Unifeed

UN / SYRIA

The United Nations Special Envoy For Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, told the Security Council on Friday that he is “very concerned” that the constructive international diplomacy required by Resolution 2254, calling for a ceasefire and political settlement in the country, might be “more difficult than it already was, against the backdrop of the military operations in Ukraine." UNIFEED
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STORY: UN / SYRIA
TRT: 4:46
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 25 FEBRUARY 2022, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

1. Wide shot, UN Headquarters, exterior
25 FEBRUARY 2022, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir O. Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy For Syria:
"Militarily, front lines remain unshifted, but we still see all signs of an ongoing hot conflict. Any of a number of flashpoints could ignite a broader conflagration. We continue to see mutual shelling, skirmishes, IEDs and security incidents across frontlines in the northwest, the northeast, and the southwest. Yet again, we have seen more violence across international borders – drone strikes in the north-east; Israeli strikes in the south and Damascus; and further security incidents on the Syrian-Jordanian border, which Amman states are related to drug smuggling. And we have seen Security Council- listed terrorist groups active across Syria; we note here the US ground operation that killed the leader of ISIL."
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir O. Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy For Syria:
"It is plain that there is a stalemate, that there is acute suffering, and that a political solution is the only way out. This requires a Syrian-led, Syrian owned political process, which must be supported by constructive international diplomacy – however hard that is, and especially right now."
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir O. Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy For Syria:
Through my last round of consultations, I had hoped that we might be starting to find a way into a functioning political process to implement resolution 2254. I am obviously very concerned that the constructive international diplomacy required to push this may prove more difficult than it already was, against the backdrop of the military operations in Ukraine."
8. Med shot, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General For Humanitarian Affairs And Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
"A few days ago, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners published our evidence-based assessment of humanitarian needs in the Syrian Arab Republic for the coming year. The findings are clear. And they paint a very bleak picture. More people are in need than any time since the start of the conflict. A total of 14.6 million people will depend on humanitarian assistance. This is 9 per cent more than last year and 32 per cent more than the year before. The world is failing the people of Syria. This cannot be our strategy."
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General For Humanitarian Affairs And Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator
"Hostilities, primarily along frontlines, continue to claim civilian lives and damage critical civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and water facilities. Some 40 more civilians were killed this January alone. Mines and explosive ordnance claim further lives, including the lives of children. Hostilities also restrict freedom of movement. This, in turn, places women and children at greater risk of abuse."
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General For Humanitarian Affairs And Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator
"People in Syria have suffered for so long. They deserve a better future. They now need aid to survive, but that should not be the case. They need a chance to build a dignified life for themselves and their families. And they need to be able to give their children hope for a better future. To achieve this, we need sustainable and reliable access. We need more funding. And we need to scale up early recovery programming alongside our lifesaving work. But most importantly, Syrians need peace."
14. Med shot, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Bassam Sabbagh, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations,
“Syria reiterates the importance of a realistic approach to improve the humanitarian situation, to restore stability and peace, by changing the current political approach, undertaking rational talks based on the principle of achieving the interest of the Syrian people and leading to ending the Turkish, American and Israeli foreign occupation, ending their continuous hostilities and aggressions against the Syrian sovereignty and ending their sponsoring of terrorist organizations and separatist militias.”
16. Wide shot, Security Council

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Storyline

The United Nations Special Envoy For Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, told the Security Council on Friday that he is “very concerned” that the constructive international diplomacy required by Resolution 2254, calling for a ceasefire and political settlement in the country, might be “more difficult than it already was, against the backdrop of the military operations in Ukraine."

Militarily, Pedersen informed that front lines remain unshifted, with signs of an ongoing hot conflict, like mutual shelling, skirmishes, IEDs and security incidents across frontlines in the northwest, the northeast, and the southwest.

He said, “Any of a number of flashpoints could ignite a broader conflagration.”

For Pedersen, "it is plain that there is a stalemate, that there is acute suffering, and that a political solution is the only way out.”

Pedersen believes “this requires a Syrian-led, Syrian owned political process, which must be supported by constructive international diplomacy – however hard that is, and especially right now."

Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General For Humanitarian Affairs And Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, shared the most recent findings of an UN-backed humanitarian needs assessment for the coming year.

Msuya said “the findings are clear” and they “paint a very bleak picture.”

More people are in need than any time since the start of the conflict. A total of 14.6 million people will depend on humanitarian assistance. This is 9 per cent more than last year and 32 per cent more than the year before.

Msuya said, “The world is failing the people of Syria. This cannot be our strategy."

The Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator informed that hostilities, primarily along frontlines, continue to claim civilian lives and damage critical civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and water facilities.

She said “Some 40 more civilians were killed this January alone. Mines and explosive ordnance claim further lives, including the lives of children. Hostilities also restrict freedom of movement. This, in turn, places women and children at greater risk of abuse."

According to her, Syria now ranks among the ten most food insecure countries globally, with a staggering 12 million people considered to be food insecure

Syria's economy is spiraling further downward. Food keeps getting more expensive, and people are going hungry. Over the last year, the cost to feed a family of five for a month with only the most basic items has almost doubled. A household spends on average now 50 per cent more than it earns. To get by, families must borrow money without much hope of repaying these loans.

This follows a trend of an ever-increasing financial burden for families. And it’s forcing them to make unbearable choices. Children, and more so girls, are being pulled out of school. Child marriages are on the rise. Female-headed households, older persons without family support, persons with disabilities and children are disproportionally impacted.

For the Assistant-Secretary-General For Humanitarian Affairs, "people in Syria have suffered for so long.”

She said, “They deserve a better future. They now need aid to survive, but that should not be the case. They need a chance to build a dignified life for themselves and their families. And they need to be able to give their children hope for a better future. To achieve this, we need sustainable and reliable access. We need more funding. And we need to scale up early recovery programming alongside our lifesaving work. But most importantly, Syrians need peace."

Bassam Sabbagh, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, reiterated to the Council “the importance of a realistic approach to improve the humanitarian situation, to restore stability and peace, by changing the current political approach.”

Sabbagh said that could be done by “undertaking rational talks based on the principle of achieving the interest of the Syrian people and leading to ending the Turkish, American and Israeli foreign occupation, ending their continuous hostilities and aggressions against the Syrian sovereignty and ending their sponsoring of terrorist organizations and separatist militias.”

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