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STORY: UN / SYRIA HUMANITARIAN POLITICAL
TRT: 06:25
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / ARABIC
DATELINE: 21 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
21 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria:
“Just yesterday, we saw dozens killed in a strike near Palmyra – likely the deadliest Israeli strike in Syria to date. Israel says its strikes address targets linked to Iran, Hizbullah or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. But once again, we have seen civilian casualties, including from significant strikes were conducted on residential areas in the heart of Damascus.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria:
“In parallel, the U.S. carried out strikes against what it said are Iran-backed militias, in response to armed drone attacks on its bases in northeast Syria.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria:
“UNHCR reports that over half a million people have fled Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and crossed into Syria since late September, and there remains a steady flow of movement. Some 63% are Syrian, and most of them are women and children.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, Office for The Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Since the launch of the 324 million dollars UNHCR-led interagency appeal in early October, we have received only $55 million or what’s been projected in the pipeline. Humanitarians are doing what we can, including with existing resources on hand. But this is not sustainable in a country where 16.7 million people - more than 70 per cent of the population - are already in need of assistance.”
10. Close up, Syrian Representative
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, Office for The Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Nearly 13 million people are already facing acute food insecurity in Syria – the fifth highest total globally - while the World Food Programme has been forced to reduce its assistance by 80 per cent in the past two years due to funding cuts.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, Office for The Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“In north-west Syria, some 1.4 million IDPs require urgent assistance, including 730,000 people still living in tents.”
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sawsan Abou Zainedin, Chief Executive Officer of Madaniya:
“Members of the Council, let’s speak accountability. When Russia and China vetoed this Council's resolution to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court in 2014, we persisted. We found creative work around to the limitations imposed by this Council's political dynamics.”
15. Close up shots, Chinese and Russian Representatives
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Sawsan Abou Zainedin, Chief Executive Officer of Madaniya:
“Then the Netherlands and Canada brought Syria to the International Court of Justice and, members of the Council, exactly a year ago, in November, 2023 the ICJ issued a landmark ruling demanding Syria end torture.”
17. Med shot, Syrian Representative
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Sawsan Abou Zainedin, Chief Executive Officer of Madaniya:
“On chemical weapons, a crime that shocked the world, we didn't give up either. Despite Russia's repeated vetoes, our determination to seek justice remains persistent.”
19. Wide shot, Security Council
20. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry A. Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“I would like to express deep regret that the UK presidency, with the Neo-colonial spirit that is present in London, sought deliberately to politicize our debate and engage in a direct provocation by inviting rapporteur who is just putting forward her insecurities, phantom pains and a desire to revenge her compatriots, people who are successfully living their lives in peace under legitimate Syrian government at the helm.”
21. Wide shot, Security Council
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert A. Wood, Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, United States:
“I hope the Assad regime's puppet masters were listening carefully, and as we've heard, the truth clearly struck a nerve.”
23. Wide shot, Security Council
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert A. Wood, Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, United States:
“We are concerned by ongoing reports of the Assad regime's abuses, including against Syrians displaced from Lebanon with Syrians who have faced arbitrary detentions, disappearances, forcible conscription and death while in regime custody, reportedly due to torture, we are also concerned with the escalation of Russia backed attacks in northwest Syria that have killed and injured scores.”
25. Wide shot, Security Council
26. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Qusay al-Dahhak, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syria:
“In a flagrant violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, the Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on Syrian territory from the occupied Syrian Golan. Recently, they have dug trenches and erected earthen embankments along the ceasefire line in the Northern and Southern parts of the separation zone.”
27. Wide shot, Security Council
28. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Qusay al-Dahhak, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syria:
“It is unfortunate that the current president of the Security Council did not respect the procedures. It used it to serve its own agendas in an attempt to violate a member state for clear targets, namely, to repel the statements and the commitment of the Syrian government, which is opening border crossings, continuing its daily work and welcoming returnees.”
29. Wide shot, end of Security Council session
Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi underscored the devastating impact of recent military strikes, highlighting mounting civilian casualties, “Just yesterday, we saw dozens killed in a strike near Palmyra - likely the deadliest Israeli strike in Syria to date.”
Briefing the Security Council today (21 Nov) Rochdi also noted U.S. military actions, stating, “In parallel, the U.S. carried out strikes against what it said are Iran-backed militias, in response to armed drone attacks on its bases in northeast Syria.”
Türkiye’s military operations in northern Syria drew further scrutiny following a terrorist attack near Ankara on 23 October. “Türkiye carried out strikes inside Syria for several days, against what they stated were PKK/YPG targets,” Rochdi said, calling the escalation the most severe in 2024.
The humanitarian crisis is deepening, with over half a million people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and crossing into Syria since late September, according to UNHCR. “Some 63 percent are Syrian, and most of them are women and children,” Rochdi added.
Edem Wosornu, Director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy Division, pointed out the funding shortfall for humanitarian aid in Syria. She said, “Since the launch of the 324 million dollars UNHCR-led interagency appeal in early October, we have received only 55 million,”
Wosornu added, “This is not sustainable in a country where 16.7 million people – more than 70 per cent of the population – are already in need of assistance.”
Wosornu noted food insecurity remains a pressing concern, “Nearly 13 million people are already facing acute food insecurity in Syria - the fifth highest total globally,” while emphasizing that assistance in northwest Syria remains critical, with 730,000 people still living in tents.
Civil society voices also resonated during the debate. Sawsan Abou Zainedin, CEO of Madaniya, called for "accountability" in addressing Syria’s long-standing violations. “When Russia and China vetoed this Council's resolution to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court in 2014, we persisted,” she said, referencing a 2023 ICJ ruling demanding Syria end torture.
Russian Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry A. Polyanskiy dismissed Zainedin's intervention as politicized, accusing the UK presidency of engaging in “a direct provocation,” for giving this speaker the floor. Polyanskiy said Zainedin was expressing “phantom pains” and defended Syria’s government as legitimate.
The U.S. delegation, represented by Robert A. Wood, pushed back against Russia’s claims. Wood said, “I hope the Assad regime's puppet masters were listening carefully,” adding the regime is exploiting humanitarian crises and regional instability to rehabilitate its image.
Syria’s Permanent Representative Qusay al-Dahhak said, “In a flagrant violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, the Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on Syrian territory from the occupied Syrian Golan. Recently, they have dug trenches and erected earthen embankments along the ceasefire line in the Northern and Southern parts of the separation zone.”
He added, “It is unfortunate that the current president of the Security Council did not respect the procedures. It used it to serve its own agendas in an attempt to violate a member state for clear targets, namely, to repel the statements and the commitment of the Syrian government, which is opening border crossings, continuing its daily work and welcoming returnees.”
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