YouSaid · the spoken record

Lowcock

lines on the record: 570
first: 2017-09-27
most recent: 2021-06-15
sittings or episodes: 46
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

“They know that half the Syrian population has either fled the country or faced repeated internal displacement. These people have lost everything. They have seen their homes destroyed, their neighbours killed, their loved ones disappear. Everyone knows that the repeated confirmed or alleged chemical attacks in Syria have killed and terrorized Syrian civilians. Eastern Ghouta is a living example of an entirely known, predictable and preventable humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes. Everyone knows that nearly 400,000 people are besieged and that they have been besieged for more than four years. Everyone knows that in eastern Ghouta thousands upon thousands of children are facing acute malnutrition the likes of which we have not seen elsewhere in Syria since the onset of the conflict.”
2018-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8186 (2018) · source
“At least seven health facilities were reportedly hit on 21 February. The only primary health-care centre in Modira town was reportedly rendered out of service by airstrikes. A hospital in Duma city sustained significant damage from nearby barrel bombs. Also in Duma city, an obstetrics centre was damaged A hospital in Jisrein town was reportedly attacked, resulting in the death of a nurse. The two Syrian Arab Red Crescent centres in Duma city and Harasta town were reportedly damaged by the bombardment. Meanwhile - and this is also a point I have consistently emphasized - mortar shelling from eastern Ghouta is reportedly killing and injuring scores of civilians in Damascus city, too. Members all know the statistics of this conflict.”
2018-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8186 (2018) · source
“Our reports have indeed been endless: dead and injured children, women and men; airstrikes, mortars, rockets, barrel bombs, cluster munitions, chemical weapons, thermite bombs, suicide bombs, snipers, double-tap attacks on civilians and the essential infrastructure they depend on, including hospitals and schools; rape, illegal detention, torture, child recruitment and sieges of entire cities reminiscent of medieval times. Over the past 24 hours, heavy shelling and aerial bombardment of multiple communities in eastern Ghouta have reportedly continued, resulting in the deaths of at least 50 people and wounding at least 200. According to some sources, the total death toll since 19 February is close to 300 people. Twenty- three attacks on vital civilian infrastructure have been reported since 19 February.”
2018-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8186 (2018) · source
“Help us, be with us." "Instead of saying 'no more", the world is saying 'one more."' As representatives ofMember States, all here aware that their obligations under international humanitarian law are just that - they are binding obligations. They are not favours to be traded in a game of death and destruction. Humanitarian access is not a nice-to- have; it is a legal requirement. Counterterrorism efforts cannot supersede the obligation to respect and protect civilians. They do notjustify the killing of civilians and the destruction of entire cities and neighbourhoods. The Council has been briefed in minute detail, month after month, on the scale of the suffering of the Syrian people.”
2018-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8186 (2018) · source
“Today, and as battles intensify, I call on you, as a father now expecting my first child to be born, and as a humanitarian worker trying to maintain what is left of life, to act to stop the systematic operations against civilians and open the roads for humanitarian assistance." Here are more VOICCS. "There are entire families being targeted. A mother and her three children. Four pregnant women; one died, another is in a critical condition, the third lost her baby, and the fourth is under observation. A young girl lost both eyes, and it is continuing." "We do not want war, we do not want war, we do not want war." "Can you hear our messages, voices and fear?" "Our situation is so tragic. Our basements are not safe and lack basic needs.”
2018-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8186 (2018) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: My colleagues and I have given the Security Council a lot of updates on the situation in eastern Ghouta over the past three months. I want to start today by bringing members some voices directly from eastern Ghouta. The Office of the Special Envoy in Geneva has, just in the past three days, received thousands of messages on instant messaging applications from civilians there. They are pleading for help. Here is one of them, from a humanitarian worker in the area - a person well versed in international humanitarian law: "During the past two months, military operations turned into a process of systematic targeting of civilians. Most air raids have intentionally targeted civilian residential buildings. Whole families have died under the rubble.”
2018-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8186 (2018) · source
“In the meantime, let me say that I am very grateful for the ongoing efforts to permit an exceptional delivery of humanitarian assistance to that camp from Jordan and I hope that that can happen immediately. The civilian population of Syria deserves to see a tangible improvement in their daily lives, because they have always borne the brunt of this unrelenting conflict. I urge all Council members to do everything possible to ensure that 2018 brings some relief to their suffering.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“October and November were the worst months this year for displacement, with 440,000 people forced to move in October and almost 375,000 in November. That brings the total number of people displaced this year alone to approximately 2.6 million, which equates to 7,700 displacements every day. Many have been displaced more than once. The last time humanitarian assistance was delivered to the people in Rukban camp, which is located on the border with Jordan, was in June. I am still urging the Government of Syria to authorize, as a matter of urgency, the inter-agency deliveries of life-saving humanitarian assistance to those people from Damascus.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“On 12 December, a Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy was finally able to deliver food, health and other relief items provided by the United Nations and other partners to about 15,000 children, women and men in Abu Kamal city. People continue to suffer from the effects of conflict in other areas of the country that have received less attention. Increased fighting in the past two months in Hama, Idlib and Aleppo governorates resulted in more than 90,000 people being displaced. Most ofthose people moved further into Idlib governorate, which is already under strain from hosting extraordinary numbers of IDPs. The humanitarian response in that area has been difficult due to the ongoing violence, and the little humanitarian infrastructure that is in place continues to be impacted by the fighting.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“In Deir ez-Zor governorate, military offensives to retake the remaining areas held by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continue to prompt significant population displacement. More than 250,000 displacements were registered in November. Government advances against ISIL along the Euphrates River have displaced thousands of people from the Abu Kamal sub-district, near the border with Iraq. Military operations and associated heavy aerial attacks have reportedly resulted in more than 150 civilian casualties. The majority of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are suffering in dire circumstances due to an extreme shortage ofshelter, food and safe water.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“Civilian deaths and injuries due to mine explosions continue to be reported with alarming frequency. More than 125 civilians were killed and almost 200 trauma cases were reported since the end of military activities in Raqqa city. Contamination from explosive hazards, including improvised explosive devices, presents a major threat and impediment to enabling safe returns. The full scale of the contamination is not yet fully known, given the lack of a systematic survey of the city. In addition to the threat posed by unexploded ordnance, up to 80 per cent of all buildings in Raqqa city are severely damaged and at risk of collapse. Those conditions mean that humanitarian organizations have only very limited access and presence on the ground.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“Regular programming from within the country resulted in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need, including approximately 2.7 million people who received food assistance so far this month through more than 1,595 deliveries. Cross-border assistance also remained a vital part of the humanitarian response, with the United Nations and its partners providing services for health, education, protection, water and sanitation, and humanitarian supplies. More than 650 trucks have this month delivered food assistance to more than 900,000 people through cross-border operations, as well as health assistance for nearly 1 million treatments. The overall humanitarian and protection situation of civilians displaced from Raqqa city remains of high concern to me, particularly due to mines and explosive remnants of war.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“Only two convoys have received the necessary authorizations for deployment to hard-to-reach locations - one to Harbanifse in Hama governorate and the other to Al-Houle in Homs governorate, on 14 December, which delivered assistance to 60,000 people. Those deliveries were themselves delayed, following a reduction of one third in the agreed number of beneficiaries from what had initially been approved in the access plan. In the past month, the United Nations and its partners have continued to reach millions of people in need through regular programming to parts of the country controlled by the Government of Syria and through cross-border operations.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“On average in 2017, only 27 per cent of people identified to receive assistance under the United Nations bi-monthly plans have in fact been reached through inter-agency cross-line convoys each month. Bureaucratic impediments, like the non-issuance of facilitation letters, continue to be a significant factor in these delays, despite the creation of the tripartite coordination mechanism intended to address such problems. In November, only five cross-line convoys were able to deploy, reaching approximately 200,250 people in hard-to-reach locations and 28,700 people in besieged locations out of a total besieged population of more than 400,000 people. So far in December, none - not one - of our convoys has made it to any of the besieged locations.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“There have already been 16 civilian deaths among those waiting for permission to leave eastern Ghouta for medical reasons, including three in the past few days. Among them are a 45-day- old infant, a nine-year-old girl and a quadriplegic. All that is needed is the green light from the Syrian authorities for these people to go to hospitals just a few miles outside of eastern Ghouta. There has also been minimal progress in recent months in responding to the needs of those trapped and besieged in Fo'ah, Kefraya and Yarmouk. So far this year, only a trickle of assistance has been allowed in for those people. Humanitarian access continues to face restrictions in all the besieged and hard-to-reach locations.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“Nearly 12 per cent of children have been diagnosed with global acute malnutrition - a fivefold increase in the past 10 months. This is the highest level of acute malnutrition recorded so far in the country since the conflict began. These children, whose lives depend on timely and targeted intervention, need our immediate support. In addition, more than 500 people in eastern Ghouta still require urgent medical evacuation. They include 137 children, 231 girls and women, and 61 people over the age of 65. There are 73 people with severe cancer. There are 25 patients with kidney failure. There are 97 people with heart disease. There are five acutely malnourished children. Infants - some of them just one or two months old - will die if evacuation permits are not granted immediately.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“Except for a pause of two days, intensive air and ground-based strikes have been reported every day since mid-November. There has been significant loss of civilian life and hundreds have been wounded, both in eastern Ghouta and in Damascus city, where shelling from the besieged enclave has continued. Over the past weeks, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have been allowed to reach only 7 per cent of those in besieged towns and villages in eastern Ghouta. Tiny amounts of aid have been allowed in, enough for only a fraction of those in desperate need. Food shortages have led in many cases to severe acute malnutrition, and a nutrition sector survey conducted in November showed a rapid and significant deterioration in the nutritional status of children under the age of five.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: Let me begin by welcoming the action that you, Mr. President, have taken today to adopt resolution 2393 (2017). I note your request that the Secretary-General conduct an independent review and for us to work even harder on monitoring, reporting and data gathering. We will, of course, do all that. Cross-border deliveries will remain an essential part of our efforts to meet the needs of all those across Syria who require humanitarian assistance. This will hardly be news to the Council, but it is important for me to repeat that in besieged eastern Ghouta increased fighting and the lack ofhumanitarian access is rendering life unbearable for an estimated 393,000 people trapped inside the enclave. Thousands of civilians are caught in fighting that threatens their lives on a daily basis.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8142 (2017) · source
“Fourthly and in conclusion, I call upon Council members, first, to use their influence to ensure that the parties comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to respect and protect civilians, including humanitarian workers; and, secondly, to ensure that the parties allow and facilitate humanitarian relief operations and people's access to assistance and protection.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“The fact remains that until international humanitarian law is complied with, until the fighting ends and until basic services are established, the humanitarian situation will remain dire. This year, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have halted famine, but that has taken enormous resources and involved substantial risk to staff, some of whom, as I have said, have lost their lives in the endeavour. We must avoid a recurrence of famine next year. UNMISS has played and will continue to play an important role in protecting civilians and creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, but its efforts cannot replace or in any way substitute the responsibilities of the host Government.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“Lacroix has said, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have reached 5 million people with essential assistance this year and the aim for next year is to reach more. About 4 million people have received food assistance and emergency livelihood support this year; nearly 730,000 children and pregnant and breastfeeding women have benefited from emergency nutritional assistance; more than 2.1 million have gained access to clean water; nearly 780,000 people have been assisted with vital non-food items, including blankets and mosquito nets; more than 350,000 children have a chance to go to school; and nearly 400,000 people have received gender-based violence services. To ease aid delivery, an additional humanitarian corridor was opened from the Sudan last month.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“Humanitarian organizations do not relocate staff lightly - the objective is always to stay and deliver - so when we do have to relocate, the situation must be very extreme. In early November, President Kiir released a Republican order for the free, unimpeded and unhindered movement of humanitarian assistance convoys. I take note of this order, which enshrines existing international obligations. I urge for it to be translated into concrete actions and instructions at all levels to remove roadblocks and bureaucratic and other types of impediments and for it to be realized in practice on the ground, because, as I have said, that is not happening now. Thirdly, despite these challenges and as Mr.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“Government security forces have denied humanitarian access in Liwolo in Kajo-keji county, non-State armed actors continue to deny access in areas outside Yei and Mundri towns, and opposition forces have denied access in Torit county's Gunyoro town. Access blockage to a waste disposal site in Bentiu also continues, despite assurances from the Governor that humanitarian agencies would be provided unhindered access to the site. Ongoing fighting also prevents us from delivering aid, including clashes between SPLA and SPLA in Opposition in Yei and surrounding counties. In 2017, more than 500 humanitarian workers across the country have been relocated for extended periods of time owing to conflict and insecurity.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“That compounds the already dire food security and nutrition situations. One example is the opposition-held territory of Greater Baggari, near Wau, which is classified in the emergency phase of food insecurity - so it is just a step away from famine - and where agencies have been able to deliver aid only sporadically owing to access denials and SPLA roadblocks. The situation will get even worse without an improvement in access. In recent weeks, the Government, as well as opposition forces and non-State armed actors, have continued to interfere with the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“At least 95 humanitarian workers have been killed in the line of duty since the start of the conflict, and at least 28 of them have been killed this year alone. More than 90 per cent ofthose people are national staff, who form the backbone of the humanitarian response. Mr. Lacroix mentioned the recent horrific attack in Jonglei. That is just one example of the violence aid workers face and five aid workers were killed in that attack. Allowing and facilitating rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access for civilians in need is an obligation for all parties and essential for humanitarian relief organizations to effectively save lives. The parties regularly and flagrantly ignore these obligations. There are areas of the country where humanitarians have been unable to deliver assistance and programmes for extended periods.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“The suffering is also both a cause and a consequence of the economic situation, which continues to deteriorate, as Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix has said. Many Government workers have not been paid in months. The brutal reality of the economic situation puts food out of reach for many people; it reduces the provision of even the most basic services, such as health and education; and it increases criminality, especially in urban areas. Civilians' safety is at risk and humanitarian organizations face an increasing number of armed robberies and looting of convoys. Just last week in Jonglei, around 2.3 metric tons of food were looted from a humanitarian warehouse. Such actions are perpetrated both by parties to the conflict and by criminal groups for economic benefit. Aid workers are paying with their lives to deliver assistance.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“Now, with the beginning of the dry season and ahead of the anticipated peace talks between parties this month, military offences have further intensified in recent days, especially in Jonglei's Ayod county, Unity's Leer and Mayendit counties, and Western Equatoria's Greater Mundri, all forcing more civilians to flee these areas in search of safety and the essentials to survive. The protection of civilians remains a key concern. The violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses continue to be perpetrated by both the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition. I remind all parties that they must take constant care to spare civilians and the infrastructure civilians rely on.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“The impact of conflict on agricultural production is particularly severe in the greater Equatorias, which was typically a surplus food-producing area before the conflict, but is now seeing production deficits owing to insecurity and related access challenges. Most farmers from the most productive area along the border with Uganda are now in refugee camps inside Uganda. The recent rainy season did not see the usual lull in fighting, nor a respite in humanitarian need.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“In one of every two households, a woman or girl experienced gender-based violence in the past year, according to the International Organization for Migration. A study just released by the International Rescue Committee underscored the high levels of violence, with many incidents directly related to a raid, displacement or abduction. Reported rates of violence against women and girls in South Sudan are among the highest in the world. On access, the suffering faced by civilians in South Sudan is primarily the result of actions by the parties in their conduct of the conflict. The alarming level of food insecurity, for example, is directly linked to restrictions on people's freedom of movement, their access to humanitarian assistance and their ability to plant or to harvest.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“As we approach the end of 2017, 1.25 million people are in the emergency phase of food insecurity; that is almost twice as many people one step away from famine as was the case at the same time last year. In early 2018, half of the population remaining in South Sudan will be reliant on emergency food aid. The next lean season, beginning in March, is likely again to see famine conditions in several locations across the country. The massive and debilitating needs do not stop with hunger. Only one in 10 people currently has access to basic sanitation, which helps prevent deadly diseases. Only half of the country's schools are functioning, and 2 million children are currently out of school.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“Even though more than 2 million people have fled South Sudan as refugees over the past four years of conflict, 7 million people inside the country - almost two-thirds of the remaining population - still need humanitarian assistance. About 1.9 million people are internally displaced, of whom some 210,000 seek safety in the protection of civilians sites located on United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) bases. According to the latest integrated food security phase classification released by the Government of South Sudan and food security partners a month ago, the number of severely food insecure people has steadily increased with each successive year of the conflict.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: This is my first briefing to the Security Council on South Sudan, and I would like to focus on four issues. The first is the humanitarian outlook for the coming months. The second is humanitarian access constraints. The third is current aid delivery, and the fourth is the help we seek from the Council to guarantee free and consistent access to all those who need humanitarian assistance and protection. I agree with and will try not to repeat everything that Mr. Lacroix has said. On Tuesday, we released the 2018 South Sudan Humanitarian Needs Overview. The conclusions of this comprehensive assessment are bleak.”
2017-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8124 (2017) · source
“As I have told the Security Council before, the renewal of the resolution is essential to save lives. Finally, I want to let the Council know that, following consultations with the authorities, I plan to visit Syria in early January to assess the situation and discuss how we can improve assistance to those in need.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“In the first 10 months of 2017, on average each month more than 750,000 people were reached through United Nations cross-border activities. That sustained assistance is essential for those in need. It is clear that each of the three modes of delivery by the United Nations is critical for the people of Syria, and that there is complementarity between them. As needs remain high, it is important to preserve all means of access. Civilians in areas not under the control of the Government are reached in much larger numbers, with much greater consistency and with much more comprehensive support, through cross-border operations than through cross-line operations. It is for that reason that the Secretary-General has called for a renewal of resolution 2165 (2014).”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“United Nations cross-border assistance is checked and verified by the United Nations monitoring mechanism at designated border-crossing points - Bab Al-Hawa, Bab As-Salam and Al-Ramtha. Every truck is checked to ensure that it contains only humanitarian supplies. Deliveries are confirmed by United Nations- contracted third-party monitors upon arrival at warehouses inside Syria. They check the items being off-loaded against the waybill. There is then post- distribution monitoring, including by independent third parties and incorporating community feedback. United Nations cross-border assistance is also subject to the normal accountability mechanisms between the donors and the delivery agencies, and that too includes a verification system.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“Airstrikes were reported in the vicinity, despite security assurances from all sides. Medical items continue to be removed from convoys. As the Secretary-General has said, improved access through cross-line convoys is critical to ensuring that the severe and worsening situation of civilians, including children, is improved. Thirdly, the United Nations continues to deliver life-saving assistance to those living in north-western and southern Syria via cross-border deliveries. This month, approximately 800,000 people have received food assistance. In addition, medicines, educational supplies and other non-food items are regularly delivered cross-border to hundreds of thousands of people.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“On average, just over a quarter of the beneficiaries planned to be reached in the bimonthly plans receive aid. That limited response is despite an agreement with the Government of Syria on bimonthly access plans and the creation of de-escalation zones that cover two of the main areas we attempt to access, that is, eastern Ghouta and northern rural Homs. So far in November, only four cross-line convoys have gotten through, namely, two to northern rural Homs, reaching just over 200,000 people, and two to besieged eastern Ghouta, Duma and Nashabiyeh, in rural Damascus, reaching just 28,000 people. The convoy to Nashabiyeh, serving about 7,000 people, reached its destination only yesterday, at the second attempt, after having to turn back on Monday because of the fighting.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“In October, some 2.8 million people in these areas were reached with food assistance, delivered through some 1,500 WFP convoys. WHO treated over 123,000 patients with medical conditions. UNICEF provided nutrition assistance to 183,000 people. Other agencies - including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East - all provided lifesaving assistance through their humanitarian programmes in areas under the control of the Government of Syria. Secondly, cross-line convoys continue to be heavily restricted.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“Despite the constant challenges that are inherent in operating in the midst of a violent conflict, the United Nations and its partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to millions of people across Syria every month. In September, United Nations support ensured that 4.3 million people received food baskets, 1.7 million people benefitted from water and sanitation assistance, and 1.7 million received medical procedures. I will briefly update the Council on United Nations aid delivery, first to areas controlled by the Government of Syria; secondly, across lines; and thirdly, through the cross-border programme. Assistance to areas under the control of the Government of Syria continues to represent the majority of the United Nations response.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“At least 30,000 Syrians remain stranded in dire circumstances on the berm along the Syrian-Jordanian border. Following my visit to Amman last month, I remain hopeful that we can find a sustainable solution, while at the same time enabling immediate life-saving assistance for these people. I am also concerned about increasing displacement in north-western Syria. Nearly 70,000 people have been displaced to Idlib governorate in recent weeks, while over 27,000 people have been displaced within different parts of the governorate in the same period. As previously, I repeat the Secretary-General's call on all parties to the conflict in Syria to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure as required under international humanitarian law and human rights law, and to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“The risk from explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices continues to hamper humanitarian access throughout the north-east, including to the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. This is reportedly resulting in trauma incidents and deaths as civilians return to Raqqa city. New restrictions on humanitarian access and deliveries in the north-east are limiting the number of people we had previously been able to reach with help. Since 9 November, the United Nations has faced a series of bureaucratic impediments imposed by the parties in the area. As a result, the delivery of humanitarian assistance has been curtailed for much of the past month. This has happened as needs continue to rise, with 125,000 displaced people moving north in Deir eZ-Zor governorate so far this month.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“Children's deaths from malnutrition are preventable if we get more, and more regular, aid convoys in. I had constructive discussions on this in Moscow and Tehran last week, and I hope that they will result in meaningful progress. The situation in north-eastern Syria also remains a cause for concern, as fighting continues down the Euphrates river towards the border with Iraq. Since the beginning of the offensive against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in November last year, airstrikes and clashes have displaced more than 436,000 people from and within Raqqa governorate. Another 350,000 people have been displaced from and within Deir ez- Zor governmorate since August.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“The closure of the only crossing point into the area on 3 October, together with the increase in air and ground strikes, has resulted in a rapid deterioration of the situation. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that agricultural areas in eastern Ghouta are difficult to access because of the fighting, and that their output is very low because of a lack of water for irrigation. I am also deeply concerned about a growing number of people, including children, with complex medical cases - now reaching nearly 500 - who require urgent medical evacuation. The available evidence suggests that severe acute malnutrition rates among children in eastern Ghouta have increased fivefold in the past 10 months. United Nations staff have seen this first hand through assessments made during convoys to Kafr Batna and Duma over the past two months.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“Earlier this week, air strikes on Duma and other areas reportedly resulted in further civilian deaths. Over the same period, more than 200 mortar shells and rockets were reportedly fired on residential areas in Damascus, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries. Against this background, news over the past two days of a ceasefire in eastern Ghouta would, if true and sustained, be important. But I am extremely worried about the food crisis in eastern Ghouta. Despite efforts made to reach them, only 100,000 people out of an estimated population of 400,000 in the enclave have received food assistance this year, and those people are getting only occasional, one-off deliveries.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“Fewer than half of Syria's health facilities are fully operational, leading to thousands of preventable deaths from injury or disease. Nearly 3 million people continue to live in besieged and hard-to-reach areas throughout Syria, including close to 420,000 in 10 besieged areas. The vast majority of them - 94 per cent - are in eastern Ghouta. The remaining 6 per cent are in Fo'ah and Kefraya in Idlib governorate, and in Yarmouk in Damascus. I want to touch first upon specific issues of concern, and then I will update the Council on the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Fighting has escalated in eastern Ghouta and Damascus. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that from 14 to 17 November, 84 people were killed and 659 were injured, including hundreds of women and children.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“Mr. Lowcock: Last week, we released the United Nations 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overviewfor Syria. It lays out the continued plight of the Syrian people after almost seven years of conflict. Some 13.1 million people urgently need humanitarian assistance and protection. Ofthose, some 5.6 million are in acute need. Syria remains the world's largest and most dynamic displacement crisis, with half of all Syrians displaced from their homes. More than 6,500 people have been displaced on average every day in the first nine months of 2017, while some 2,500 people have gone back home. The crisis continues to affect the vulnerable most severely. An estimated 1.75 million children, or almost one school-age child in three, are out ofschool. One-third of schools are damaged or destroyed.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“A considerable proportion of the many millions in need in both northern and southern Syria have been regularly reached - not just once or twice, but consistently and systematically throughout the last three years. Our experience with cross-line operations from within Syria, which I have just referred to, leads us to believe that it would be impossible to reach those people in a sustained manner from within Syria. I therefore regard a renewal of resolution 2165 (2014) as essential. Millions of people depend on the activities it mandates.”
2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source
“We have briefed the Council on that before. I hope that, in the coming days, real and tangible progress can be made on cross-line activities, through the trilateral coordination mechanism in Damascus. As I said last month (see S/PV.8058), it remains our view that cross-border assistance, as provided for in resolution 2165 (2014), has been a lifeline. That assistance has allowed the United Nations to reach millions of people in need in northern and southern parts of Syria. Since United Nations cross-border operations began in July 2014, we have deployed more than 16,400 trucks, carrying assistance through authorized crossings into Syria. On average, aid was delivered to 2.76 million people a month through cross- border operations between January and August this year.”
2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source
“As the Secretary-General points out in his monthly report (S/2017/902), there is an expectation that progress in de-escalation will result in increased humanitarian access. While we continue alongside others to work hard on the issue, this has yet to materialize. Since the beginning ofthe year, on average fewer than a quarter of the United Nations inter-agency cross-line convoys requested under the monthly and bimonthly plans have been able to proceed. Thus far in October, inter-agency convoys have collectively reached fewer than 200,000 people. On average, only 10 per cent of people in besieged locations have been reached with United Nations assistance each month this year, and that is also the total thus far for October, including today's deliveries. The removal of life-saving medicines and medical supplies continues.”
2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source
“I would like to update members on the position on humanitarian assistance to areas controlled by the Government of Syria, cross-line activities and cross-border activities. Between January and August, United Nations and non-governmental organization programmes, in close cooperation with various line ministries of the Syrian Government, have reached an average of well over 4 million people a month in Government-controlled areas of the country. Those programmes continue to represent the vast majority of our work inside Syria. Next, on cross-line activities, we continue to face considerable challenges in meeting the humanitarian needs of people in hard-to-reach and besieged locations.”
2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source