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GENEVA / SYRIA UPDATE
STORY: GENEVA / SYRIA UPDATE
TRT: 2.39
SOURCE: CH UNTV
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
DATELINE: 26 MARCH 2013, PALAIS DES NATIONS UNITED NATIONS GENEVA HEADQUARTERS
FILE – RECENT, UNITED NATIONS GENEVA HEADQUARTERS
1. Exterior, Palais de Nations, United Nations Geneva Headquarters
26 MARCH 2013, PALAIS DES NATIONS, UNITED NATIONS GENEVA HEADQUARTERS
2. Wide shot, external shot of room, Salle III, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
3. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson for the High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
"UNHCR is today reiterating its
appeal to all parties to ensure safe passage for convoys delivering
humanitarian aid to civilians inside Syria. This is in light of the
current security environment, in which several convoys have had to be
cancelled or delayed. The effects are that many Syrians are deprived
of vitally needed aid. According to the UN's latest estimates, at
least 3.6 million people are internally displaced in Syria. In
addition, there are around five and a half million people in need.
UNHCR is working with government and non-government parties to see
that aid does gets through. However right now assistance is still only
reaching a fraction of those in need."
4. Cutaway, table of journalists, Salle III, Palais des Nations, Geneva
5. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson for the High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
"The clear problem is insecurity.
That above anything else is making it difficult for us all to get aid
through. But then are the complexities of trying to negotiate passage
for aid convoys, and that requires negotiations with often a large
number of actors. So it's simply a very, very difficult environment. We
nonetheless need to find ways to get more aid to more people, there's
no other way around it."
6. Cutaway, three-shot of journalists, Salle III, Palais des Nations, Geneva
7. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Elisabeth Byrs, Spokesperson for the World Food
Programme (WFP):
"It's not the first time that we have gone through
this kind of exercise of relocating our staff, bringing them back to
the country when there is a slight improvement, and when the security
situation permits. So we have done it several times before, and
managed to keep up our operation up and running, and even expand. So
we are concerned about the increasing violence and deteriorating
security situation on our operation of course with road closure, with
circle of fighting, and of course, regarding the reduction of staff,
we are only moving some of the function who can perform and operate
remotely from outside the country."
8. Cutaway, zoom out of journalist's notes, Salle III, Palais des
Nations, Geneva
9. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson for the High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
"Really, there's no way where we're
satisfied that sufficient aid is getting through at the moment, that's
the issue. We have to find ways, with all the parties on the ground to
make sure that more aid does get in."
10. Pan left, Salle III, Palais des Nations, Geneva
The United Nation's Refugee Agency appealed Tuesday to all parties in the Syrian conflict to ensure safe passage for convoys delivering humanitarian aid to civilians inside Syria.
Speaking to journalists at a news briefing in Geneva, Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said: “In the current security environment, several convoys have had to be cancelled or delayed. This is depriving many Syrians of vitally needed help.”
According to the UN's latest estimates, at least 3.6 million people are internally displaced in Syria. UNHCR is working with government and non-government parties to see that aid gets through. Right now, assistance is only reaching a fraction of those in need.
"The clear problem is insecurity. That above anything else is making it difficult for us all to get aid through. So it's simply a very, very difficult environment. We nonetheless need to find ways to get more aid to more people, there's no other way around it." Edwards said.
Speaking at the same briefing, Elizabeth Byrs, spokesperson for the World Food Programme, made reference to yesterday’s decision by the UN to relocate some of its international staff members in Syria to neighbouring countries.
She said: “We are concerned about the increasing violence and deteriorating security situation on our operation of course with road closure, with circle of fighting, and of course, regarding the reduction of staff, we are only moving some of the function who can perform and operate remotely from outside the country."
The decision by the UN followed a heightening of insecurity, with a number of incidents reported in the last few days close to the centre of Damascus where many UN personnel are located.
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