YouSaid · the spoken record

Amos

lines on the record: 305
first: 2010-11-22
most recent: 2015-05-28
sittings or episodes: 26
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The Security Council is entrusted with considerable power and responsibility. For the sake of Syria and its future generations, the Council must set aside its political differences and come together to find a solution to what appear to be intractable problems. We saw in the adoption of resolutions 2139 (2014) and 2165 (2014) what can be done when the Council acts together and speaks with one voice. I very much hope it happens again.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“Fourthly, it should consider all possible avenues to ensure accountability, thereby sending a clear message to those responsible for violations of international law, as well as their victims, that the international community will not tolerate such action in Syria or elsewhere. Fifthly, it should step up financial support for the humanitarian response effort; and, sixthly, it should respect the non-political nature of humanitarian aid and give aid workers the space they need to carry out their work free of political pressure. I know that there are no easy answers or quick fixes. But I also know that we cannot let the difficulties prevent us from upholding our responsibility to act on behalf of the people of Syria. We cannot leave Syrians abandoned to hopelessness and further despair.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“Desperation means that more and more people are prepared to make the perilous journey to Europe by sea. The Security Council can demonstrate its leadership and uphold its responsibility for international peace and security by taking the following measures. First, it should ensure the protection of civilians. Secondly, it should ensure that the parties to the conflict abide by their international legal obligations and Security Council resolutions to facilitate humanitarian access to all people in need throughout the country, without discrimination. Thirdly, it should bring an end to the sieges, which collectively punish people.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“Today, more than 12.2 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Syria - an increase of almost one third compared to when resolution 2139 (2014) was adopted. Many of those who were previously able to care for themselves are now in need of help. Fewer than half of the country's hospitals are fully functioning. Two million children in Syria are out of school. The social, economic and human costs of this tragedy are profound. It may take generations for Syria to recover. An additional 540,000 people have been displaced this year alone, adding to the 7.6 million already displaced. Another nearly 4 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, placing host countries and communities under unbearable pressure. I thank Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for their significant efforts in this regard.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“Of the 48 inter-agency convoys requests submitted since December, 5 have been completed, 9 have been approved in principle by the Government of Syria and are at various stages of preparations, and a further 11 have been put on hold due to insecurity. Nineteen more are awaiting a reply. ISIL's advance brings with it new depths of depravity to Syria, with indiscriminate killing and maiming, raping and destroying. It has forcibly recruited children and made the delivery of humanitarian assistance more and more difficult in areas under its control. In addition to the restriction of operations to deliver food and other supplies, aid workers have been prevented from vaccinating children in areas of the country under their control.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“IfI had reported this at the beginning of the conflict, I am sure that Council members would not have believed it possible; today, we take it for granted. The United Nations and our partners were not able to reach any besieged locations in April. People are trying to survive day by day without the basic necessities of life, such as water and electricity, and parties to the conflict continue to cut services, collectively punishing entire villages and cities in the process. Restrictions on the delivery of aid continue. The Government's introduction of new rules and regulations, which result in delays and distractions, are preventing us from delivering assistance, including surgical supplies, to people in desperate need.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“While the cross-border deliveries enabled by resolutions 2165 (2014) (2014) and 2191 (2014) have allowed the United Nations to extend its reach and complement the enormous efforts of our NGO partners, the parties to the conflict have ignored practically all aspects of the resolution. The use ofchlorine continues to be reported, killing, injuring and terrorizing civilians. Indiscriminate attacks, although prohibited by international humanitarian law, continue with no regard for the protection of civilians. Schools and hospitals continue to be attacked. Physicians for Human Rights recorded more attacks on medical facilities in April than it had in any month since the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014). Some 422,000 people - nearly twice the number as when resolution 2139 (2014) was adopted - are under siege.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“Reports have emerged of the killing of civilians by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) following its capture of Palmyra in the past week. Such blatant disregard for the most basic rules of international humanitarian law - the distinction between civilians and combatants - must be condemned in the strongest terms. In February of last year, the Council came together to adopt resolution 2139 (2014). It was clear in what it demanded of the parties - that they end the violence, comply with international law, and ensure that obligations to facilitate humanitarian access to people in need were met. Yet, for the past 15 months, the Secretary-General has systematically reported on the continued non-compliance with the Council's demands.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“For more than four years, we have watched Syria descend into deeper depths of despair, surpassing what even the most pessimistic observers thought possible. The situation throughout the country is by any measure extremely grave and deteriorating by the day. In the past weeks, we have seen more and more heinous acts, and innocent men, women and children killed, maimed, displaced and subjected to a savagery that no human should have to endure. For example, at the end of April, a market in Darkoush, in rural Idlib, was subjected to aerial bombing that killed between 40 and 50 people and wounding over 100 civilians. The same market was again hit last week, with reports of 20 more people being killed.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“It is reflected in the generosity of families in Syria and neighbouring countries sheltering, feeding and clothing the displaced without asking anything in return. It is embodied in the staff and volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the first responders and the staff of hospitals and clinics throughout the country who do not let narrow political interest cloud their commitment to doing everything they can to safeguard the well- being of ordinary Syrians. And it is demonstrated in the thousands of staff of the United Nations on the ground who carry out their duties day in and day out, despite petty political pressure and, in some cases, violence and intimidation from the parties to the conflict.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“As I have watched the huge rise in the number of people around the world affected by conflict and natural disasters - an estimated 70 million in 2010, when I started, and 114 million today - it is clear that there needs to be a major rethink of humanitarian response efforts - who does what, who pays for it and greater investment in conflict prevention, disaster preparedness, peace and State-building. In my time in this role, I have seen the very worst of what people are capable of and also the very best of humanity - the countless Syrians who, despite the gravity of their situation, have not given up hope and refuse to buy into the rhetoric that the country's problems can be solved through violence. It is found in the bonds forged between strangers who do everything they can to help their fellow countrymen and women survive.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“Ms. Amos: As this is my last briefing to the Council, it is many ways fitting that it is on Syria, as during my time as Emergency Relief Coordinator it is this crisis that has taken more of my time and attention, and those of this Council, than any other crisis in the world. It is the Syria crisis and its consequences that have led me to the belief that the Council and the international community more broadly, needs to do more to protect civilians and ensure greater accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. I have been proud to serve in the United Nations as I have a strong belief in the values of the Organization and the principles underpinning the Charter, and feel that in today's unpredictable and deeply troubled world, we need the United Nations more than ever.”
2015-05-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7452 (2015) · source
“The ongoing political and security conflicts must be resolved in order to end the displacement and the suffering of one quarter of the country's people.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“A new humanitarian response plan will be released in Brussels on 4 June, and I hope donors will give generously. The humanitarian outlook in Iraq remains deeply worrying. The number of people in need of assistance has grown seven-fold in just under a year. This number is likely to increase further before the end of the year as the conflict continues and as fear of sectarian- motivated retaliation spreads through newly accessible areas. We must do more to protect Iraqi civilians from these rising levels of violence. We must work to expand the assistance provided to affected people in all parts of the country. Addressing the humanitarian needs in Iraq requires collective action. However, humanitarian assistance alone will not bring about a solution to the crisis in Iraq.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“Ongoing security operations, the widespread presence of improvised explosive devices and the lack of public services have also dissuaded return. Returns must continue to be voluntary, when conditions are right. Funding shortfalls are also restricting our ability to scale up even further. Increasing needs have exhausted the generous contributions to last year's appeal. This year, only 11 per cent of the $1.2 billion required for the year has been received. Last week, health services in the Arbat IDP camp in Sulaimaniyah were interrupted due to alack of funding. In April, food distributions were scaled back in the Dohuk governorate - the area with the highest number of IDPs - to half-rations for those living outside of the camps. The food pipeline is due to break fully in June.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“On 28 April, the Iraqi Government sent a request to the United Nations asking for urgent humanitarian assistance to be sent to areas in Haditha district, in the Anbar governorate, which is cut off by ISIL forces. People are short of food, water and medicines. Due to insecurity, a United Nations convoy meant to has not been able to reach the 26,400 people trapped in the area. We are working to expand humanitarian access, and now have a team of access and negotiation experts on the ground. With the support of key Member States and other influential actors inside and outside Iraq, we hope to increase our reach to those areas. Other challenges are emerging in areas of return. Those who wish to return home are afraid for their safety, so the number of returnees remains limited.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“Some 368,000 people have received help with shelter, including though the 30 camps built by the Government, the United Nations and other partners since July 2014. Another 13 camps are under construction. On 7 April, Iraq celebrated one year of being polio- free. The United Nations continues to support the Iraq Ministry of Health in maintaining its polio-free status through regular vaccination campaigns targeting over 5 million children under the age five. The United Nations is also 3 million people through the provision of essential drugs and medical equipment. Despite that support, we face immense challenges in providing assistance in Iraq. Access remains a key challenge.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“The Government's public food distribution system is operating, but the coverage is uneven. Reduced planting and limited access to agricultural areas still under ISIL control means that the prospects for future harvests are bleak. Over 1 million displaced Iraqis need shelter, particularly in the central and southern areas of the country, with more than 28 per cent of all IDPs living in public institutions, including schools and mosques, and some in unsafe buildings. The United Nations and its partners have continued to further scale up their operations to respond to needs. Nearly 1 million displaced people have been provided with non-food items, such as blankets, plastic sheeting and jerry cans.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“Nearly 7 million people - or 20 per cent of the population - are unable to access essential health services and water and sanitation services due to the conflict. At least half of them are estimated to be women, and 18 per cent are children under the age of 5. Dozens of hospitals and pharmacies have been damaged or are closed. The Fallujah General Hospital has been damaged over 30 times. Maternal and neonatal services are nearly non-existent in the worst-hit areas. Water and sanitation needs are particularly acute in non-camp situations, where over 90 per cent ofIDPs live. The risk of disease due to poor sanitation and limited access to health services is a major concern, particularly as cholera is endemic and measles is present. Food insecurity has increased by 60 per cent in six months; 4.4 million people now require food assistance.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“I am also concerned by reports that other parties to the conflict are violating international law. Restrictions on the freedom of movement of civilians by security forces and armed groups are growing worse, thereby limiting the ability of civilians to flee conflict and enter safer territory or to return home after areas have been retaken. In April, security or civilian authorities in seven governorates restricted the entry of internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing conflict in Ramadi. Those acts are fuelling tensions between communities and deepening fissures that will require significant mediation over time to overcome. The crisis in Iraq has also had a significant impact on the availability of basic services, food and shelter.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“Iraq is no different. Women and girls continue to experience horrific acts of sexual violence, physical abuse and enslavement. Many of the estimated 1,500 women and children who were abducted by ISIL last year remain under the group's control. The few women and girls who managed to escape in the past few months tell appalling stories of systematic rape, physical abuse, forced marriage and human trafficking. Communities have welcomed those women and girls upon their return, but are struggling to cope with the magnitude of suffering that their mothers, sisters and daughters have endured. An entire generation of Iraqi children has been put at risk by the conflict. They have been forcibly recruited into armed groups, used as suicide bombers and exposed to profound levels of violence, which will affect them for the rest of their lives.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“I am also extremely concerned about the well- being of the millions of Iraqis who live in areas outside Government control, including under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Next month will mark one year since the attack on Mosul and the spread of ISIL in the country. Reports indicate deteriorating conditions in those areas, including diminishing access to clean water, medical care and food. Most of those areas, however, remain largely out of the reach of humanitarian organizations. People are becoming more and more cut off from the rest of the country, with reports that many are now not allowed to freely leave those areas or to communicate with those on the outside. I have reported to the Council on many occasions about the flagrant violations of human rights that persist in conflict situations.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“Conflict, targeted attacks on Civilians and intimidation - often along ethnic and sectarian lines - continue to plague the country. New displacement continues unabated, with the displacement of an estimated 120,000 people from Ramadi last month, which is a stark example of the fragile situation in Iraq. As the duration and scale of the Iraq crisis increases, so does its urgency. Families can no longer afford to sustain themselves. The resources of host communities have been drained. Public services and infrastructure are overloaded. Poverty and unemployment have increased, and the cost of living has soared. Newly displaced families are finding it increasingly difficult to find safe areas of the country where people can host them in their time of need.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“Ms. Amos: I would like to compliment the political report (S/2015/298) presented by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Jan Kubis, along with a more specific report (S/2015/305) on the humanitarian situation in Iraq. Since my previous briefing to the Security Council, in November 2014 (see S/PV.7314), the number of Iraqis requiring humanitarian assistance has grown to over 8.2 million people, an increase of 3 million in 5 months. That includes the 2.8 million people Who have been internally displaced since the conflict began in the Anbar governorate in January 2014. Half of the displaced are children. All 18 governorates in Iraq have been affected. Iraq also continues to host approximately 250,000 refugees from Syria.”
2015-05-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7443 (2015) · source
“Fifthly, it should enforce an arms embargo and targeted sanctions for violations of international humanitarian law and non-respect of humanitarian imperatives. The Council has paid great attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria, but try as we may there is no humanitarian solution. The only solution is through political dialogue that reduces and ultimately ends the Violence. Time is, however, running out for Syria and for the neighbouring countries that have taken on such a heavy burden on behalf of the international community. This is a crisis with potential global repercussions. I ask the Council to match its scale with an equally bold and courageous response.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“Secondly, the Security Council should give a specific mandate to the International Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, looking specifically at the situation in besieged communities and the militarization and responsibility for attacks on medical and educational facilities. This should be done through the conduct of a fact-finding mission. Thirdly, the Council should mandate the negotiation of humanitarian pauses and days of tranquillity. Fourthly, it should send perpetrators a clear message that their crimes will not go unpunished and demonstrate to the Syrian people that there will be justice for the crimes committed against them. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“Some are practically difficult and others contentious but, given the conditions ordinary Syrians have to face, I ask the Council to consider the following. First, it should demand that attacks on education and health facilities cease and that schools and hospitals become zones of peace. This is in line with resolution 2139 (2014), in paragraph 10 of which the Council "demands that all parties demilitarize medical facilities, schools and other civilian facilities and avoid establishing military positions in populated areas and desist from attacks directed against civilian objects".”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“Fourteen months later, there continues to be a shocking lack of respect for the most basic rules of international humanitarian law and a total absence of accountability. The failure to stop the violence has undermined the credibility of the Council and eroded confidence in the international community to take its responsibilities seriously. Billions of dollars have been pledged for humanitarian assistance, which we welcome, but the people of Syria, rightly, want more. They want an end to the war that has ravaged their country and destroyed lives and livelihoods. I am appealing to the Council to look seriously at all the options at its disposal that could help to bring an end to the violence in Syria, stop the violations of international law, protect civilians and ensure humanitarian access.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“The Government has finally approved a number of interagency convoys and critical food and education assessments, but there continue to be restrictions in aid delivery that limit our capacity to deliver. Last month, I called on the Council to remind Government security forces that all aid - particularly medical and surgical supplies - must be allowed on convoys. Despite these calls and the approval of civilian authorities, Government security forces again removed all surgical supplies from the trucks destined for Ar-Rastan in Homs governorate, depriving people of urgently needed treatments. In resolution 2139 (2014), the Council expressed its intent to take further steps in the case ofnon-compliance with the resolution.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“Theirs is a daily struggle for survival as they remain trapped and out of our reach, subjected to collective punishment. Full and unimpeded humanitarian access remains a priority. Humanitarian workers, often at great risk to themselves, are responding as best they can throughout the country including through cross border operations. On 26 March, a team of United Nations humanitarian workers and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers delivering humanitarian supplies in Ar-Rastan was briefly detained by a non-State armed group. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has continued to inhibit the delivery of aid, and this month has even prevented polio vaccines from reaching hundreds of thousands of children under five years old.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“And despite the Council's concerted action on the removal and destruction of chemical weapons, there are fresh allegations that chemical weapons have been used again in Idlib, killing and injuring civilians. Civilians in Aleppo also continue to be subjected to indiscriminate fire from the air and from underground, with barrel bombs dropped on opposition-controlled parts of Aleppo city and tunnel bombs exploding under Government-controlled districts. And it is civilians who are paying the heaviest price. The Council has been briefed on the situation in Yarmouk, once a symbol of Syrian hospitality with refugees and host communities living side by side. Today, people have reached new levels of despair. Hundreds of thousands of people elsewhere in the country also remain besieged.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“More than 7.6 million people are displaced within Syria and nearly 4 million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. People risk their lives if they stay and some when they leave, as we have seen with those who have drowned in the Mediterranean. We need the numbness to the senseless Violence and the apparent apathy to end. Violence has continued to escalate in a number of areas of the country. In the past weeks alone, well over 100,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Idlib - many of them for the second time. More than 1,500 people have been injured, but none of the three hospitals that were operating less than a month ago is functioning. There is nowhere for those seeking medical help to go.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“Ms. Amos: Since my first briefing to the Council on Syria some three years ago (see S/PV.6790), we have sat in this Chamber many times and borne witness to the spiraling violence and growing despair in the country. Each time, I speak of atrocity after atrocity, violation after violation, misery after misery. And despite the Council's unity on the appalling humanitarian consequences of the conflict and three resolutions demanding protection for civilians and full humanitarian access, the Government and armed and terrorist groups continue to kill, maim, rape, torture and take Syria to new lows that seemed unimaginable a few years ago. People have become numb to figures that should, every day, shock our collective conscience and spur urgent action. More than 220,000 people have been killed and over 1 million injured.”
2015-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7433 (2015) · source
“Day after day, month after month, year after year, the death, destruction and violence in Syria grows. As Council members have said many times, there is no humanitarian solution to the crisis. The international community must demonstrate greater determination to reach a long-overdue political solution.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“They should remain strong advocates for compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law; and make it clear that parties to the conflict, including the Government, which bears a special responsibility as a Member of the United Nations, cannot act with impunity. On the issue of denial of access, where parties arbitrarily withhold consent to relief operations there must be consequences and accountability. Council members may wish to consider the concrete steps they would like to take given the violations of the Council's demands on access set out in resolution 2139 (2014). And on the repeated targeting of health facilities and personnel, the Syrian armed forces, non-State armed groups and terrorist groups must be held accountable for their actions.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“People trapped in besieged locations are becoming more and more desperate. We must be allowed to deliver essential humanitarian items, such as food, nutritional supplies for children, medicines and medical items. Time is running out. More people will die. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to do everything we can to try to save lives, and we are still getting aid to millions of people each month, including through cross-border operations. The pledging conference in Kuwait on 31 March will be an opportunity to raise some of the resources required to maintain our life-saving work. I encourage Governments to give generously. We also need the Council's continued strong support in the following areas.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“However, food distribution takes place only three times a week, with around 200 families receiving parcels on each distribution day. UNRWA estimates that the 18,000 people trapped in Yarmouk require 400 food parcels daily to meet their basic needs. An additional 228,000 people are now living under siege in Government-controlled neighborhoods of Deir ez-Zor by ISIL. They are unable to leave the city, and only minimal supplies have been airlifted in by the Government. This increases the total number of people besieged in Syria from 212,000 to an estimated 440,000. This situation cannot continue: 185,500 people are in areas besieged by the Government, despite its assertions that it has a responsibility to look after its own people. The rest are in areas besieged by armed and terrorist groups. The authority of the Council is being undermined.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“Urgently needed medical supplies, including surgical kits, are scheduled to be delivered to Al-Rastan on 30 March. I ask the Council to make it clear to the Government of Syria that these convoys must be allowed to proceed and that their security forces should allow the free passage of all supplies to people in need. There has been some confusion about the number of people in besieged and hard-to-reach locations. In besieged areas, people cannot leave and assistance cannot get in on a regular basis. In February, the United Nations could not deliver any food or medicines to besieged locations. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) restarted delivery of some assistance to Yarmouk on 4 March.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“In February, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed the United Nations that all communications with Government ministries and public-service providers be routed through the Ministry. At a time when needs are growing and the humanitarian community should be scaling up its response, the Government continues to put in place measures that are not practical and slow down our response. So far this year, the United Nations has requested access to 33 locations for the delivery of aid through inter-agency convoys; only three have been agreed, to Al Waer, Talbiseh and Al-Rastan in Horns. Despite the approval and support of the Governor, Syrian State security forces removed surgical and other medical and reproductive health supplies from the convoys to Al Waer and Talbiseh.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“In parts of the country under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a number of humanitarian offices have been closed. As a result, the World Food Programme was forced to halt distribution to 700,000 people in ISIL-controlled areas of Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations distributions in the northern governorates - the agricultural belt ofthe country - have also been reduced in the past months. The Syrian Government continues to put in place restrictive administrative hurdles, hampering the effective delivery of aid, and have insisted that the United Nations share beneficiary lists.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“Even when basic services are restored, people have only sporadic access owing to the systematic degradation of basic infrastructure. Non-governmental organizations reviewing satellite imagery report that 83 per cent of the lights have gone out in Syria over the past four years. This is an average. The cuts are even higher in areas such as Aleppo. As needs grow, humanitarian organizations need to reach more people, but we are facing increasing difficulties in reaching the 4.8 million people who live in areas which are hard to reach. And as the violence escalates and conflict lines continue to shift, I fear that these numbers will rise. Access continues to be constrained by insecurity and active fighting, but the parties to the conflict are increasingly and deliberately obstructing the delivery of life-saving aid.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“Three governorates - Hama, Aleppo and Deir-ez-Zor - have global acute malnutrition rates above 10 per cent among the children sampled, a level considered serious according to World Health Organization standards. The overall country-wide global acute malnutrition rate was 7.2 per cent. This is considered to be poor. The health system in Syria has been destroyed. Only half of the network of primary health centres that existed before the conflict are still working. Physicians for Human Rights has documented 233 attacks on 183 medical facilities, with 610 medical staff killed over the last four years. Basic services continue to be deliberately attacked and cut. For example, some 450,000 people in Dar'a had their water out for two weeks in February.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“Unemployment is around 58 per cent, up from around 10 per cent in 2010; and nearly two thirds of all Syrians are now estimated to be living in extreme poverty. The inability of the Council and countries with influence over the different parties at war in Syria to agree on the elements for a political solution in the country means that the humanitarian consequences will continue to be dire for millions of Syrians. Children are particularly badly affected, with 5.6 million children now in need of assistance. Well over 2 million children are out of school. A quarter of Syria's schools have been damaged, destroyed or taken over for shelter. It will take billions of dollars to repair damaged schools and restore the education system. Nutritional surveys indicate a worrying decline in the nutritional status of children.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“Indiscriminate aerial bombings, including the use of barrel bombs, car bombs, mortar attacks, unguided rockets and the use of other explosive devices in populated areas, are the hallmarks of this conflict. Fighting continues to escalate across the country. Increased violence in Idlib city in the past few days is particularly worrying and has the potential to displace hundreds of thousands more people. I am concerned that civilians could become trapped in the city if the fighting escalates. People must be given safe passage and be allowed to leave if this becomes necessary. I have previously reported on the worsening socioeconomic situation in the country, which has eroded the development gains made over a generation. Today, a Syrian's life expectancy is estimated to be 20 years less than when the conflict started.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“Ms. Amos: We are in the fifth year of a war in Syria characterized by breathtaking levels of savagery, and it is just over one year since the Council adopted resolution 2139 (2014). The resolution demanded action by the parties to the conflict to cease attacks against civilians and facilitate humanitarian access to those in need. We all had hoped that the resolution would compel the parties to reduce the violence and lead to a significant improvement in the situation of people in Syria. By any measure, however, the situation in Syria has dramatically worsened. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict. The Secretary-General has submitted report after report highlighting the failure of the parties to meet their basic minimum legal obligations.”
2015-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7418 (2015) · source
“Today I appeal again to Council members to ensure the parties heed its call and comply with resolution 2139 (2014) in its entirety: to end the indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas - this practice is responsible for a large proportion of the growing casualties; it is disproportionate and a violation of international law - to protect children from the wide range of violations they are subject to - parties to the conflict can give a clear direction to those who fight for them that committing crimes against children is unacceptable and will not be tolerated; to lift the sieges and allow people access to assistance essential to their survival; to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access, including for medical assistance, and respect the neutrality of medical facilities; this is expressly outlined as a basic premise of the Geneva Conventions; to hold the parties to account and end the pervasive climate of impunity; and, most important, the Council and the international community must find a political end to this conflict once and for all.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“Despite the Security Council's continued call to lift the sieges, only two locations have seen an end to such practices, Homs Old City and Moadamiyah. The United Nations and its partners have been allowed to deliver to an average of only 5 per cent of people besieged each month with food and medicine since resolution 2139 (2014) was adopted. Even in war there are rules. The denial of medical assistance and the use of starvation as a weapon of war is prohibited by international law. In February, I appealed to the Council to use its influence on parties to protect civilians and demand greater humanitarian access. By adopting resolution 2139 (2014), the Council committed itself and the wider international community to the well-being and the protection of the people of Syria.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“The actual number of schools attacked is likely higher. Parties to the conflict continue to use siege as a weapon of war, deliberately denying people access to basic assistance, such as food and medicines. At the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014), in February, there were 220,000 people besieged by either Government or opposition forces. Two hundred and twelve thousand remain besieged today - 185,500 people by Government forces and 26,500 people by opposition forces. Many of these communities have been besieged for years: no one allowed out, no aid allowed in - for years. And there is now a new tactic, as we have seen in Yarmouk. Tiny amounts of aid are allowed in, giving people hope, but so little it can only help a fraction of those in need. People's hopes are raised and then dashed, time and time again.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“The passage of medical assistance to hard-to- reach locations continues to be hindered by the lack of approvals from the Government of Syria. Opposition groups have also prevented medical supplies from reaching besieged communities in Nubul and Zahra. The Government continues to withdraw from United Nations convoys medicines, medical equipment and supplies, including for surgical interventions, such as antibiotics and injectable medicines. Hospitals continue to be militarized by the parties to the conflict. Schools, which should be safe places for children to learn and grow, have been bombed from the air, subjected to mortar fire and been attacked with car bombs. In the last nine months, the United Nations has verified at least 35 attacks on or near schools, killing more than 105 children.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“In resolution 2139 (2014), the Security Council demanded that all parties respect the principle of medical neutrality and desist from attacks against civilian objects. Despite that call, the deliberate and indiscriminate damage to essential services, including hospitals, schools and infrastructure, has become a regular occurrence. In the past 10 months, accounts of damage to water systems and electricity have continued to be reported, with large parts of cities cut off from the receipt of basic services. Hospitals across the country have been attacked. Between the adoption of the resolution and the end of November, Physicians for Human Rights documented 70 attacks on medical facilities, 60 of them by Government forces. In the same period, 150 deaths of medical personnel were reported, 97 of them were killed in the line of duty.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source