YouSaid · the spoken record

Lillie

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15

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2019-06-25

most recent

2019-06-25

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1

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un-security-council

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1. “We have heard many good words here today and I can only ask that we put those words into action before more civilian lives are lost.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

2. “While there are many air forces operating in Syria, the only ones conducting operations in that part of north-western Syria are Russia's and Syria's. It was Russia that, for years, pushed to de-conflict. We were told to provide coordinates and that they would make sure that those coordinates were not targeted. This organ and its investigative entities must hold accountable those who have attacked civilians and medical facilities or the people suffering in Syria will lose the remaining thread of hope that the international community cares. We owe it to the 1,200 humanitarians who have perished in the conflict and the 2,200 individuals - women, children, civilians - who the Syrian American Medical Society has seen in its medical facilities injured from the conflict since the end of April.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

3. “The Syrian American Medical Society alone has lost over 50 ofits colleagues. This week, my colleagues and fellow non- governmental organizations have been reviewing a duty of care policy - what to do about our colleagues who have been maimed and who have died, and how we care for their families. I have worked in humanitarian assistance for decades in Darfur, South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and in many other places, for both governmental and non-governmental organizations, and I have never put so much care into such a policy - we have not had to. Some of my colleagues would want to condemn or to call out names, but we cannot so long as we stay true to humanitarian standards. And it is not easy. Of the nine de-conflicted facilities attacked since late April, eight were from air strikes.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

4. “Mr. Lillie: I, too, would like to pay tribute to the humanitarians who have been lost in Syria - nearly 1,200 of them, as the representative of South Africa mentioned in his remarks, which we appreciate. With regard to the areas of Syria that we have discussed here today, I sometimes wonder why health- care workers stay in Syria. They stay to care for those who have been injured and maimed, and to help bury those who have died. They are unselfish, they are heroic and they are true humanitarians. In fact, one of the most dangerous jobs in Syria is to be a health-care worker. One of the most dangerous places to be in Syria today is at a health facility. As has been stated here today, since the end oprril there have been 30 attacks on health facilities, mobile health clinics and ambulances.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

5. “President, for the opportunity to appear before the Security Council today. I hope that, together, we can work towards a peaceful future in Syria.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

6. “He made an impassioned case for continuing to support humanitarian workers. He said that Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham told people that they were alone and the world had abandoned them but Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham was there to help them. As humanitarian workers, we say that that is not true. We tell people that we are there to help them and that our donors from around the world are ready to support them. We impose no ideology and no conditions. We are present to help and support people. That example perfectly illustrates the importance of supporting humanitarian workers. They are the beacons of hope in a very dark conflict. We must all work together to support and protect them and ensure that they have adequate financial resources to carry out their work. I again thank you, Mr.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

7. “The kidnapping and torture, for ransom, of humanitarian workers by armed groups are an outrage that must be addressed, as is the targeting of civilian populations in the city of Aleppo by armed groups. But let me be clear: the way to combat terrorism is not through the bombardment of civilian areas and the targeting of civilian infrastructure. The subsequent human suffering is what fuels terrorism. Have we not learned that over the years? The best way to combat terrorism is by supporting the civilian population, who long to live in peace and freedom, not under groups such as Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham. The best way to provide that support is through humanitarian and stabilization activities. Not long ago I remember speaking to a doctor from Idlib just after several donors suspended their aid to the north-west due to fears of diversion.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

8. “Be assured that the civilian population feels completely abandoned by the international community. How can one blame them? Doctors cannot help patients when they do not have essential supplies, such as anaesthetics and surgical kits. People in remote areas cannot be reached when there are not enough funds for mobile clinics. The international community must not only come together to seek peace in Syria and prevent the continued violation of international humanitarian law by all parties, but also use their financial resources to help alleviate the suffering of all Syrians. On the topic of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and extremism in north-western Syria, it is an extremely significant issue that the Council must consider.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

9. “There are steps that can be taken to improve both the process and the current mechanism. Council members should consider granting investigators of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism access to the data or authorizing a fact-finding mission to investigate the attacks. I would also like to briefly discuss the humanitarian response on the ground. The response of donors to the recent offensive is significantly below what is needed. There have been at least 330,000 newly displaced individuals, with only 110,000 having been received at internally displaced persons camps. Yet the Humanitarian Task Force allocated enough funds for only 5,000 new units of shelter.”

   2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

10. “That begs the question: where is the accountability? Have we lost our capacity for outrage? Since April 2018, when many organizations deconflicted their facilities, not a single investigation has been completed. Rather than seeking answers and accountability, some members of the Council have instead sought to delay, distract and discredit the mechanism. Yet all that achieves is to further damage the credibility of this institution, and it only exacerbates the suffering of the Syrian people. We have now reached a point where doctors and humanitarian workers on the ground no longer trust the mechanism. They have fulfilled their part of the agreement, at great risk to themselves. Can the Council not meet them halfway? We should not leave them to feel alone or abandoned.”

    2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

11. “It was only after last year's brutal offensive in eastern Ghouta, which saw 13 health facilities systematically targeted in a 48-hour period - a time when we lost four colleagues - that the doctors finally agreed to share the coordinates. After that assault, they felt that their facilities would inevitably be targeted, regardless of whether or not they shared their coordinates. Yet only days after those coordinates were shared, a hospital in Arbin was targeted by a bunker buster, which landed directly on a patient in the emergency room. In the current offensive in the north-west, nine different de-conflicted facilities have been targeted - nine. In addition, one third of the facilities targeted by air strikes were constructed before the war, meaning that their location was already public knowledge.”

    2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

12. “My organization was among those that de-conflicted many of their facilities in April 2018 by working closely with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to build trust and consensus that NGOs and their field staff would supply all needed information, while OCHA would ensure that the mechanism would be properly implemented. It is important to discuss the context here. For years, NGOs were encouraged to share their coordinates in order to reduce the risk of targeting by parties to the conflict. There was resistance from field staff, who argued that they themselves would be held responsible by the local population in the event that the facility was targeted.”

    2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

13. “Syrian American Medical Society facilities alone have received more than 2,200 injured civilians. At the same time, the suspension of routine services such as vaccinations has greatly increased the risk of outbreaks of disease, including measles and meningitis. If there is one word that captures the current experience of civilians in Idlib, it is suffering - tremendous human suffering. We cannot discuss attacks on health care without highlighting the use of the de-confliction mechanism.”

    2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

14. “Since the start ofthe conflict, my organization has provided 14 million medical services. Over the years we have helped people of many different faiths and political affiliations. In our work, we seek to maintain humanitarian principles and to help all Syrians in need. The current situation in north-west Syria continues to deteriorate. The systematic attacks on health care have been particularly severe. As the Under-Secretary- General said, there have been more than 30 health- care-related attacks since the end of April. Just days ago, as was mentioned, three ambulance workers were killed after their ambulance was directly targeted in an air strike. Those attacks have greatly reduced the capacity of the health system at a time when it is already overwhelmed by a large civilian population with significant health needs.”

    2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source

15. “Mr. Lillie: I would like to thank the Council for the opportunity to brief it on the humanitarian situation in north-western Syria. I would especially like to thank the representatives of Kuwait, Germany and Belgium for their willingness to accommodate me here today. We have just heard from Under-Secretary-General Lowcock about the grave humanitarian situation in north-western Syria. My organization, the Syrian American Medical Society, is currently conducting medical-relief operations in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo governorates. We operate 35 medical facilities ranging from large hospitals to mobile clinics, and employ about 2,000 staff in the field. Those courageous doctors, nurses, midwives and support staff work tirelessly to provide life-saving care for those in need.”

    2019-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8561 (2019) · source