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STORY: UN / SYRIA YACOUB EL HILLO
TRT: 4.00
SOURCE: UNTV / WFP / UNWRA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 10 MARCH 2014, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT
1. Exterior shot, UN Secretariat
10 MARCH 2014, NEW YORK CITY
2. SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“Syrians are very resilient people, they are very patient people, and they help each other non-stop, but they are running out of stamina, running out of capacity. They are no longer able to cope, not only because of the protracted nature of this conflict and its devastation, but also they themselves are running out of means to help themselves and help each other.”
WFP – 11 MARCH 2014, HOMS, SYRIA
3. Various shots, tracking, destroyed buildings
10 MARCH 2014, NEW YORK CITY
4. SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“2.5 million of Syrians have left the country and they are now in neighboring countries and beyond. The good point and the hope is that there are still 20 million Syrians are inside Syria. And that is an incredible capacity to tap in. And if we figure out the way to anchor them to their country and give them a choice not to leave, I think we would have done well.”
WFP – 11 MARCH 2014, HOMS, SYRIA
5. Wide shot, children riding bikes
6. Med shot, children walking
10 MARCH 2014, NEW YORK CITY
7. SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“We have been able to reach, we have continued to deliver, and I hope we have manage to make a difference at the level of individual families and communities but there is more of that that is needed and more the conflict continues the more humanitarian needs are going to grow.”
UNRWA - 30 JANUARY 2014, YARMOUK, SYRIA
8. Pan left, street among ruins, massive crowds in street
10 MARCH 2014, NEW YORK CITY
9. SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“The world said never again many times, and the world is saying it in the case of Syria. We should do something about it. We should stop this madness, we should stop this conflict. It is not good that we continue to seat back and hope that this is going to resolve itself by itself. It is not going to happen.”
UNRWA - 30 JANUARY 2014, YARMOUK, SYRIA
10. Med shot, people waiting for aid
10 MARCH 2014, NEW YORK CITY
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“You find everyone in great suffering. They’ve all have lost a lots of weight. They asked “why you were late to reach us”? But there were objective reasons and difficulties that hindered and prevented access to the ancient city of Homs earlier. But we were able to – thank to God, to access them and we hope that access will continue to the old city of Homs and to many other areas in Syria where civilians find themselves cut off from these services and humanitarian aids.”
UNRWA - 30 JANUARY 2014, YARMOUK, SYRIA
12. Wide shot, people walking among ruins
10 MARCH 2014, NEW YORK CITY
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“It is not surprising that a UN team confronts some problems or security difficulties. It is known that if there is an intractable humanitarian need, it is accompanied in most cases with a fragile security situation. But we were astound that despite the agreements made before carrying on with this operation, that we faced such difficulties; and I wish that we draw a lesson from this so that next time we are able deliver humanitarian aid to civilians who deserve it without exposing the lives of civilians or the people who helps them to danger.”
UNRWA - 30 JANUARY 2014, YARMOUK, SYRIA
14. Med shot, aid distribution
In early February, a three-day ceasefire enabled a UN team to enter the city of Homs and deliver aid to some 2,500 Syrians. The humanitarian operation also evacuated nearly 1,400 civilians from the city.
Yacoub El Hillo, the United Nations (UN) humanitarian coordinator in Syria was with the team in Homs.
SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“Syrians are very resilient people, they are very patient people, and they help each other non-stop, but they are running out of stamina, running out of capacity. They are no longer able to cope, not only because of the protracted nature of this conflict and its devastation, but also they themselves are running out of means to help themselves and help each other.”
The conflict which entered its fourth year so far claimed well over 100,000 lives, and left more than 9.3 million people in need of assistance inside Syria, including at least 6.5 million who are internally displaced.
SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“2.5 million of Syrians have left the country and they are now in neighboring countries and beyond. The good point and the hope is that there are still 20 million Syrians are inside Syria. And that is an incredible capacity to tap in. And if we figure out the way to anchor them to their country and give them a choice not to leave, I think we would have done well.”
The international community appealed repeatedly to all the parties of the conflict to enable safe delivery of humanitarian aid to people in need, including in hard-to-reach and besieged areas. There has only been limited improvement in recent months in reaching those in need.
SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“We have been able to reach, we have continued to deliver, and I hope we have managed to make a difference at the level of individual families and communities but there is more of that that is needed and more the conflict continues the more humanitarian needs are going to grow.”
But humanitarian action is not enough. El Hilo said the international community needs to step up its efforts to end the civil war in Syria.
SOUNDBITE (English), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“The world said never again many times, and the world is saying it in the case of Syria. We should do something about it. We should stop this madness, we should stop this conflict. It is not good that we continue to seat back and hope that this is going to resolve itself by itself. It is not going to happen.”
He said that people in Homs greeted them with apprehension and that they had been suffering for way too long.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“You find everyone in great suffering. They’ve all have lost a lots of weight. They asked “why you were late to reach us”? But there were objective reasons and difficulties that hindered and prevented access to the ancient city of Homs earlier. But we were able to – thank to God, to access them and we hope that access will continue to the old city of Homs and to many other areas in Syria where civilians find themselves cut off from these services and humanitarian aids.”
And even though extensive negotiations took place before the team travelled to Homs, he said they entered the city at great risk and with difficulty.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Yacoub El Hillo, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria:
“It is not surprising that a UN team confronts some problems or security difficulties. It is known that if there is an intractable humanitarian need, it is accompanied in most cases with a fragile security situation. But we were astounded that despite the agreements made before carrying on with this operation, that we faced such difficulties; and I wish that we draw a lesson from this so that next time we are able deliver humanitarian aid to civilians who deserve it without exposing the lives of civilians or the people who helps them to danger.”
Three years of fighting has left the country devastated – its industrial capacity has been reduced by 80 per cent; half the Syrian population is living below the poverty line; 2.5 million jobs have been lost; and unemployment is at 48 per cent.
