01 p.m.

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