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

“Despite that, tens of thousands of civilians continue to be arbitrarily detained and subjected to systematic and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and torture. The majority are males taken at checkpoints or during ground raids. The Commission of Inquiry continues to receive reports of serious torture and beatings in Government detention facilities. Detainees are often held in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions without adequate food, water and health care. Reports of detainees dying from torture and malnutrition continue. The Commission has also reported on armed opposition groups taking people hostage, including women and children. People are being held under conditions that constitute cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“That is in part due to a depletion of family resources, and more recently, because parents are terrified oftheir unmarried daughters being forced to marry ISIL fighters in areas under their control. Women captured as slaves by ISIL have been sold in markets in Raqqa. Some are sold to individual men, others are kept by ISIL in rest houses and face multiple rapes by fighters returning from the battlefield. As noted by the Commission ofInquiry, ISIL has carried out mass victimization ofcivilians, including murder, enslavement, rape, forcible displacement and torture, and has violated its obligations toward civilians and persons hors-de-combat, which amounts to war crimes. In resolution 2139 (2014), the Security Council demanded the immediate end to the practice of arbitrarily detaining people and the use of torture in detention centres.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“We have also seen a trend of children receiving military training and weapons, being used in combat roles, younger and younger. Reports have been received of 350 children, some as young as five years old, being trained for combat in a military camp in Raqqa. As I have reported on many occasions, this conflict is not only shattering Syria's present. It is also destroying its future. Reports of sexual and gender-based violence have increased since July, particularly but not exclusively, perpetrated by ISIL. Recently, Kurdish refugees from Kobani reported the capture of young girls by ISIL for sexual purposes, girls as young as 12. Reports of early and forced marriage are also on the rise.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“Resolution 2139 (2014) explicitly condemns grave violations and abuses committed against children and condemns all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. Yet today, Syria is one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a child. In February, around four million children were particularly vulnerable and in need of international assistance. Today, over 5.6 million children are in need of immediate assistance. Children have been murdered, tortured and subjected to sexual violence by all parties to the conflict. Reports of children killed or publicly executed, crucified, beheaded and stoned to death, particularly by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), have increased in recent months. Millions of children have been traumatised by the horrors they have been forced to witness.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“However, all parties to the conflict continue to violate that most basic of laws with devastating consequences. The Government has continued to use barrel bombs in densely populated areas, killing and maiming people. The use of barrel bombs has been particularly acute in Aleppo, Hama, Idlib, rural Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Dar'a. In the first five months following the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014), Human Rights Watch documented over 650 major new damaged sites, consistent with the use of barrel bombs on neighbourhoods in the city of Aleppo alone. Armed opposition groups and designated terrorist organisations have also used explosive weapons, including mortars and car bombs, in populated areas, killing civilians.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“Some 12.2 million Syrians now require humanitarian assistance, an increase of 2.9 million people in only 10 months. Almost half of the Syrian population is displaced, with more than 7.6 million internally displaced persons and well over 3 million refugees in neighbouring countries. A fifth of that number of people is displaced worldwide. Every time we use a new figure in relation to the Syrian crisis, we say that it is unprecedented. We have run out of words to fully explain the brutality, violence and callous disregard for human life which is a hallmark of this crisis. The international community has become numb to its impact with the vast numbers, regional reach and sense of political impasse. The Council made a number of specific calls in resolution 2139 (2014), including a call for the end to the indiscriminate use of weapons.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“The Security Council demanded that the parties to the conflict take immediate action to end the relentless violence and stop all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. I regret to inform the Council that, 10 months later, the Council's strong demands have gone unheard. The parties to the conflict continue to ignore the most basic principles of humanity. In many parts of Syria the level of violence has worsened, with civilians continuing to pay heavily with loss of life, serious injuries, psychological trauma, ongoing and recurring displacement and massive damage to property and infrastructure. By February, an estimated 100,000 people had been killed. Today, the United Nations estimates that number is closer to 200,000, with around 1 million people injured. And the numbers increase daily.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: My November briefing on the Syrian crisis focused on the constraints and challenges to humanitarian access across conflict lines inside Syria and across borders into Syria. In this month's briefing, I would like to focus on issues relating to the protection of civilians in Syria, following the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014) in February. The resolution was unanimously adopted in recognition of the magnitude of the human cost that this conflict carries. The intention of the resolution was to seek protection for civilians caught in the midst of the fighting and to ensure that civilian facilities and infrastructure, for example hospitals and schools, were not attacked.”
2014-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7342 (2014) · source
“Some 212,000 remain besieged today - 185,500 people by Government forces and 26,500 people by opposition forces. The Council must also push for an end to the violence that is destroying the people and the country and having such a destabilizing impact on the region. Humanitarian appeals for Syria and the region remain critically underfunded. I again appeal to donors to do more to fund humanitarian action in response to the Syrian crisis. The appeal is less than half-funded. Every day that passes, more Syrian children, women and men die. More look to the international community for help and support. We on the humanitarian side will continue to do all we can. But as I have said to the Security Council on many occasions, this crisis requires a political solution. I hope, for the sake of the people of Syria, that one is found soon.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“As the situation on the ground becomes more dangerous and difficult, it is even more important that humanitarian actors be able to use all tools at their disposal to reach people in need, from within the country and across borders. I hope that Member States will continue to use their influence with the parties to the conflict to remind them to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and guarantee regular and unhindered access. The Council must also continue to call for an end to the bureaucratic steps that hinder the delivery of assistance, push for the inclusion of medical supplies in convoys, and call for the lifting of sieges. When resolution 2139 (2014) was adopted in February, there were 220,000 people besieged by either Government or opposition forces.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“Today - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - we particularly remember Syria's women and children. Sexual violence has been used as a form of torture to injure, to degrade and to intimidate and as punishment. As detailed in the report of the Secretary-General to the Council this month (S/2014/784), United Nations organizations and their partners continue to work in extreme and dangerous circumstances. Sixty-nine workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict. We should all be humbled by the commitment and bravery of the thousands of workers who risk their lives to deliver much-needed aid to people throughout Syria.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“This is the largest number of people displaced by conflict in the world. Despite the repeated calls from the Council for the fighting to stop and hard-hitting reports from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic of ongoing abuses of human rights, civilians continue to be killed and injured every day. The Commission's recent report documented the brutality of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, including its barbaric treatment of women and children and the systematic use of torture, murder, rape and enslavement. Opposition groups, including designated terrorist groups, mete out brutal punishment and attack civilian services. The Government's aerial attacks, including with barrel bombs, have pounded civilian areas, civilian facilities and camps for internally displaced persons.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“School attendance has dropped by more than 50 per cent. Young people have few prospects of a bright future. We have lamented the possibility ofa lost generation of Syria's children; it is now a reality. One ofthe consequences ofresolution 2165 (2014) is that we now have better data with respect to the number of people in need. Some 12.2 million people are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance throughout the country. More than five million of those in need are children. Violence has forced nearly half of Syrians from their homes, many of them multiple times. There are now some 7.6 million people displaced inside Syria. In addition, more than 3.2 million people have fled the country, and countries in the region and communities hosting refugees are bearing an enormous burden.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“This expanded reach has already led to a more effective response. That is why I hope that the Council will renew the provisions contained in resolution 2165 (2014). They have made a difference. But despite the progress we have made, it is still not enough. We have faced considerable challenges in implementing resolutions 2139 (2014) and 2165 (2014) and continue to fall short of meeting the humanitarian needs of all the people we aim to reach in Syria. No more than two besieged locations have been reached in any month since the adoption of resolution 2165 (2014), and only one location has been reached in each of the past two months. This is a conflict that is affecting every Syrian. Syria's economy has contracted some 40 per cent since 2011. Unemployment now exceeds 54 per cent. Three quarters of the population lives in poverty.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“The purpose was to support a "whole of Syria" approach, which would enable United Nations agencies and international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to choose the best method for the delivery of desperately needed assistance across conflict lines inside Syria or cross-border, including through four additional border crossing points, as authorized by the Council. Resolution 2165 (2014) has helped the United Nations overcome some of the challenges we faced by permitting direct delivery to hundreds of thousands of people, complementing the considerable cross- border deliveries conducted by NGOs. Collectively, since the adoption of the resolution and primarily through cross-border deliveries, we have delivered to nearly all the hard-to-reach locations in the four governorates - Aleppo, Idlib, Daraa and Quneitra.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: Nine months ago, the Council adopted resolution 2139 (2014), which set out a comprehensive series of proposals to tackle the significant protection, access and humanitarian challenges facing civilians and humanitarian partners in Syria. After several months of detailed reporting to the Council setting out the continued horror of the situation inside Syria, with thousands of people trapped in besieged and hard- to-reach communities and the lack of implementation of the provisions contained in resolution 2139 (2014), the Council adopted resolution 2165 (2014), aimed at increasing access to the people most in need.”
2014-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7324 (2014) · source
“It is urgent that security be re-established and that the protection of civilians remain at the heart of national and international political, military and other efforts. As is always the case in these crises, it is the ordinary people who suffer the most.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“Current unsubsidized fuel prices mean that humanitarian organizations are able to provide fuel for heating and cooking for less than half of the 80,000 vulnerable families who need it in the Kurdistan region for the next two months. This is not the first time that Iraq has experienced a humanitarian crisis. Iraqis are already weary of the decades of sectarian violence and war which destroyed the country's institutions. One million people are IDPs from previous Gulf wars. This is not just Iraq's crisis. It is part of a regional catastrophe that we have a collective responsibility to address. The humanitarian needs in Iraq are real, they are urgent, and they are growing each month. Millions of Iraqis face an uncertain future, with years spent in camps or unfit dwellings.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“The Government of Iraq has provided $50 million for the construction of camps and other support to the displaced in Dohuk governorate, with additional funds promised for Erbil and Sulaymaniyah governorates. Those funds helped the relocation of IDPs from all secondary school in Dohuk governorate. The Ministry of Displacement and Migration has also begun the construction ofa camp with 1,000 prefabricated shelters in Diyala governorate. I am pleased that salaries are to be paid to all civil servants. The national health and food-distribution systems need to be maintained throughout the country, and kerosene for heating and cooking needs to be subsidized for displaced people during the winter.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“Every day, the humanitarian community faces considerable operational challenges in our effort to deliver aid. And every day difficult decisions have to be made about who will receive assistance, given the scarcity of resources. A total of $173 million in winterization funding is urgently required in order to meet the needs of IDPs in the Kurdistan region and elsewhere. Those needs are time-sensitive, and there is little room for delay. If the World Food Programme does not receive $85 million in the next few days, then food cannot be procured or shipped, and distributions for around 2 million people will be severely disrupted in January.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“With the onset of winter, 450,000 people are still in need of warm Clothing; 300,000 need blankets, stoves and other non-food support; 100,000 require urgent help with water and sanitation; and more than 1 million, mainly children, need health assistance in dealing with acute respiratory infections and other chronic illnesses. Over 660,000 children require vaccination for measles. The ongoing insecurity and fighting prevent us from reaching all those who need help. There are currently 3.6 million Iraqis living in areas under the control of ISIL and affiliated armed groups, and 2.2 million of them are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Despite acute needs, including for shelter, health and food in the areas most impacted by the conflict, only meagre amounts of assistance have been delivered to areas under ISIL control to date.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“Emergency health interventions have ensured access to essential medical services for at least 1 million people, and around 1.5 million have been provided with water, latrines, bathing facilities and hygiene materials. About 1.2 million IDPs have received emergency shelter and essential relief items, including tents, mattresses, blankets and stoves. Nearly 100,000 displaced Iraqi children have received psychosocial counselling, while 82,000 have received assistance enabling them to continue with their education. But despite all of that, much more help is urgently required.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“As many as 700 children are believed to have been killed or maimed in Iraq so far this year, including in summary executions. The United Nations and its partners have quickly scaled up their response, thanks to a generous contribution of $500 million from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and support from other donors early on in the crisis. Hundreds of staff have been deployed to the governorates most affected in the north and are now also in other areas of the country, including Basra. That early infusion of donor funds has had tangible results. More than 1.4 million Iraqis have received food assistance this year, in all 18 governorates.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“As the High Commissioner for Human Rights has already outlined, women have been specifically targeted, with daily reports of kidnapped women and girls from Yezidi and other communities being sold into marriage or sexual servitude to militants. While the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) bears responsibility for the majority of those atrocities, it is not the only perpetrator of human-rights abuses. Armed groups, including militias affiliated with the Government, continue to carry out brutal acts of violence against civilians. Entire communities have been uprooted, with a significant humanitarian impact. And around half of all those displaced are children. Many are deeply traumatized. Their schooling has been disrupted and their families torn apart.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“In addition to the 2 million displaced, there are 1.5 million people from host communities, 1.4 million who live in active areas of conflict where access to basic services is minimal, and 220,000 refugees who have fled Syria, all in urgent need of assistance. Every governorate in Iraq is now hosting displaced people. More than 900,000 men, women and children have found refuge in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The rest are spread across the country, including some 400,000 in Anbar and 150,000 in the southern governorates. The crisis in Iraq is first and foremost one of protection, with intense violence and brutality being meted out to civilians from all religious and ethnic backgrounds.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: Humanitarian conditions in Iraq continue to deteriorate, and 5.2 million people are now in need of assistance throughout the country. Several hundred thousand people were displaced in Anbar governorate at the start of the year. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the country now exceeds 2 million, and the rate of displacement continues to rise. In the past 10 weeks alone, more than 200,000 people have been newly forced from their homes by violence in Anbar, Ninewa, Sala Al-Din, Kirkuk and Diyala governorates. More than 100,000 Iraqis have been registered as refugees in neighbouring countries so far this year.”
2014-11-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7314 (2014) · source
“We also need the financial support of members. I welcome the more than $1 billion pledged last week for our response efforts in Syria and neighbouring countries, as the United Nations and partners have already been forced to cut back on critical aid. Without additional funds, the World Food Programme will be forced to end its operations completely within two months. Rations have already been cut in order to continue to reach as many people as possible. Winter is fast approaching, and vital supplies are needed to protect people from the cold. Neighbouring countries also need urgent support so that they can continue to shelter millions of refugees. But most critical of all, the violence that has already killed over 190,000 people must stop.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“The opening today of the Nusaybin-Qamishly crossing will allow the transfer of further assistance for another 225,000 people. The humanitarian community has developed an integrated plan, initially for four governorates - Dara'a, Quneitra, Aleppo and Idlib - that covers food, health, shelter, and water and sanitation needs and coordinates the work of all humanitarian actors - United Nations agencies and NGOs. We continue to seek to reach the maximum number of people by the most direct and effective routes, across conflict lines, cross-border or through regular aid deliveries. This approach ensures complementarity of effort and builds upon current operations. Despite the modest progress, sustained pressure on all parties to ensure that they respect and implement resolutions 2139 (2014) and 2165 (2014) is crucial.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“Despite the dangers, the United Nations and partners continue to reach millions of people in need. Last month, the World Food Programme and partners delivered food to more than 4.1 million people. A total of 16.5 million people were provided with access to clean water by UNICEF and partners. Over 400,000 people received core relief items. With the support of the Governments of Turkey and Jordan, the implementation of resolution 2165 (2014) has helped us to deliver food for 144,500 people, health support for 151,000 and other basic assistance for 315,000 people through additional cross- border operations, complementing the work of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have been operating across borders not controlled by the Syrian Government for many years.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“This includes armed opposition groups in Aleppo governorate, which have prevented aid from being delivered to areas under the control of ISIL. The Government continues to use administrative procedures to hinder the rapid and sustained delivery of aid. While the changes introduced by the Government on loading plans and imports from official entry points are welcome, the process for deliveries to hard- to-reach areas remains far too cumbersome, and the centralization of approval for deliveries continues to hamper our operations, as does the need to negotiate delivery routes once approval has been received. Aid workers trying to get lifesaving assistance to people continue to face grave danger. David Haines was the sixty-third humanitarian aid worker to be killed since the start of the war.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“And a further 241,000 people are deliberately besieged, mostly by Government forces, and are denied assistance. Each month that passes sees more people denied their basic human rights. Intense fighting and shifting conflict lines continue to make the delivery of aid difficult and dangerous. The parties to the conflict continue to put obstacles in the way of the sustained access that humanitarian organizations require. Nearly 600,000 people in the two governorates of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa could not be reached by the World Food Programme (WFP) last month due to ongoing violence and the presence of armed groups. It is the third month in a row that WFP could not reach people in need in Deir ez-Zor. Parties to the conflict also continue to block aid deliveries to areas outside oftheir control.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are hosting millions of refugees and the displaced, stretching the resources oftheir communities and their national economies to the limit. Those who cannot flee, remain. The whole population is affected by the loss of essential infrastructure and degradation of basic services. Millions are short of food and medicines, and almost 3 million children are not in school. Eleven million vulnerable people inside Syria require urgent humanitarian assistance and of those 6.4 million people are internally displaced. Many have been displaced several times. Sustained access to provide the most basic assistance to some 4.7 million people who have been hard to reach for months, some for years, continues to be a major challenge.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“Nine medical facilities were reportedly attacked in August alone, including three that were hit by barrel bombs. Armed opposition groups have fired on Government-controlled territory. Extensive shelling of the Al-Khalideah residential and commercial area of Aleppo city in early September killed at least eight civilians, including women and children. Nine days ago, mortars fired into Government-controlled areas landed near two schools and a playground. Four people were killed and 33 injured. I have in the past reported to the Security Council on the devastating consequences of this cycle of violence and destruction on Syria's people. Those who can, flee. More than 3 million Syrians have registered in neighbouring countries as refugees. The numbers who have left is far higher than that.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“All parties continue to fire indiscriminately on populated areas, and on markets and bakeries. Murder, execution, torture, hostage taking and other violations of international law continue with total impunity. The Government has continued its aerial attacks, including the use of barrel bombs. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has received information that dozens of civilians were killed in Aleppo from such attacks, including women and children. Government forces also continued their heavy shelling of the Joubar neighbourhood of Damascus, reportedly killing civilians. In its latest report, the commission of inquiry on Syria states that civilians and civilian infrastructure have been systematically targeted.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“ISIL is accused ofbeheadings, ofmass murder and of sexually enslaving women and girls in areas under its control. There are extremely worrying reports of children being recruited into ISIL forces. Over the past two weeks, ISIL forces have advanced in northern Aleppo and over 160,000 people - mostly women and children - fled into Turkey in just a few days. Their fear was so great that many people crossed heavily mined fields to seek refuge. There is a possibility that tens of thousands more people could be forced out of Syria ifISIL forces continue to gain ground. The other parties to the conflict also continue to Show an utter disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law. Violence, including the use of barrel bombs, car bombs and mortars, continues to cause civilian deaths and injuries.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: Seven months have passed since the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014) and two months since the adoption of resolution 2165 (2014) on the humanitarian situation in Syria. The resolutions aim to stop the relentless violence and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law being committed against Syria's people. They also seek to improve access to those in need. But the violence continues unabated throughout Syria, including in areas previously not as affected, and people are being subjected on a daily basis to further displacement and deprivation. In the last few weeks, international attention has been focused on the need to halt the progression of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) across Syria and Iraq.”
2014-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7273 (2014) · source
“Under international humanitarian law, the Government of Israel and Hamas and other militant groups must distinguish between military objectives and civilian objects, and between combatants and civilians. They must also avoid harming civilians or civilian objects, and protect them from the effects ofmilitary operations. As I have said to the Council before and in different circumstances, even war has rules. Funding is also urgently required. The United Nations family has appealed for additional funds, and I ask Member States to respond quickly and generously to those appeals. We cannot provide adequate assistance without an urgent injection of funds. The violence must stop and the root causes of the conflict must be addressed. The people of Gaza want to live in safety, security and dignity. The people of Israel want the same thing.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“Pauses must be daily, predictable and long enough for humanitarian staff to be able to dispatch relief to those in need, rescue the injured, recover the dead and allow civilians some reprieve so that they can restock and resupply their homes. It is urgent that the Government of Israel and Hamas and other militant groups comply with their international legal obligations, including international humanitarian and human rights law. Each party must be held accountable to international standards, not the standards of the other party. We have all witnessed in horror the desperation of children and civilians as they have come under attack with no safe place to go.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“The World Health Organization is facilitating the transfer to hospitals of medical supplies, including fluids and surgical kits, and is coordinating requests from hospitals run by non-governmental organizations for medical equipment, fuel and other supplies. UNICEF is delivering paediatric drugs to hospitals and health facilities, providing psychological support for children and families and working to restore access to water and sanitation. But the relief effort is stretched. The ongoing fighting and insecurity are hampering our ability to move around and have made it difficult to maintain sustained delivery of assistance to people in need. Until a long-term ceasefire is agreed on, we need more humanitarian pauses to enable us to reach those in need.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“Water and sewage systems are also severely damaged, andI am deeply concerned about water systems' possible contamination. Hundreds of thousands of people are without access to regular water supplies, and the ongoing violence is preventing urgent repairs. If the current situation persists, the number of people without water will significantly increase. The United Nations and our partners on the ground are working to meet the growing humanitarian needs. UNRWA is delivering water and food to shelters in addition to its regular programmes. The World Food Programme is providing food to people in UNRWA shelters and others, as well as to patients and hospital staff.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“That includes Al-Aqsa Hospital, which was hit on 21 July, causing significant damage to its top two floors and killing four people. On 29 July, Shifa, the main hospital in Gaza, which is also sheltering thousands of displaced persons, was damaged as well. In addition to schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, Gaza's only power plant was struck on Tuesday and its fuel tanks destroyed. Parts of Gaza will remain without any electricity while others will receive it for only two hours a day. Under the best possible circumstances, repairs are expected to take months to complete. The immediate, medium- and longer-term impact on the functioning of water, sanitation and health-care facilities, as well as on food production, cannot be overstated.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“Under international law, United Nations operations, personnel and premises must remain inviolable, and parties to the conflict should protect humanitarian workers. There can be no justification for failing to do so. The ongoing violence has led to the widespread destruction of homes, public services and infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip. More than 9,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged according to preliminary reports. More than 130 schools and other educational facilities have also sustained damage. Two of the three main United Nations compounds, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office in Gaza, have also been damaged. Medical facilities have not been spared, with 24 damaged or destroyed and some hit multiple times.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“So they come to United Nations facilities for protection when their homes and neighbourhoods come under fire - more than 240,000 people. But more than 103 ofthose facilities have come under attack, including an UNRWA school that was hosting more than 3,300 displaced people yesterday. Nineteen were killed and more than 100 injured. The United Nations has lost seven staff members, and other humanitarian workers have been killed since the outbreak of hostilities. The reality of Gaza today is that no place is safe. The Secretary-General and other senior United Nations officials have condemned this and other attacks in the strongest possible terms. The parties to the conflict have an obligation - an absolute obligation - to protect civilians from direct or indiscriminate attacks.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“Up to 440,000 people in the Gaza Strip are now displaced, amounting to almost 24 per cent of the population, and more than 240,000 are being hosted in schools belonging to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), while others are seeking refuge wherever they can - in Government buildings and hospital grounds or with families and friends. People flee to areas they believe are safe from attack, but those areas are becoming harder to find. Gaza is just 45 kilometres long and between 6 and 14 kilometres wide, and the Israeli military has advised that 44 per cent of Gaza is a buffer zone. With the blockade in place, most people are unable to leave Gaza even to get urgent medical attention.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“Around 57 per cent of Gazans are estimated to be food- insecure, and unemployment remains high, at 43 per cent. The economy is moribund. This volatile situation has been exacerbated by 24 days of conflict. More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed and 6,000 injured. More than 80 per cent of those killed were civilians, including 251 children. Israel has faced rocket fire. Fifty-nine people have been killed, of whom three were civilians and 56 soldiers, with dozens more injured.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: I thank you, Sir, for the opportunity to brief the Council on the situation in Gaza. The current crisis in Gaza is taking place against a backdrop of decades of instability, poverty and vulnerability resulting from repeated outbreaks of hostilities and an ongoing blockade by land, air and sea. The blockade leaves only two crossings for limited pedestrian movement and one for the movement of goods. As a result, more than 80 per cent of Gaza's population of 1.8 million - more than half of them children under the age of 18 - relied on humanitarian aid before the outbreak of hostilities. Various restrictions apply to the use of land within the Gaza Strip, and 80 per cent of its fishing waters are totally or partially inaccessible.”
2014-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7232 (2014) · source
“We look to the Council to help us ensure that the parties to the conflict abide by their obligations under international law. Some 10.8 million women, men and children depend on that support.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“The Council has demanded that the parties to the conflict allow and facilitate humanitarian access across conflict-lines and across borders. Resolution 2139 (2014) is clear and unequivocal on this point. We need a scale-up in cross-line and cross- border deliveries to meet growing needs on the ground. Approximately 1.3 million people could be reached via border crossings we have requested with Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. In previous reports to the Council, I proposed the facilitation of cross-border deliveries through the establishment of neutral monitors. I emphasize once again the urgency we face. Thousands of people continue to lose their lives every month. In the continued absence of a political solution to the crisis, humanitarian workers will continue to do everything they can, but we recognize that we cannot do it alone.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“Nearly 3.3 million people received food assistance from the World Food Programme and partners in May; more than 16 million people were assisted with clean drinking water through the provision of chlorination tablets by UNICEF and partners; around 2.9 million children were vaccinated against polio in the latest round; 2.3 million people received critically needed non-food items from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and its partners; and 4 million people received medical assistance by the World Health Organization and partners in the first five months of 2014. However, needs continue to grow and are outpacing our response efforts. We are still unable to provide regular and sustained assistance to 4.7 million people in hard-to-reach areas.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“A proposed amendment to the existing memorandum of understanding, regulating the work of NGOs and aimed at reducing restrictions, was submitted to the Syrian Government on 26 February. It remains unanswered. Effective humanitarian assistance cannot be delivered without NGOs, which remain an essential partner in the aid effort. The United Nations and its partners remain committed and prepared to scale up operations and provide life-saving assistance to men, women and children in need throughout the country, despite the challenging and dangerous operational environment on the ground.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source