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STORY: UN / SYRIA UPDATE
TRT: 02:38
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 14 FEBRUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
14 FEBRUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, spokesperson at the dais
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Turning to Syria, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that over the past two days, 77 trucks carrying UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to Idlib through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing. The trucks carried 1,600 metric tonnes of WFP (World Food Programme) food aid as well as health supplies, blankets and other items from UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Since the start of the year, nearly 200 trucks with UN aid have crossed from Türkiye – that’s more than triple the amount compared to the same time last year. To better understand the needs, OCHA is increasing the weekly assessment and monitoring missions In Syria. This week, our colleagues completed two such missions to the Tal Refaat and Nubul sub-districts in Aleppo Governorate, and to two villages in the Suran sub-district in Hama Governorate. The teams met and discussed with local authorities and communities. Both missions revealed a significant scale of destruction of homes and infrastructure. There are no or limited healthcare facilities and basic services available for the hundreds of returnees. Many have returned from displacement camps in northern Syria carrying nothing but their personal belongings.”
4. Wide shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“And just a reminder that many of the six million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries are weighing the momentous decision as to whether or not to return to Syria. Since December, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that some 270,000 have returned home to Syria. And just on the political end, Geir Pedersen, our Special Envoy for Syria, is in Munich to attend the Security Conference. Prior to that, he participated in the Paris Conference on Syria. In a joint statement, the representatives at the Conference reaffirmed the commitment to a free, inclusive, and sovereign Syria, aligned with the key principles of Security Council Resolution 2254. They also urged for the setting of a clear timeline for constitutional reform and free elections. Participants also highlighted the UN’s key role in the process and endorsed Mr. Pedersen’s efforts. Separately, Mr. Pedersen met bilaterally with the Syrian Caretaker Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, reaffirming our support for the transition.”
6. Wide shot, end of press briefing
“Over the past two days, 77 trucks carrying UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to Idlib through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
The trucks transported 1,600 metric tonnes of food from the World Food Programme (WFP), along with health supplies, blankets, and essential items provided by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Briefing reporters today (Feb 14) Dujarric said nearly 200 aid trucks have crossed into Syria from Türkiye since the start of the year, “more than triple the amount compared to the same time last year.”
The uptick in aid coincides with an increased effort by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to assess conditions on the ground. “OCHA is increasing the weekly assessment and monitoring missions in Syria,” Dujarric said. Recent missions to Tal Refaat and Nubul in Aleppo Governorate, as well as to villages in Suran, Hama Governorate, revealed “a significant scale of destruction of homes and infrastructure.” Returnees often arrive from displacement camps with minimal possessions to find healthcare facilities and basic services either “limited or nonexistent.”
Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that since December, approximately 270,000 Syrian refugees have returned home. Dujarric reminded that “many of the six million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries are weighing the momentous decision as to whether or not to return to Syria.”
On the political front, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is attending the Munich Security Conference following his participation in the recent Paris Conference on Syria. In a joint statement, conference participants reiterated their “commitment to a free, inclusive, and sovereign Syria” in line with Security Council Resolution 2254. They also called for a “clear timeline for constitutional reform and free elections” while expressing support for the UN's mediation efforts.
During a bilateral meeting with Syria's Caretaker Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, Pedersen reaffirmed the UN's commitment to facilitating the country's political transition.
