YouSaid · the spoken record

Amany Qaddour

lines on the record
12
first
2020-07-29
most recent
2020-07-29
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “I therefore earnestly ask that S/2020/758 the Council address the need to provide life-saving services, including the response to these forms of violence. With regard to some of the fundamental issues I have highlighted today, I would like to conclude by emphasizing the need for humanitarian services, ongoing access and the prioritization of humanitarian needs above all else to be sustainable, particularly because the decisions made in the Security Council Chamber have shaped the lives and fate of millions.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  2. “This past year, when thousands were displaced and our own aid workers were on the move, we saw women — or rather girls, owing to the practice of early marriage as one of the most extreme forms of coping for families and girls who lack education and simple means for ensuring a livelihood — give birth outdoors, under trees, without access to health care. It is tempting to blame such practices on social or cultural norms, but I ask Council members to consider the complexity and deeply rooted factors that have led to and culminated in these practices. We see this phenomenon in many contexts, and it is something we struggle with at a global level, but it is most visible in the context of conflict.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  3. “Their work has been essential in this collaborative response, and that has been the distinguishing factor in this region. I did not emphasize health services specifically for women and girls in the health-care continuum and the impact of coronavirus disease. That is because I would like to give singular and explicit attention to that group, which has endured some of the most harrowing circumstances with regard to neglect of their health and ongoing exposure to sexual and gender-based violence.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  4. “Coordination and access have both been key parts of the response, and the inability to access certain areas via a rapid mechanism through Bab Al-Salam — which is critical for the work we do — means that we are now further burdening our aid workers to deliver those more distant and harder-to-reach areas. We will not abandon those populations, but many may be on the verge of being inaccessible. That is why we have to keep those communities at the forefront. Beyond service delivery, I would like to emphasize in particular the coordination mechanism, key partnerships and technical guidance from agencies like WHO, the United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, among other key bodies.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  5. “That is something we put on our partners and the Security Council itself — to share that risk with humanitarian agencies so that the risks are not simply passed down to the people who have already absorbed a great deal of risk and, in many cases, actually sacrificed their lives in the process. That was the case of Dr. Hassan Al-Araj of the Hama Health Directorate, and Imad Zaytoon, who worked at our hospital in Oweijel. They both died very tragic and violent deaths. Another large part of risk-sharing is facilitating access for service provision. The most recent cross-border resolution has certainly impacted that level of access.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  6. “In our case — and I say this as both a humanitarian and a public health practitioner — we need to look at health care on a continuum and include provisions for primary and community health, rehabilitative care for those with disabilities and, of course, mental health, given the immense traumas many have endured and the rise in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation. That applies to both the people we serve and the aid workers who deliver those services. That is why we see such an obligation to protect our aid workers, considering that they have been exposed to the same conditions of displacement, violence and insecurity.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  7. “That is why, beyond the initial focus in the early stages of the crisis on trauma and emergency services, there has been a massive expansion of the definition of life-saving services and a push for strengthening health systems. I know that has been a huge focus for Germany in particular, with the investment of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH in the health directorates, as well as for other donors to the health sector, including the United States Agency for International Development, the Department for International Development, and the European Union.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  8. “Cases are on the rise, and we know that pandemics do not respect geographic boundaries. What is also concerning is that many of these cases, particularly in north-west Syria, are health-care workers. In a region that is already dealing with a shortage of skilled workers, human-resource capacity is critical for an effective response. I think that particular point truly highlights how the fragmented health sector and infrastructure, in general, have contributed to the tremendous needs, both from a health standpoint and in terms of other key services, because we know that S/2020/758 negative health outcomes do not emerge in a vacuum.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  9. “That includes shortages of ventilators, intensive care unit beds and personal protective equipment. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people — if not millions — are living in precarious conditions in inadequate homes or shelters. Those conditions simply do not allow for proper social distancing and self-isolation, or hygiene measures, for that matter. It is difficult to impose some of those preventive guidelines, particularly when there are multiple families in the same collective shelter or in very crowded areas like Al-Dana and Azaz, for example, where the priority may not be the pandemic, but rather the ability to earn a living to bring home food. I think we see that across the country — whether in Idlib, in the north-west, or in Homs, Al-Hasakah or Damascus.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  10. “Its health system has become quite fragile, the economy has deteriorated, with many being on the brink of starvation, there is mass displacement and some of the most extreme weather we have seen lately across the region, including severe heat waves, flooding and snowstorms — as we saw last winter and certainly anticipate this year, too. Those conditions serve as the backdrop and have shaped the COVID-19 response, due to the constant need to plan around uncertainty. As an example, we have an incredible partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), where we serve as the lead agency for the infection prevention and control pillar under its emergency task force, along with many other vital actors in this health response. Despite those tremendous efforts, challenges remain due to the nature of the response in Syria.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  11. “First and foremost I want to express our concern about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic — essentially, a crisis within a crisis — in addition to some of the underlying health implications and, ultimately, the key operational challenges we face and how this environment has affected our ability to respond to people’s needs. In the context of COVID-19, we are being challenged in an entirely new way. I do not think that is specific to Syria; we see more advanced nations struggling to respond effectively due to the vicious and infectious nature of the virus. We know that Syria is even more vulnerable.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source

  12. “I thank you, Sir, for inviting me today, and I thank the members of the Security Council for having me. I am here today on behalf of Syria Relief and Development, a humanitarian agency that has operated on the ground since 2011— almost since the start of the crisis — and we have had both the privilege and the responsibility to serve Syrians, predominantly through health, protection and shelter programming. We have seen the evolution of the crisis play out over the last nine years, now approaching 10. We see that many Syrians have been forced to live a life without dignity out of the sheer desperation they face. What I am hoping to highlight today, on behalf of the people we serve, are a few key points.”

    2020-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/758 (2020) · source